Nikon D750 Under Exposing (Page 2): My digital camera overexposed by 1/3 stop according to my standard. I also determined that it overexposing not because the meter, aperture or...

BebuLamar

alandg46 wrote:

I have never owned a digital camera that didn't underexpose 1/2 stop to 1/4 stop. That includes a Canon 1D Mark II, various Pentaxes and a Nikon D800E. I have always attributed this to the desire of the manufacturers to not blow out high lights.

My digital camera overexposed by 1/3 stop according to my standard. I also determined that it overexposing not because the meter, aperture or shutter speed inaccuracy but because its ISO rating is 1/3 stop faster than what I set it for(i.e. ISO 100 is really 125). But that's my determination. Others will think differently if they use my camera.

Mark7829 Loc: Calfornia

Jlgad wrote:

Every picture with D750 and Nikon 28-300 lenses is under exposed by -1/3. Has anyone else had this problem. I went into fine tune optimal exposure in custom settings and added positive 1/3 in matrix metering. Now all photo's look great. I'm shooting in Aperture Priority. I haven't touched
exposure compensation at all. Its reading 0.

I never shoot to the meter. I meter to the scene. When I look at an image I see highlights and shadows and adjust accordingly based upon what I can or can not do in post. If there are strong highlights I will shoot underexposed to make sure I get all the details I can from the highlights. This will darken the shadows but I know I can lift details from the shadows in post. I am also shooting at the lowest possible ISO to prohibit noise. Yes, I am looking at the meter and histogram but they are only providing me with averages. They are guidelines and recommendations, choose as your experience, skills, knowledge and ability tell you. It is how professionals do it.

Larwbuck Loc: Seattle, Washington

My D750 tends to underexposed as well at times, it occurs based on the given light from where you are shooting from. When in a shaded shooting location I just set an overexposure setting, it's not difficult it's just part of the flow. In fact most good photographers say to underexpose a shot because it is so easy to correct in post processing and it preserves the highlights. It's great advice and works quite effectively for me. Of course if you only shoot JEPG than it makes the PP'ing a little more difficult and if you just take the shot directly out of the camera than your hosed.

anneabc

I have the d750. How could I tell if it's under exposing? Histogram?

MtnMan Loc: ID

snoops wrote:

Like I have mentioned before there is an update that they did for me at the camera store that has helped a lot with focus issues

I was trying to recall this as I read along.

To the OP: check your firmware version (Menu) vs. what Nikon has listed as the latest. Updating is easy and Nikon provides full instructions.

Apparantly Nikon does not let you know of updates even though you registered.

MtnMan Loc: ID

Mark7829 wrote:

I never shoot to the meter. I meter to the scene.... (show quote)

The professionals I have taken classes from mostly suggest M exposure mode spot metering on the highlights setting the meter to +2 EV, or on a pastel (sky) at +1. Bryan Peterson describes this in "Understanding Exposure".

I rarely do that and instead mostly use A and matrix metering. I rarely use exposure compensation. I shoot in RAW and adjust the exposure, highlights, shadows, whites and blacks in Lightroom. It is easier and quicker than it sounds because I use a preset for each lens that gives a mostly acceptable starting point.

I will adjust EV for special situations, such as snow, and will use spot or center metering when I want to properly expose something with lighting different from the background; e.g. BIF.

But with the D750 I'd check the firmware first!

MtnMan Loc: ID

anneabc wrote:

I have the d750. How could I tell if it's under exposing? Histogram?

That is one way. Be sure to use matrix metering when doing so and try to use scenes that have relatively uniform lighting.

Most digital folk recommend Exposure to the Right (ETTR). Your histogram should just touch the right and have more area in the right half...unless your scene has big dark areas. I recommend Schewe's "The Digital Negative".

Another way is to turn on the blinkies and look for a lot of blue on your LCD.

MtnMan Loc: ID

Larwbuck wrote:

My D750 tends to underexposed as well at times, it... (show quote)

I agree that some photographers suggest a little underexposure. That includes my hero Nat Geo photographer Joel Sartore, who teaches The Great Courses photography courses.

I do not buy it. I believe this is a holdover from film. Most digital experts recommend ETTR.

paulrph1 Loc: Washington, Utah

Jlgad wrote:

Every picture with D750 and Nikon 28-300 lenses is under exposed by -1/3. Has anyone else had this problem. I went into fine tune optimal exposure in custom settings and added positive 1/3 in matrix metering. Now all photo's look great. I'm shooting in Aperture Priority. I haven't touched
exposure compensation at all. Its reading 0.

If you expect everything to be extremely easy you should purchase a point and shoot camera. The meter reads everything at 18% gray and there are very few things in life that are 18% gray. That is why we adjust and fiddle and PP. Look at a book that has 18% gray card in it and see. Now hold it up and and look at the colors you are shooting as well as the shadows. Lots of variance.

Jlgad Loc: Tennessee

I Want To Thank Everyone For There Comments!

PaulBrit Loc: Merlin, Southern Oregon

Came to this place as a result of searching for “Learning to use Nikon D750.”

For I was fed up with my photos being under exposed. But my issue was more to do with struggling to really learn how to use the camera that I purchased a few months ago. Because it initially was too complex for my aged brain I set the camera to Auto - non flash.

So a long-winded way of asking for recommendations as to a gentle way of me becoming more familiar with this camera?

jcboy3

paulrph1 wrote:

If you expect everything to be extremely easy you should purchase a point and shoot camera. The meter reads everything at 18% gray and there are very few things in life that are 18% gray. That is why we adjust and fiddle and PP. Look at a book that has 18% gray card in it and see. Now hold it up and and look at the colors you are shooting as well as the shadows. Lots of variance.

Meters are set at around 13% gray, not 18% gray. That's a myth propagated by the incorrect use of the Kodak 18% gray card, which was used to set printers.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Jlgad wrote:

Every picture with D750 and Nikon 28-300 lenses is under exposed by -1/3. Has anyone else had this problem. I went into fine tune optimal exposure in custom settings and added positive 1/3 in matrix metering. Now all photo's look great. I'm shooting in Aperture Priority. I haven't touched
exposure compensation at all. Its reading 0.

Did you meter and photograph a grey card, then open the image in a photo editing program, then determine that the grey value measured on the image was something other than 128,128,128 or 50%/50%/50% for red, green and blue, then made the adjustment to bring the values into line and figured out that the amount of adjustment was about 1/3 stop? Or did you simply look at an unprofiled display that was set to the wrong brightness level and determine that the images were too dark. How are the prints coming out after the adjustment, btw?