digital multi-exposure?

As far as I know, dSLR's don't have multi-exposure, since that's supposed to be done "after-camera".

First, is that so?
Second, if that's so, is there any way to really shoot multi-exposure with a digital? I don't want to post-process, I just would like to do exactly the same I did with film: multi-expose one frame -and after, only after, if I want, edit it with software.

Perhaps this is a silly question; it may be very easy, and sounds like it (just like different layers that you put together), but is that so? The thing is I am what here is being discussed as "shooting raw as a matter of fact"...

 

Well if you are shooting RAW, then I guess its theoretically possible - adding the bytes in the same position - but it would require more processing just to do the addition.

I am only familiar with my own cameras and I don't see that its possible.

I am interested why you think that film multi-exposure is conceptually much different than importing two successive exposures into the same file and reducing the opacity to 50% on the top one?

 

AFAIK, this is not possible on 35mm-sized digital SLR's. It is, however, possible, and quite common on MF digi backs. However, it only works for static subjects of course (think product photography).

 

The D200 has a feature that lets you take multiple exposures. I have tried it a few time and have been pretty pleased with the results.

 

At the very least, it doesn't appear to work on 35mm sized SLR's the same way it does on digi backs. All of the pros I've spoken to have absolutely raved about the quality increase with multiple exposure on their dbacks. Conversely, this is the first time I've even heard anyone mention multiple exposure on a smaller dslr.

 

Depends on the camera. Either way it's software based not hardware based, exactly identical to a very simple post processing method. Take two exposures and it's the same as putting 2 images on top of each other in photoshop with an opaque mask.

 

yeap, i was going to say the same thing. the D200 has an awesome multiple exposure feature. i love it. if i didn't get the 30D i definitely would have gotten the D200..

 

Great for the D200!

I don't have any problem in doing it at processing. Only don't want to turn the whole thing into an editing, since my aim is to multi-expose with the same conditions (limitations) as with in-camera multi-exposure on a frame of film.

As long as software won't affect the whole thing further than the simple putting the two images together, it's allright with me. But then the two images have to be sub-exposed (as one of the various shots on a multi-exposure film shot actually are) or render backgrounds overexposed, etc. That is, I just don't want software to do more than reproducing a multi-exposed frame. Otherwise, it's OK

 

Image editing software only puts out as much as you put in

 

High-end Nikon's do it.

 

Pentax's *istD can do up to 9 exposures on a single image (I don't know if this was carried through to later iterations though)

 

yeah, nikon adds a bunch of features to their dSLRs it seems, a lot of them kind of useless in my opinion (in camera color changes???) but multi exposures would be sorta neat to have i guess, but how often are you NOT going to go through some post processing on an image?