Nikon D750 underexposure

[Tinyt]

Hello everyone.

About two months ago i upgraded from Nikon D3200 to D750, my first FX camera
I seem to have a small issue with the exposure particularly when i shoot landscapes. Although the camera says i have the right exposure, when i process my files they all seem slightly underexposed. Like -o.20 on a bright day and -0.25 - .30 indoors.

Nothing i can't fix in Photoshop and Lightroom, but i can't stop being bothered because my Nikon D3200 seem to almost always get the right light.

I use Matrix metering and my central weight is set to 12mm
Here is an example :

RAW (SOOC) Shot at iso 100, f11 - 24 mm (Nikkor 24-120mm)

 

[jaomul]

You can tweak exposure in this camera to shoot a little brighter or darker

 

[sscarmack]

Bring your aperture down to f8 and ta da.


What shooting mode are you shooting? Full manual? Aperture Priority? Shutter?

 

[Ysarex]

The camera was set to underexpose by 2/3 stop according to the EXIF data for the file. EC is set to -.6 which, if you wanted a camera JPEG in this backlight, was a judicious choice to prevent highlight clipping. For a good raw exposure the opposite would likely be more appropriate.

Joe

 

[Braineack]

Shutter Speed Value 1/1000
Aperture Value 7.1
Exposure Compensation -2/3

It's probably good you underexposed that image on purpose, once you process it, youll have a bang on exposure for both the sky and ground.

 

[Tinyt]

Oh, sorry. My bad... This was shot at f7.1 - not f11 as i mentioned in the first post
And i always shoot fully manual.

Here's another example, which again, seems underexposed.
Raw + fully manual, this is the sooc file

 

[Tinyt]

Should i turn off my exposure compensation?

 

[Ysarex]

The second photo likewise has a -2/3 exposure comp. set.

Joe

 

[Ysarex]

Should i turn off my exposure compensation?

You note that you're shooting in manual mode. How do you determine exposure?

Joe

 

[Ysarex]

Should i turn off my exposure compensation?

Why do you have it set in the first place?

Joe

 

[Tinyt]

I determine the right exposure from the exposure indicator in my view finder.
As i said in the first post, this was my first Fx camera and when i first took it in had i watched a tutorial about the "recommended" setting where the EC was on.

Is the EC causing me the underexposure issues?

 

[Derrel]

I determine the right exposure from the exposure indicator in my view finder.
As i said in the first post, this was my first Fx camera and when i first took it in had i watched a tutorial about the "recommended" setting where the EC was on.

Is the EC causing me the underexposure issues?

Yes. The EXIF information on the last shot of the grain and sky shows this: Exposure Bias Value: -0.6666667

So, if you are using Matrix metering in manual exposure mode (not a really good choice actually, using Matrix + Manual) and just centering the meter at the 0.0 mark, your exposures are basically "whole,entire frame, RGB color-analyzed, distance analyzed, Nikon-computed exposures, which are then under-exposed by 2/3 of an EV".

 

[Tinyt]

Thank you so much for clarifying, now it all makes sense.
I turn my EC off, but i'm not sure now about my metering. I do shoot only manual and i use spot metering when shooting a subject.
What would have been my ideal metering method for the above landscape?

 

[Tinyt]

I guess i'll just have to get back and finally pay attention to that loooong user's manual.
Thanks everyone for the replies.

 

[Derrel]

Thank you so much for clarifying, now it all makes sense.
I turn my EC off, but i'm not sure now about my metering. I do shoot only manual and i use spot metering when shooting a subject.
What would have been my ideal metering method for the above landscape?

Well, according to both the above landscapes, you shot in "Metering Mode: Pattern"...which is Nikon's "matrix" metering. Maybe some manual reading is in order if you think you're in spot metering mode. And if you're unaware of the exposure compensation system and how it works.

There is no one, single, ideal metering mode...I can see that the Matrix metering you used gave a pretty good exposure--all that would be needed would be to properly process a .NEF file. On the second shot, the Matrix would have given a very good exposure without the 2/3 EV underexposure dialed in on your part. Even the 2/3 underexposed image looks like it had plenty of highlight protection, and the .JPEG image file could easily be massaged in post to make a very nice, lively image.