Bracketing: What to meter from

iflynething · Sep 5, 2008

If I want to bracket a shot using 3 exposures, what should be metered first. It's hard to explain what I'm looking for.

I'm using the D80 and have it to bracket -, correct exposure, +

If I were shooting a sunset, what actually determines the correct exposure or what exactly is the camera metering for to determine where to meter from. I wish I had a different way of explaining this, but I do not

~Michael~

Garbz · Sep 5, 2008

The metering will happen from the the 0EV exposure regardless. All that setting does is change the order which the files are taken. The results are identical.

iflynething · Sep 5, 2008

Garbz said:
The All that setting does is change the order which the files are taken. The results are identical.

Oh, yeah I knew that, I guess what I was trying to say.

If I was shooting and a correct exposure was 1/500 sec. How does it know that's the correct exposure. If I'm shooting the sunset, if I want the sun to be correctly exposed is different from having he shadows correctly exposed. Do you see where I"m getting to. I definately am makin this more complicated than it really needs to be

~Michael~

tirediron · Sep 5, 2008

Your camera's meter has three modes: Matrix (wide area) centre-weighted, and spot. In matrix, it measures the whole viewfinder (near enough) and uses some complicated math to determine average exposure values and come up with the 'correct' exposure. Centre-weighted metering uses the centre of the viewing screen, and calculates it's exposure based on the brightness of the subject. Spot is similar to centre-weighted, but uses a very small area (< 2 deg beam) at the centre of the viewfinder.

The bottom line is that the only correct exposure is the one that satisifes you. Light metres are designed to average (although it's a little more complicated than that in a modern camera) the light value of the scene and generate and exposure based on that. The different modes really just reduce the amount of area over which the light metre conducts it's averaging.

In the case of a sunset, you may well use spot or centre-weighted metering, and check the exposure over a wide area and do your own calculations.

iflynething · Sep 6, 2008

Oh. So I can just expose to what I think is correct, whether it be exposing for the shadows or the highlights, and then the camera can bracket and do the rest

~Michael~

Garbz · Sep 6, 2008

indeed. Here's another tip. Bracketing works automatically in manual mode too. So if you do a few test shots to get the right exposure, then switch on bracketing and bam.

iflynething · Sep 7, 2008

That's also what I was going to ask about was shooting in manual mode. So my setting of manual would be the "correct exposure" or what I am telling the camera is the correct exposure, then it just goes off of that. Basically, in a sunset shot, i could choose to expose the sun or the shadows first and let the camera do the rest

~Michael~

Garbz · Sep 7, 2008

When you set to manual and turn on bracketing look at the camera's exposure meter to see what the camera is about to do. For instance the camera may be set to take the 0EV shot first, then the shot under and then the shot over.

If this is the case when enabling bracketing in manual mode have a look at the exposure meter in the viewfinder. If it's 0EV then that's where the camera will start. Set the camera to the middle (e.g. 1/100) and it will take a 1/200 and 1/50 as the next to shots, then revert back to 1/100.

If the camera is set to bracket in order, under zero over. Then you turn on bracketing the meter will read -1EV. In which case you would have to start by setting at 1/200 and the two following shots will be 1/100 and 1/50.

It would probably be best to have a little play with this setting on the camera to see how the camera responds, but typically the Nikons will flash the EV indicator to show that bracketing is enabled and give you some indication of what the current exposure is in relation to the the normal meter value.

iflynething · Sep 8, 2008

Garbz said:
When you set to manual and turn on bracketing look at the camera's exposure meter to see what the camera is about to do. For instance the camera may be set to take the 0EV shot first, then the shot under and then the shot over.

If this is the case when enabling bracketing in manual mode have a look at the exposure meter in the viewfinder. If it's 0EV then that's where the camera will start. Set the camera to the middle (e.g. 1/100) and it will take a 1/200 and 1/50 as the next to shots, then revert back to 1/100.

If the camera is set to bracket in order, under zero over. Then you turn on bracketing the meter will read -1EV. In which case you would have to start by setting at 1/200 and the two following shots will be 1/100 and 1/50.

It would probably be best to have a little play with this setting on the camera to see how the camera responds, but typically the Nikons will flash the EV indicator to show that bracketing is enabled and give you some indication of what the current exposure is in relation to the the normal meter value.