im sure most everyone here this is a oversimple question bracketing

[bribrius]

but I have never used bracketing. until just recently. I tried it on my camera never really thought I had a use for it before.
so... I am using it for cold weather like the other day, in dim light conditions. Because im not so positive on exposure level and because im too lazy to use my tripod so my camera shakes a tad.
it fires off three shots or four (depends I guess). And basically it gives me more options for which photo has the best exposure and focus (which is taken between shakes of me holding the camera in the cold).
now clearly, im not using this function for its intended purposes, im guessing.
could someone enlighten me?

and I will admit, I never really gave this much thought because I never quite understood the purpose of bracketing on cameras I thought it did pretty much the same thing as interval shooting in spurts. until I started looking at the bracketed photos and noticed they looked a little different to eachother.

 

[ronlane]

You COULD use it for that but that is not what the bracketing is for. Bracketing takes X shots with X exposure differences. This is used for Hi-Dynamic Range (HDR) photography. Example, the Canon T3i will do 3 exposures at 1 stop appart. So you can do a -1, 0, +1 exposure.

Hope that helps and makes sense.

 

[Tony S]

Bracketing changes your exposure from one shot to the next. Usually if you se tit up for a one stop difference you will get one shot underexposed by 1 stop, one shot at baseline exposure, and a third at one stop over exposure.

Depending on the camera you can change the number of exposures and how much of a difference over and under each shot will be.

Most often for this to be really useful you should mount your camera on a tripod so you can use the correctly exposed portions of an image with either HDR or composting images together. It can be used without, but realize that you are just automatically changing the exposure for each shot taken in the bracket series. For how I shoot, I would rather make those adjustments myself using the adjustment wheel for a quick change of exposures between shots.

 

[KmH]

Bracketing is also used in dicey lighting situattions to make sure you get an exposure you can use.

 

[lambertpix]

Actually, if I'm not mistaken, bracketing was a "thing" back in the film days -- certainly before the popularity of HDR, though HDR is far and away the most popular use of bracketing now.

 

[limr]

Well, bracketing is more useful for film shooters, really. It's a way to help insure a good exposure. For example, I might meter a scene and come up with suggested settings, then take a shot at those settings. But then I might want another one that is more exposed to see how more detail in the shadows would look, or another one under to see more detail in the highlights. I'll often bracket when I'm out shooting without a meter and just using Sunny 16, just to check my exposures. I obviously don't have a preview screen so it's not like I can check the exposure or histogram even before taking the shot.

Here's my most recent example of two exposures of the same scene. I've done nothing to these, so yes, I know they are crooked, and yes, I now realize that using a filter AND a hood on my Pentax 55mm will result in a severe vignette.

 

[limr]

Apparently, simply straightening them took care of most of the vignetting as well. Just had to sharpen a bit since straightening does make them a bit soft.

 

[bribrius]

Actually, if I'm not mistaken, bracketing was a "thing" back in the film days -- certainly before the popularity of HDR, though HDR is far and away the most popular use of bracketing now.

I don't know. I know this is my second digital camera. Before that I had film. And I don't recall the film cameras (least what i had) having a bracketing mode? so I probably appear really ignorant here? One of my film cameras (Kodak I think) didn't even have auto advance and rewind for the film I had to manually advance the film with a wheel.

 

[bribrius]

Apparently, simply straightening them took care of most of the vignetting as well. Just had to sharpen a bit since straightening does make them a bit soft.

View attachment 67028 View attachment 67029

how are you even looking at these and adjusting them when they were shot with film? My experience with film was what you see is what you get and you don't know until you develop it?

 

[bribrius]

Bracketing is also used in dicey lighting situattions to make sure you get an exposure you can use.

I've been doing that manually taking more than one photo of everything and trying different settings. This might be my new best friend. So.... how do you "stack" and is that similar to combing photos in the 3d setting?

Thank you all.

 

[limr]

Apparently, simply straightening them took care of most of the vignetting as well. Just had to sharpen a bit since straightening does make them a bit soft.

View attachment 67028 View attachment 67029

how are you even looking at these and adjusting them when they were shot with film? My experience with film was what you see is what you get and you don't know until you develop it?

These were exposed manually (this camera doesn't even have any auto settings), then developed, then the negatives were scanned into the computer as digital images. I didn't know for sure how they would come out when I was taking them, which is why I bracketed the exposures. If one turned out over or under exposed, then the other one should be closer to what I wanted. These aren't hugely different, but you can see the different levels of contrast, of the details in the shadows.

Edited: You wouldn't have a 'bracketing mode' in a film camera. You might have some exposure compensation capability. The Olympus OM-2 that I got from pixmedic has that. It can be set to aperture priority, you can take an exposure, then take two more using the compensation dial (take one a little over the original exposure, and then one a little under). You have to decide to do this - it's not something a camera will do for you. Well, no I take that back. I have no idea if modern dslrs have a mode that does this for you automatically. That might be the HDR functionality that Ron spoke up? But don't quote me, what the hell do I know from digital cameras?

 

[Designer]

Actually, if I'm not mistaken, bracketing was a "thing" back in the film days -- certainly before the popularity of HDR, though HDR is far and away the most popular use of bracketing now.

I don't know. I know this is my second digital camera. Before that I had film. And I don't recall the film cameras (least what i had) having a bracketing mode? so I probably appear really ignorant here? One of my film cameras (Kodak I think) didn't even have auto advance and rewind for the film I had to manually advance the film with a wheel.

Bracketing as in the old definition, is simply several shots (advancing the film between shots) while selecting different exposures (either aperture or shutter speed in the case of film) to increase one's chances that at least one exposure would turn out well (after processing).

Your OP example is only in digital and is taking several shots with different exposures (sometimes done automatically) so that they can be combined later in a HDR composite.

This is two different definitions, and processes. I am from the old school, so I maintain that the old definition is correct, not the new bastardized, incorrect usage.

BTW: You don't have to combine multiple images just because your camera has captured three different exposures. You can just view each one separately and pick the one you like best.

As to how limr does that, is she is scanning either the film negative or a print. Once it is in digital format, she can manipulate the image just as any other digital file.

 

[Designer]

So.... how do you "stack" and is that similar to combing photos in the 3d setting?.

I don't know anything about 3-D, but to do HDR stacking, you have to get software that does that.

(edit) If you mean the 3-D focus mode, that is something that tells the camera to focus on something that is 3-D. You're going to get the same 2-D photo out of it.

 

[bribrius]

So.... how do you "stack" and is that similar to combing photos in the 3d setting?.

I don't know anything about 3-D, but to do HDR stacking, you have to get software that does that.

(edit) If you mean the 3-D focus mode, that is something that tells the camera to focus on something that is 3-D. You're going to get the same 2-D photo out of it.

Thanks for your patience. im obviously a little out of the loop here. I meant 3d as in it has a 3d setting I only played with a couple times, but you take more than one photo and it combines them in a 3d image. It actually does work but not exactly astounding or something to write home about. I have a 3d tv and you can tell its 3d just not great quality 3d. I think most cameras come with a 3d mode now? I haven't really spent much time on it because in 3d mode it takes a good portion of your options away to set anything. Most I've done is done 3d images of some of the kids toys just playing with it.

 

[John_Olexa]

Actually, if I'm not mistaken, bracketing was a "thing" back in the film days -- certainly before the popularity of HDR, though HDR is far and away the most popular use of bracketing now.

I did my share of bracketing when I shot slide film, about 1/2 stop either way. Very rarely did I bracket when shooting print film.