really stupid question

[vbrandon91]

what does it means to be 1 stop underexposed or 2 stops over exposed?

ive heard this several times but im not sure what it means.

i was thinking it had to do with the exposure dial but im not sure..

if someone can explain this to me it would really help..

 

[AussieDee]

On my camera I have an EV setting. It's originally set at 0. I can overexpose 2 stops ( +2) or underexpose (-2). Just turn the dial until it reads those numbers.

This is on my little P&S. I'm assuming cameras vary.

 

[vbrandon91]

on my d40 i dont think it tells me that ..theres an exposure comp but i dont think it has much to do with the dial..i guess im gonna have to learn how to read those lines

 

[AussieDee]

Does your manual tell you how to adjust the exposure setting? It might not be a "dial" on yours. It might be in your menu settings. I'm guessing here, so don't hold me to it. LOL!

 

[kundalini]

Someone will come along and explain better than I, but here goes.

If you are 1 stop underexposed, then you need to increase the amount of light that hits your sensor by 1 stop or twice the amount of light. That can be controlled by aperture, shutter speed or ISO settings.

Example:
Opening aperture from f/4 to f/2 is one stop.
Decreasing shutter speed from 1/160 to 1/125 is one stop
Increasing ISO from 100 to 200 is one stop

Conversely for overexposed.



Exposure Comp is a nice feature, but is an addendum to getting the basics of how to control light, I think.

 

[vbrandon91]

yeah ok i get that now can someone teach me how to read the electronic analog exposure display?

i looked at the manual already and it doesnt say much about it ..

 

[kundalini]

Are you talking about the light meter in the view finder?

 

[vbrandon91]

yeah i guess.. it comes out on the view finder and the lcd

 

[kundalini]

Set your camera to Manual Shoot Mode.

Look at the bottom of page 43 in your manual.

Point your camera at something and half depress the shutter button. The light meter will indicate the exposure. If it is to the left, then you need to A) open up your aperture, B) decrease your shutter speed, C) increase your ISO or D) some combination of all three because the scene is underexposed.

What you want is to get Zeroed or there abouts. Later you can learn when you'll want to either under or over expose, but for now have the meter at Zero. Take a shot. How does it look?

 

[vbrandon91]

oh so i only use it for that?

i know how to use it ,but i was wondering how can i read..

most of my pictures are during the day so i like them underexposed..but i dont know by what.. thats what i mean ..
how do i know when it is underexposed by 1 stop?

i think it said that the intervals on the light meter are 1/3 is that correct?

oh yeah

thanks for helping me out

 

[kundalini]

Yes, the short vertical lines are 1/3 stops and the longer lines are 1 stop. You would know if it's underexposed by 1 stop when the meter has 3 bars to the left of Zero.

You may want to rethink underexposing your scene at metering. Properly expose your scene and in post make the adjustments to suit. Underexposing will introduce noise to your image, plus there is much less detail to manipulate. If you expose to the right, you have a far greater range to play with.

 

[vbrandon91]

ok thanks alot..

i get it now..

uhmm maybe oone more..

when taking raw images what do i open it up with?

i have the nikon software but all it seems to do is convert it to jpeg and if thats all it does then theres no point of shooting raw..

 

[kundalini]

Is that Capture NX?

There are several RAW editing softwares. Photoshop is the most popular. I only shoot RAW..... except for the times I don't. Seriously, unless I might be shooting a lot of continuous burst, as in sports/action shots, I shoot RAW. You can search the forum for discussions on both sides of the coin, but the advantages of RAW in post processing outweigh JPEG IMO.

 

[vbrandon91]

no i agree that raw image are better just becuase ive seen them but ..mainly what im asking is..

after you get put the card in your computer what do you do?

 

[kundalini]

I've downloaded the trial version of LightRoom II and using that (for the next two weeks or so).

Otherwise, I have been using Picasa as my organiser/transfer in software. View the lot to see which ones to work on, open in Capture NX to do basic editing (I'm still learning the package s-l-o-w-l-y), export to JPEG or TIFF, then open in Photoshop for final edits.