Lumix G1 - fast shutter = too dark!

Jimwah

Jimwah

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Jim
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Hi,

I've been happily using an old manual focus Canon FD 50mm lens on my G1 for a few weeks & have really enjoyed it - I just set it to 'P', set aperture on the lens, get in focus, click! happy days :)

So I though I'd get another old FD lens, this time a Sigma 70-210mm (with plans of taking picture of the birds in the garden). Which turned up in the post the other day :thumbs:

However, I'm finding that setting anywhere near a fast enough shutter speed is making the image very dark - too dark to compensate with the -/+ 3 exposure setting I have. How can I get around this? I've played in 'S' mode but I'm still struggling to get anywhere, exposure is fine if the speed is low enough, but I have no hope of getting a sharp picture of the birds at this speed! :bonk:
 
I suspect your aperture is too high. On the 50mm lens, I presume the aperture is 1.8. On the 70-210 it will be much higher, especially at full zoom, therefore needing a much longer shutter speed.
I dont know this camera, but set it to fully manual if possible, put the aperture on the lowest possible number and work from there. If the shutter speed still isnt good enough, you will need to raise the ISO too.
 
Thanks TCR - I've had another play with this again today, ISO definately helps, but I'm still struggling - ended up with the ISO at 1600, shutter speed 1/100, and f4, and still getting an underexposed shot! And this is only at 1/100, which is going to be slow for getting shots of birds on a 200mm lens, as I understand it. Not sure what to try next? Any help appreciated!

Thanks - Jim
 
The G1 is so easy to use on manual : make sure you've got the histogram enabled.
You'll also do better with a 200m prime, maybe something cheap in m42 mount with f3.5 or thereabouts. Those zooms aren't much cop if you want a fast shutterspeed.
 
Thanks Ulfric - I've enabled the histogram, although I'm not sure how it helps me? I'm using the camera on 'S' at the moment to set the shutter speed, setting ISO manually, and aperture is obviously wide open @ f4 on the lens itself... but still not able to get anything close to fast enough shutter speed without a completely black image being produced!

Same exposure problem happens using my 50mm 1.8 prime, but it doesn't bother me so much, as I'm just taking portraits with it, so 1/15 shutter speed is acceptable (although I still have to concentrate & hold steady to get a good sharp image)
 
1 - thats a 140-420 on your crop factor it will be a little dimmer as not so much of the light is hitting your smaller sensor.
2 - use manual or Av mode
3 - try it wide open
 
Jimwah said:
Thanks TCR - I've had another play with this again today, ISO definately helps, but I'm still struggling - ended up with the ISO at 1600, shutter speed 1/100, and f4, and still getting an underexposed shot! And this is only at 1/100, which is going to be slow for getting shots of birds on a 200mm lens, as I understand it. Not sure what to try next? Any help appreciated!

Thanks - Jim
Click to expand...

Something's not right - at ISO 1600 at f/4, in daylight, you should be getting shutter speeds into the thousands easily. It sounds like the aperture is stuck closed towards the f/22 position.

Is the image always very dark in the viewfinder?
 
Had some more time to play with this in manual yesterday, albeit indoors in relatively low light. I ran a side by side comparison with my 50mm prime, and although it is still a couple of EV darker, there was at least some comparable amount of light hitting the sensor, and not just complete darkness on the Sigma. Although I was testing with the same ISO 800 & shutter speed 1/200, the 50mm was @ f1.8, and the Sigma was at 70mm f4, so that would account for some loss of light I guess. Will try again later at the same aperture, I wonder if it's possible that this is just a 'dark' lens, maybe a 200mm prime might be better suited to grabbing fast shots of small birds.

Ulfric, having got some more time with it, I now understand what benefit the histogram gives me too, with a balanced white graph yielding a better exposed shot.

Thanks for the comments, much appreciated,

Jim
 
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