sunny day settings

scottduffy

scottduffy

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hi folks, I'm getting a bit frustrated trying to shoot with my new epl5 here in Tunisia as it won't let me select the settings I'm trying to use and when I manage to select them the photos are completely blown. what would you use on a very sunny day outside? I have a 45mm f1.8 lens and the lowest iso I can use is 200. Help. I was trying to get some good portrait shots of my son but when I select a large aperture I'm needing to shoot at 4000th of a second to stop it being blown.
 
If you're shooting at wide apertures in good light you have two choices...

Mount an ND filter on your lens to get the shutter speed under 1/4000.
Or... select a smaller aperture.

Actually there's a third option... get your subject to stand somewhere else.

If you are specifically going for a shallow DoF look you could always use the largest aperture you can (whilst staying under 1/4000) and reduce your camera to subject distance. This will give you a tighter shot - but at least you'll get shallow DoF if that's your aim.
 
scottduffy said:
hi folks, I'm getting a bit frustrated trying to shoot with my new epl5 here in Tunisia as it won't let me select the settings I'm trying to use and when I manage to select them the photos are completely blown. what would you use on a very sunny day outside? I have a 45mm f1.8 lens and the lowest iso I can use is 200. Help. I was trying to get some good portrait shots of my son but when I select a large aperture I'm needing to shoot at 4000th of a second to stop it being blown.
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I'd use what the meter suggests I use TBH. Sunny days, actually out in the sunlight will be around 125th @ f16 at ISO100, or a combination of that EV, but conditions will vary wildly depending on where you are, whether you are shooting into teh light or not, whether you are shooting in a shaded area, or in bright sunlight, and perhaps more importantly, depending on what result you actually want. There is no one correct setting.. sorry.

If you're at 1/4000th and the image is over exposed, then you simply need to stop down the aperture until the meter is telling you it's no longer over exposed.
 
Large apertures let in more light. There's no simple way around that. So if you really want the shallow DoF that comes with 1.8 your only real option is to use a neutral density filter to reduce the amount of light entering the camera.

You could try highlight recovery in PP but it's probably going to have limited effect and look horrendous.
 
Sounds like you're just using whatever settings you want though, and not doing to what the meter is telling you to do.
 
scottduffy said:
.. when I select a large aperture I'm needing to shoot at 4000th of a second to stop it being blown.
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You're implying that you can shoot at 1/4000 sec and that works, so what's the problem?

You could also (1) downsize your ambitions and use a smaller aperture (bigger f-number), or (2) use portrait locations with lesser light (such as indoors by window light, or even outdoors in shade but in that case watch out for bright backgrounds that'll blow out).
 
As above really, the setting you want to use is 1.8, if you can get a shot at 1/4000 then there's your answer.

But generally portraits in full sun are best avoided, we tend to look for 'open shade' or shoot at times where the light is better.
 
sorry guys I didn't explain it properly. I can't get anywhere near f1.8 even using 4000th second I'm at f11 or so. I was just hoping to get some portraits with a blown background and it seems I can't. When in auto the photos are okay but just not want I'm wanting. no shade in the pool either so I'll just get on with it. The camera is very different to Canon ones I've used so it's taking a bit of time to get used to.
 
I can't get anywhere near f1.8 that's the problem. The lowest I can use is f11 so no chance of blown background.
 
scottduffy said:
I can't get anywhere near f1.8 that's the problem. The lowest I can use is f11 so no chance of blown background.
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Scott, bit confused. At iso 200 is it metering at 4000th at f11? That's how i read it, if so and a ND filter isn't an option then you're only other options are to move position ie less bright or shoot at a different time of day, again less bright. 200 is the lowest iso and 4000th is as fast as your gear gets.

If i'm wrong then can you add anything?
 
hi folks, I typed a big reply yesterday and it didn't send due to the dodgy wifi. yes some of the shots are metering f11 at 4000 th second. When I move somewhere a bit shady it doesn't help that the wee flash that comes with the camera is not great. I have some lovely shots of him at palm trees etc but I wanted some in the pool and preferably with some nice diffused backgrounds but I just can't manage to get below about f8 to 11 so plenty in focus not just him.
 
Without ND filters, once you hit the shutter speed and ISO ceilings there's not much you can do.

At ISO200, f/11 and 1/4000 you're at EV18 that's three stops over sunny 16. Plan B is to avoid the middle of the day and try for very early in the morning or later in the evening. You're just not going to get the shot you want without the right equipment unless you compromise and change the conditions.

At a pinch.. you can get 1-2 stops of ND filter by holding your sunglasses in front of the lens, that might get you to f/5.6. I have occasionally used sunglasses as a ghetto polarising filter with a compact camera and it works ok.
 
If you're having to shoot at f11 the light must be very strong indeed. In northern UK the worst I've found at ISO 200 is being limited to f7.something... so your light must be very bright.

As I explained in post number #2 you do have options... and if an ND isn't one of them your best options are to change position or framing or possibly use the longest focal length that you can and reduce your camera to subject distance (and if possible get your subject to move further from the background scenery) which will mean a much tighter shot but if you want to start to throw the background out of the DoF you'll have to change things up.
 
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scottduffy said:
hi folks, I typed a big reply yesterday and it didn't send due to the dodgy wifi. yes some of the shots are metering f11 at 4000 th second. When I move somewhere a bit shady it doesn't help that the wee flash that comes with the camera is not great. I have some lovely shots of him at palm trees etc but I wanted some in the pool and preferably with some nice diffused backgrounds but I just can't manage to get below about f8 to 11 so plenty in focus not just him.
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That's not right. Full sun photographing a white card/Grey/Black card is f5.6/f6.3 at 500th sec 100 ISO. That equates to F11/13 at 250th sec ISO 200. So it is impossible to be shooting at F11- 4000th sec at 200 ISO unless you are pointing the camera a the sun or a direct source of light shinning into the lens.Check your ISO is not higher than the 200 you are saying it is at!
 
shapeshifter said:
That's not right. Full sun photographing a white card/Grey/Black card is f5.6/f6.3 at 500th sec 100 ISO. That equates to F11/13 at 250th sec ISO 200. So it is impossible to be shooting at F11- 4000th sec at 200 ISO unless you are pointing the camera a the sun or a direct source of light shinning into the lens.Check your ISO is not higher than the 200 you are saying it is at!
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In northern England I've been limited to apertures smaller than f7 at ISO 200 when deffo not pointing my camera at the sun so although the OP's case is a little extreme I'm willing to believe that it's possible to be limited to f8-11, as the OP states, if you point your camera in the wrong direction in a country that's a bit brighter than northern England.
 
woof woof said:
In northern England I've been limited to apertures smaller than f7 at ISO 200 when deffo not pointing my camera at the sun so although the OP's case is a little extreme I'm willing to believe that it's possible to be limited to f8-11, as the OP states, if you point your camera in the wrong direction in a country that's a bit brighter than northern England.
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At a 4000th of a second that's plus 4 EV, not a cat in heels chance or even hells.LOL
 
shapeshifter said:
At a 4000th of a second that's plus 4 EV, not a cat in heels chance or even hells.LOL
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Well, based on my own experience and your claims of not a cat in hells chance... I know who I believe and it isn't you.
 
woof woof said:
Well, based on my own experience and your claims of not a cat in hells chance... I know who I believe and it isn't you.
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I am not the least bit bothered with what you believe.LOL . I know I am correct and so does anyone who knows about exposure. F11 at 4000th of a second at ISO 200 is at least 4 EV over full sun clear sky anywhere on this planet..That is unless I have missed something and we have moved 60 million miles closer to the light source.Correct exposure does not change with the colour of an object if you photograph a grey card on a sunny day and it is f5.6 at 500th second at ISO 100 it is the same exposure for a white card and a black card the amount of light hitting the object is the same in all cases only the exposure meter reads differently.But then those who know nothing about exposure think the light meter tells them the correct exposure..no..no.

Unless you are pointing directly into a light source, the Camera is either faulty or it is not set at ISO 200.

45 years photography,printing and developing my friend so I could not care less weather you believe me or not.However I am interested in helping the OP with his question.YOU might have learned something as well eh.LOL
 
@shapeshifter - It may be a DOF table, but you can still use it to help get an OOF background at small apertures. Hint, distance to subject and the focussing distance to not have to be the same.. I'll let you figure out the rest.
 
DoF is merely the area where focus is thought to be sharp enough not where focus is sharp, that's limited to the plane of focus. Putting the main subject anywhere near the close or distant boundaries of the DoF will end up with them being soft when compared to them being on the plane of focus. Possibly OK for facebook and maybe just about ok for 6x4 prints but not a lot else.
 
not wanting to create a fight here but I'm reading the settings that are showing on photos on auto mode as mine were all blown. would the swimming pool maybe reflect the sun more than another surface? I've not got 45 years experience but I can read !!!
 
scottduffy said:
not wanting to create a fight here but I'm reading the settings that are showing on photos on auto mode as mine were all blown. would the swimming pool maybe reflect the sun more than another surface? I've not got 45 years experience but I can read !!!
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You nearly made the post without an insult but you just could not resist.LOL
 
wasn't meant as an insult at all. Just thought the conversation made me out a liar. no offence intended.
 
shapeshifter said:
I am not the least bit bothered with what you believe.LOL . I know I am correct and so does anyone who knows about exposure. F11 at 4000th of a second at ISO 200 is at least 4 EV over full sun clear sky anywhere on this planet..That is unless I have missed something and we have moved 60 million miles closer to the light source.Correct exposure does not change with the colour of an object if you photograph a grey card on a sunny day and it is f5.6 at 500th second at ISO 100 it is the same exposure for a white card and a black card the amount of light hitting the object is the same in all cases only the exposure meter reads differently.But then those who know nothing about exposure think the light meter tells them the correct exposure..no..no.

Unless you are pointing directly into a light source, the Camera is either faulty or it is not set at ISO 200.

45 years photography,printing and developing my friend so I could not care less weather you believe me or not.However I am interested in helping the OP with his question.YOU might have learned something as well eh.LOL
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Yes, you've missed something and I suggest that you pick up your camera, set it to ISO 200 and shoot on a sunny day.

You may be able to shoot at f1.7 and stay below 1/4000 sec if the scene lets you do that but then again you may not... I have personally found that when shooting on a sunny day a bright scene can mean that I have two choices, close the aperture down or use ND's to stay below 1/4000. Just as the OP has found.

I could post a couple of hundred images for you with exif showing 1/4000 sec and even 1/8000 with the sun nowhere in the frame but frankly...
 
shapeshifter said:
Am I missing something here this looks like a depth of field chart to me.I thought the OP,s question was about exposure?
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Yes, you're missing something.

The OP wanted to throw the background out of the DoF and I suggested ways of doing this and the table follows on from that.

As per your other posts the fact that you missed this comes as no surprise :D

LoL indeed.
 
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