using Histogram whilst out shooting

[suggs]

Hey all

time i had a play with the Histogram on my D200, ive set the controls so it shows up on the screen in playback, shows as yellow peeks in a red grid.

So am i correct in that im looking for a peek fairly central in the grid, and the more to the right is overexposed and more to left is under?

im finding i often have more than one peak normally two of them joined at the bottom, so should they be kind of centralised? some times the peeks are fairly jagged..


cheers

 

[Suvv]

There is no one perfect shape for a Histogram it just displays the various tones in a particular image. If you have a snow scene most of the histogram will be to the right, if you have a night scene most of the histogram will be to the left. If you have a high contrast scene, say a bright sky & dark land, you will have a peak at each end. A low contrast scene may not have a high peak at all.

Have a look at the 2 articles on Histograms here: http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials.htm

 

[HoppyUK]

Another good link on histograms here, from Sekonic (the light meter folks) http://www.sekonic.com/images/files/HistogramsLightmetersWorkTogether.pdf

The fundamental issue with exposure is that even an ordinary scene will contain subjects with an enormous range of brightness from maybe 1000:1 to perhaps a lot more. A typical sensor has around a seven stops range which is only 128:1, so the trick is to decide what the important tones are, and adjust the exposure level so that they all fall within the sensor's range.

Understanding the histogram with blinkies enabled (highligh over exposure warning, in the menu) is key to optimum exposure control. It is more accurate than any metering method, because it shows you in detail what you have actually recorded on the sensor, as opposed to the meter which is only making a pretty general guess.

Most of the time, the meter does a good job on common subjects. The trick is to know when it gets foxed, know what the histogram is telling you, and to know what compromises to make.

If you want to get every last drop of detail out of the sensor, use Expose To The Right technique. More info here http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/expose-right.shtml

 

[suggs]

thanks for the tips guys...

 

[PauloWanClift]

I tend to look at clipping warnings instead. Having something flashing at me is so much easier to interpret.

 

[RicherSea]

I tend to look at clipping warnings instead. Having something flashing at me is so much easier to interpret.

Remember, at least on Canon, those flashing clipping warnings are based on what is clipped in the JPG. If you are shooting RAW then the available dynamic range, after post processing, will be greater. Thus you shouldn't try to eliminate the clipping warnings entirely.

 

[HoppyUK]

Remember, at least on Canon, those flashing clipping warnings are based on what is clipped in the JPG. If you are shooting RAW then the available dynamic range, after post processing, will be greater. Thus you shouldn't try to eliminate the clipping warnings entirely.

True, and blinkies being generated off the histogram, they are also subject to picture styles etc. In particular, the contrast setting makes quite a big difference to the point at which blinkies begin to flash - like more than a stop from max to min - so if you are pushing things to the limit with expose to the right technique, you need to do some tests to know exactly where you are and how much headroom you've got.

Edit: also, blinkies don't just blink on blown areas. They also blink as a warning on areas that are on the brink of blowing. And it varies according to settings, as above. You need to test and check if you want to be mega-perfect!

 

[PauloWanClift]

Remember, at least on Canon, those flashing clipping warnings are based on what is clipped in the JPG. If you are shooting RAW then the available dynamic range, after post processing, will be greater. Thus you shouldn't try to eliminate the clipping warnings entirely.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll do a bit of research into if this is the case on the S5 and D40.