Questions on Camera HDR Technique

[runarut]

Questions:

When shooting a reletively bright light source (such as a light bulb, camp fire, the sun, etc.) where the light source is beyond your camera's ability to Auto Exposure Bracket (AEB), how do you calculate the manual exposure settings beyond the AEB that the camera supports. I'm looking for a rule of thumb that would be fairly easy to do in my head.
Conversely, when shooting a picture that has the opposite problem, is there a way to calculate the manual exposure settings to do stops above the supported AEB?


This picture is over the top in terms of processing but it makes a good example of the problem I'm trying to solve. I want the Compact Florescent Bulb to have the same form and shape that could be seen through welder's goggles.

Picture was taken with CANON 5D Mark II using a CANON 100-400 mm zoom at 100. F stop probably 16. ASA 100. AEB at -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3 ,4. 32 bit HDR image assembled in Photoshop CS3 Extended. Tone mapping in PhotoMatix Pro. Finished off by some final dinking and cropping in Lightroom.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3425/3727574167_de9dffb1b4_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/runarut/3727574167/)

[runarut]

Is asking how to compute different stops a stupid question?

Give me a hint on where to find the answer?

[jm_usmc]

Is asking how to compute different stops a stupid question?

Give me a hint on where to find the answer?

It's not a stupid question. No one knows the answers to these types of questions when they start out. Questions like this are better asked in the 'sharing knowhow' sections.

Not having a light meter I would personally put the camera in manual and just shoot, chimp, repeat until I got what I wanted. Using manual you will be able to go much further than the AEB will allow you to.

I'd start by having the camera at ISO 100, Shutter speed at 1/60 or slower (to get a whole cycle of the light), and adjust your aperture until you got what you wanted.

Also, many people find the book Understanding Exposure to be a very good learning tool. I hope this is helpful to you.

[runarut]

It's not a stupid question. No one knows the answers to these types of questions when they start out. Questions like this are better asked in the 'sharing knowhow' sections.

Not having a light meter I would personally put the camera in manual and just shoot, chimp, repeat until I got what I wanted. Using manual you will be able to go much further than the AEB will allow you to.

I'd start by having the camera at ISO 100, Shutter speed at 1/60 or slower (to get a whole cycle of the light), and adjust your aperture until you got what you wanted.

Also, many people find the book Understanding Exposure to be a very good learning tool. I hope this is helpful to you.

Thanks - I found the book on Amazon.