Picutures not bright enough !

[karunanidhis]

Hi Folks !
I have a Canon Digital Rebel XT. I'm new to SLRs.

The pictures I take (mainly outdoors) are not bright enough. The faces (of people) always look darker. I tried "Full Auto" mode and "P" mode with always Flash "ON". Is the Flash not enough ?? (I shoot the subjects no more than 10 feet away). For brighter backgrounds, I can understand the subject may be darker on the pictures. But for me, every picutre seems to be darker.

Did you guys have to adjust any settings ?



Thaks much.

[bauerman]

Did any of us have to adjust any settings? Hmmmmmmmmm - me thinks YES! You really need to take control of your exposures yourself and not rely on the camera nearly as much to make the right decision. Watch this histogram - I cannot say that enough - let me say it again - watch the histogram. If it is shifted to the left - you are going to have a darker pic than what you probably want - regardless of what the LCD on the camera says. If you take a pic and see the histogram slanted to the left - bump up your EV settings a few notches and re-shoot.

You may need to adjust your FEC for some of your flash shots to get the flash intensity that you are exactly looking for.........

[Mohawk]

I would suggest going over to www.amazon.com and pick up this book:

Understanding Exposure
Revised Edition
by Bryan Peterson

It is geared for the beginer/amatuer photographer. Lots of photo illustrations to get the point across.

In the mean time, Canon has a begining dSLR users site: http://www.photoworkshop.com/canon/index.html Go to the Digital Rebel picture at the bottom left and click. Then go to the first link EOS Digital Rebel XT Tutorials and there you go. It looks like there is quite a bit of info there. Have fun!

Mike

[tim]

I to recommend reading that book. The quick fix is to turn up your exposure compensation a notch or so, i'm not sure how you do that on the XT, on the 20D you turn the 2nd dial, but the XT doesn't have it. On my 300D I used to hold down a button and turn the main dial.

[swalter]

Are you judging brightness on your computer monitor and if so, has it been calibrated?

[RbrtPtikLeoSeny]

You could be using the wrong metering and exposure settings. If your shooting full auto, expect to not get the greatest of pictures. The camera doesn't know the situation, you do, and you need to take control and tell that camera what you need it to do. Cameras aren't smart, they're stupid and require us the smart humans with brains to tell em what to do.

So, look in your XT manual and look up metering modes. Like, partial metering, evaluative metering, and centerweighted average metering. You should also learn how to use Exposure Compensation because that's very important too.

I would advise you stop shooting full auto modes and take the time to learn how to use manual modes. Av (apeture priority) will probably be the easiest to learn and use.

Auto settings are great, but to get great pictures from a great camera you have to take control and use manual modes. Give it a try and see what happens. :-)

[theflyingkiwi]

I would recommend you post a picture with the settings of the camera so we can get a better idea as to what is happening.

Do you know how to get the EXIF data from the picture. This could also be a point to learn to shoot in RAW format.

[Hellashot]

All dSLRs underexpose images intentionally. You can easily lighten shadows but there's nothing you can do with blown out highlights. Almost every new dSLR user here asks the same question. You need to post process everything.

Metering almost makes a difference whether partial, evaluative or centerweighted and bright vs. dark in the same image.

[2112]

I will tell you its not the flash. That onboard flash rules. I was in a very low light nightclub using a 70-300 tele lens to get really close to some people dancing from about 25 feet away and the flash lit everything and them up wonderfully. As others have said, get the camera out of the "auto" modes and don't ever ever go back, pretend they don't exsist. You don;t have to pay for film and you have an erase button so go out and start shooting at all different manual settings and see what you like best.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Exposure Compensation... ;)

[Curtis N]

All dSLRs underexpose images intentionally... You need to post process everything.Two of the most misleading overgeneralizations I have ever read in this forum.

[EddieA]

Post a picture with settings
You should get well exposed prints even on auto (though not necessarily the optimum exposure)

[ed2day]

Getting the faces exposed right outdoors is easy. Just fill the viewfinder with your hand illuminated by the same light falling on your subject. Depress the shutter halfway and note the settings. Bingo, you've got the right exposure. I'm assuming you're not using flash which is another topic.

Now what to do with those settings is a bit more complicated and requires more knowledge of your camera. There's several options. You can shoot in manual mode and simply dial in the settings you read(f-stop and shutter). Or you can use one of the other "creative modes" and with some basic knowledge of exposure dial in the precise amount of exposure compensation. Or use exposure lock, the * button on my 300D.

I can't go into the details here on all these methods but hopefully it will point you in right directions to read up. The important thing is none of these methods will work in green box mode--the camera makes those decisions for you.

If you want the easiest way to experiment with exposure, just put the camera in P mode and try different amounts of exposure compensation. Check the results with the histogram. The histogram is your friend. Learn to read it if you don't already know.

[Hellashot]

Two of the most misleading overgeneralizations I have ever read in this forum.

And many people have said the same thing on here. Even Canon has been reported to say that their dSLRs intentionally underexpose to avoid blown out highlights and even said their new 580EX intentionally underexposes 1/3 to 2/3 to avoid blowouts.

About the only time I haven't had to post process to correct exposure was when shooting at ISO1600 which I don't often do since I have a Drebel.

[Tom W]

And many people have said the same thing on here. Even Canon has been reported to say that their dSLRs intentionally underexpose to avoid blown out highlights and even said their new 580EX intentionally underexposes 1/3 to 2/3 to avoid blowouts.

I'm not sure that the flash dictates exposure, or the camera. Nevertheless, flash exposure compensation should be adjusted based on the histogram. I routinely use +2/3 on the 1D2, as I did on my 10D with all flashes. That gives me the best exposure most of the time. Of course, you have to be cognizant of especially bright or dark subjects, just as you have to be aware of the issues of shooting images with a great deal of snow.

About the only time I haven't had to post process to correct exposure was when shooting at ISO1600 which I don't often do since I have a Drebel.

Getting FEC right up front will cut down drastically on the need to post-process images. It takes some getting used to the camera's tendencies and mannerisms, but once you discover that, you'll greatly reduce your workload.

For the original poster, since you're starting out, you probably want to run through a bit of a checklist - set metering to evaluative, camera in program mode, and ISO to 100 or 200. Make sure that exposure compensation (both regular and flash) is set to zero. Get natural lighting in your favor - don't put your people in a shadow while everything else in the frame is brightly lit. If you do, use some positive exposure compensation. Full auto should do a reasonably good job of metering and exposing the image. Is the subject filling the frame, or is it just a small part of your image?

If you're shooting a fill-flash situation, you need to make sure that you are shooting within the range of the flash. The built in flash is good for fill situations, but it isn't going to be effective at great distances, especially when used in bright situations where the camera's exposure program might be working to reduce the flash's range by stopping the aperture down. Reposition the people to use as much natural light as you can, and try a reflector if you want to get their faces brightened up a bit.

Get acquainted with the histogram - once you learn to read them, they will tell you how your image exposure looks. Then you can experiment and make adjustments right on the spot rather than waiting to view them on a computer screen.