ETTR and uses

So I just read up on ETTR and it seems to me like the article makes it out to seem like ETTR increases the overall clarity/IQ/noise reduction if you shoot raw and then push the exposure down in post processing.

So knowing this now, why would I shoot anything but to the right and bump them down in post processing then? It strikes me as kind of off.

This is of course assuming that I want to maximize IQ and get the sharpest image possible.

Thanks
-Jo

The only absolute answer is that there are no absolute answers.

ETTR is the best way of ensuring the lowest amount of noise in an image.

But what happens if you are shooting in low light and have already maxed out your ISO and aperture in an attempt to get the exposure correct? If you want to ETTR that will require using a slower shutter which could mean motion blur. The sharpest image possible might actually require underexposing a little to keep the shutter faster, even if it means more noise from pushing the exposure during post.

At the end of the day, a sharp noisy image is better than a soft noise-free image for me.

Hmmm I understand more what your getting at, what about bright light situations? If I'm on iso 100 and like shutter 1/250 w f8, and I want more sharpness, would I ettr, brighten the image, then turn down the brightness in post processing? For max IQ?

One could say that giving more signal in the capture of an image reduces its noise, increasing the signal-to-noise ratio and thereby improving IQ. But the true rational for ETTR is to make better use of the available tonal levels, so that more levels are used to record detail in the darker 'shadow' area while allocating fewer levels to the brighter 'highlight' detail...a re-distribution of the number of levels. That in itself improves IQ in a different manner than improving signal-to-noise.

ETTR is nothing new. Colour negative film shooters used the same technique years ago.

Lol sorry geez...didn't say it was new, I'm a newb.

There are many pros to ETTR and I'm a strong advocate, but there are a few cons also.
1. To be done to best advantage the exposure needs to be as close to clipping as is possible without actually doing so. Shooting "on the edge" can sometimes mean falling over the edge. Thus, when the light and/or the reflectivity of the subject are changing ETTR requires constant chimping and readjusting. It's more suitable to static landscape-like subjects where you have time to chimp or to controlled studio lighting than to action situations.
2. It needs RAW shooting plus some individual attention to each shot in post-processing, not (maybe unfortunately) everybody's cuppa.

Therein lies the advantage in having the "delete this image" command to be used in PP only.
Having "blinkies" on the LCD gives one only an indication of what might be overexposed and is not cast in stone. Ya gotta remember that the LCD image is merely a jpeg rendition of your image and, depending on camera settings, may or may not represent the RAW rendition of that image.

Hmmm interesting I will try to keep all this in mind. TY.