Canon 6D Problem

Ratjack wrote in post #16399615
Every Canon camera I have had tends to under expose. It is fairly normal to have to adjust EC with Canon.

Interesting....it must be a northern hemisphere thing!
Both my 5Ds (2 & 3) are nearly always on -1/3 or -2/3. Or maybe it's just a preference thing, and as I shoot a lot of contre-jour I need to stop the highlights blowing.

Thank you for all your replies.

I'm now able to post pictures. I was not sure how to do that before as I'm new to this type of forum.

Here...

This one is 0 in the exposure meter

Ricardo222 wrote in post #16402333
Interesting....it must be a northern hemisphere thing!
Both my 5Ds (2 & 3) are nearly always on -1/3 or -2/3. Or maybe it's just a preference thing, and as I shoot a lot of contre-jour I need to stop the highlights blowing.

Don't you have a hole in the ozone layer down there? You get more sunshine in...

michaelgunawan94 wrote in post #16402950
Thank you for all your replies.

I'm now able to post pictures. I was not sure how to do that before as I'm new to this type of forum.

Here...

This one is 0 in the exposure meter

Hosted photo: posted by michaelgunawan94 in
./showthread.php?p=164​02950&i=i5593010
forum: Canon Digital Cameras

This one is +1

Hosted photo: posted by michaelgunawan94 in
./showthread.php?p=164​02950&i=i162142200
forum: Canon Digital Cameras

Thoughts?

Thanks!

The second is overexposed. The photo is rather complicated in terms of light values, with the shadows on the bottom etc. In the two years I've been reading this forum, most people state that they need EC of 1/3-2/3 stop.

For yours, +1/3 might be right. There is nothing wrong with your camera. The lightmeter is trying to meter a scene at 18% gray.

I normally shoot +2/3, unless I see important blinkies (I have the blinkies on)... oh yes, I chimp!

My advice:

Nothing wrong with the camera, relax and go out and take a lot of photos. Learn your tool.

michaelgunawan94 wrote in post #16402950
Thank you for all your replies.

I'm now able to post pictures. I was not sure how to do that before as I'm new to this type of forum.


Thoughts?

Thanks!

Nothing wrong with your camera, that first shot is how I would expect the meter to read the scene, slightly underexposed but typical for what it is seeing. The second looks overexposed to me, you compensated too far for my taste.

Cameras do not "overexpose" or "underexpose", they take a meter reading and come up with an average for the scene that equates to around 18% grey. The scene, however, isn't always an 18% tone and can fool the camera. A lot of white in the scene will give a meter reading leading to a much lower exposure than a scene (in identical light) containing a lot of black. the camera may meter these several stops apart, yet the actual exposure wanted will be the same. The camera will underexpose one and overexpose the other if left to its own devices, it is the job of the photographer to use the correct exposure for what they wish to achieve, and not leave it up to the camera all the time. You can do this, in the semi-auto modes, by looking at the scene and thinking if you need to add or subtract some exposure from the metered reading and adjust accordingly, using the EC controls.

It is a tendency for cameras to meter to slightly underexpose in an attempt to avoid blowing out highlight detail, but so long as you choose the actual exposure, that is unimportant. Many people tend to default to a slight +ve EC setting to compensate for that, but EC will vary from shot to shot. I have done shoots where my EC has varied between -2 and +1 stops depending on the scene, it is for that reason that it is often better with subjects of variable brightness, in the same light, to set an exposure in manual and stick to it.

You seem to have a tendency to get a camera, take a couple of shots and think "Hmm, they're not great shots, the camera must be faulty" rather than the more likely reason that you just need to learn how to use it properly.

You can easily check exposure on shots like that one you posted, just take a test shot and check the histogram. That will tell you how your exposure is and if you need to adjust it and take another shot. Many of us like to "shoot to the right", meaning keeping the histogram to the right as far as possible without going off the edge and blowing highlights, even if this means overexposing a little, as that helps preserve shadow detail, then bring it down in the editing. Others prefer to aim to get exposure exactly where it should be. Either way, you should be in charge of getting a correct exposure and treat the camera meter as a tool for helping you assess the light, not something which magically knows what part of the scene is the subject, what tone it should be and how exactly you want the scene to look.

2nd shot over exposed. Detail in the sand and background building is compromised.

Agree with the others, 2 is overexposed.

If you haven't already, start learning the different metering modes, I find that a lot of exposure "problems" are fixed by using the correct metering mode for the scene.

MakisM1 wrote in post #16402987
Don't you have a hole in the ozone layer down there? You get more sunshine in...


The second is overexposed. The photo is rather complicated in terms of light values, with the shadows on the bottom etc. In the two years I've been reading this forum, most people state that they need EC of 1/3-2/3 stop.

Hehe...I guess that accounts for it...and a few other things as well no doubt!!

As for those two exposures...I agree with you and Sandpiper et al, the second shot is over exposed and I would have thought that the first was fine, and would need no more than a little PP to make work.

+1/3 of a stop for #1 looks bang on to me.
If I took #2 I'd have to take another exposure for the sky.

Thanks for all your replies once again.

Another problem that i have is the light meter going up and down constantly. Before AF, the exposure meter reads 0 but after autofocus it goes down about 1 stop.

Any thoughts?

Hey guys.
Went back to the store just to be sure. Got the same results in the same 6d body. Turns out all 6ds underexpose.

So everyone here experiences thre same thigng?

Yep, mine is set to +2/3 to +1 as well .... annoying really.

I wouldn't say all 6Ds underexpose. Again, all cameras set out to expose to 18% gray. No magic there, 18% gray can seem quite dark in light scenes (and also can seem too light in dark scenes), but that's the system.

As for overexposure vs. underexposure, it is easier to fix an underexposed photo than an overexposed one. Overexposure wipes out data from an image much sooner than underexposure does. I'll take a little bit more shadow noise resulting from EC in post than white, non-repairable patches in a photo resulting from overexposure (even after pulling highlights)

And lastly, that's why we have EC button If the scene requires it, we need to use it. Try shooting on a ski trip. You'll be in the + range of EC the whole time. Try shooting in a very dark forest, very likely you'll be in the - range most of the time if you want to make it look as real as possible.

michaelgunawan94 wrote in post #16404501
Another problem that i have is the light meter going up and down constantly. Before AF, the exposure meter reads 0 but after autofocus it goes down about 1 stop.

Any thoughts?

Autofocus won't change the meter reading, but yes the meter will tend to swing up and down a lot as you move the camera. The light hasn't changed, but the ratio of light to dark areas in the scene changes. If you are focusing and recomposing, then the meter is reading for the scene it sees when the camera is pointing straight at your target to AF, then seeing a different scene when you recompose and metering for that.

For example, lets say you are shooting indoors and focus on somebody in the room, then recompose by moving the camera so that it now catches part of a window in the edge of the frame. That brighter area will now alter the cameras meter reading because it is raising the average, hence the camera meter will suggest less exposure is required because the scene is brighter.

The exposure needed for your subject (who hasn't moved and is in the same light) hasn't changed, but the meter reading has. As I said above, you need to learn how to expose the images correctly and use the meter as a tool to help you assess the light. Don't rely on it getting the correct exposure all the time, as it won't. Getting the exposure right is the photographers responsibility, not the cameras.

michaelgunawan94 wrote in post #16404753
Hey guys.
Went back to the store just to be sure. Got the same results in the same 6d body. Turns out all 6ds underexpose.

So everyone here experiences thre same thigng?

Yes, everyone has the same metering. Canon have set the algorithms so that the cameras have a tendency towards slight underexposure because that is far less of a problem to adjust than overexposure that blows highlights. Your two pictures show that the camera is hardly underexposing at all (in that scene) maybe a third of a stop, and that is easily tweaked in post to get it spot on. As a shot, the one with the meter at 0 is perfectly acceptable for most people, as it stands. Your second shot, at +1 stop, is clearly overexposed, and too bright as it stands now. Again, it can be corrected in post, but I would be worrying about losing detail in the sky with that much exposure.