6D and HDR

Yesterday I was shooting some outdoor HDR. In Av mode with auto-ISO and minimum shutter set to 1/60, I got auto settings like 1/250 and ISO 200. Every time I put it in HDR mode OUTDOORS (bright sunny day), I got weirdo settings like ISO 3200 and 1/2500. Indoors HDR worked just fine. One note: indoors I was using AUTO HDR. Outdoors I was using 3-stop HDR because the camera defaulted to one-stop, which was not even close to enough.

FYI: Shooting with 6D, 17-40 and Σ70-200 OS.

Heya,

Stop using Auto anything if you're doing HDR.

Inside, the light was pretty much static, so your "auto" modes were not freaking out. This is based on what metering mode you were set in. Evaluative will have the biggest fluctuation. Spot will have the minimal.

Outside the light was changing and very dynamic, so your auto modes were going every where. Again, subject to your metering mode choice.

If you want to do good HDR, expose yourself, don't just use AUTO modes of any kind. Certainly not AV and definitely, definitely not Auto ISO. If you're going to use AV, at the very least, use a static ISO value. If you're worried about shutter time and motion blur, simply set ISO to be a high value. The last thing you want to do is blend an image with ISO 3200 and an ISO 200 image in HDR really. Or any really high value that is quite different from another. Use the same ISO value so that the images exhibit the same noise level. It will achieve a cleaner overall blend. I use high ISO when I want my lowest shutter speed to be sufficient to still stop motion blur (say on a windy day). But otherwise, the goal of HDR is to achieve more dynamic range. Using higher ISO you will start to lose dynamic range.

Very best,

Thanks for the tips. I was trying to use the in-camera HDR. I just wanted to see how it worked. It did settle down once I switched to a hard ISO and Av. The camera just couldn't make a decision in Av, Auto-ISO and HDR. Enough of that.

I usually shoot HDR stuff like this: raw, Av, fixed ISO, 3 shot bracket, usually around two stops apart. That way I have the raw files to work from. On the 6D, I HAVE to switch to JPG, and I don't even get to keep the original shots. Like I said, enough of that.

Heya,

I suggest you try a different approach (assuming you're using a tripod). Use manual. Use LiveView. Expose several times, not just limiting to 3 attempts. Do 5 or 7 exposures for example, 1 stop each, in RAW. So that you can expose the sky and foreground well. Use the histogram on LiveView and use LiveView in general just to see what you're actually getting, so that your meter is not throwing it off due to a bright spot or dark spot. Then manually blend in software.

Examples from inexpensive junk cameras and mediocre lenses:

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/obSX​XF

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/on2Q​2a