Why I love the 40D - Exposure

I love the 40D for many reasons, but here is one that hasnt been discussed much.

Very tough exposure situation: on the roof of a 22 story building, bright sky, bright tiles on the ground, white wall behind the subject, and sun from behind. Yet the 40D gets it bang on right. And what you're seeing is from the JPEG straight from the camera.

Stoked.

Good stuff, i love mine.

Keep it up.

Ian

Nice one. Out of curiosity, which metering mode was it set to?

Evaluative.

Normally my gut 'instinct' in this sitiuation would be to chuck it on 'spot' but I was pleasantly suprised.

Note that it still misses it at times, but then there are just times where no camera could get it right without some help from my high dynamic range eye.

No offence, but an experienced photographer shooting manual mode can do the same with most cameras...

yes an experienced photographer can but i think the OP is talking about the ease of use for the novice and or pro alike.

ipschoser1 wrote in post #4869279
No offence, but an experienced photographer shooting manual mode can do the same with most cameras...

Very true.

However there are times when lighting variations dictate that changes cannot be made fast enough to take the shot. In such cases the automatic functions of the camera are required and in the 40D & 1D3s the metering really does take a step up in my experience.

I'm usually in manual, but when I need evaluative metering it's nice to know it works well.

ipschoser1 wrote in post #4869279
No offence, but an experienced photographer shooting manual mode can do the same with most cameras...

Thats true for situations where you have enough time to set up but its great to know that the camera can control exposure when needed.

ipschoser1 wrote in post #4869279
No offence, but an experienced photographer shooting manual mode can do the same with most cameras...

Yup, You're right, in fact lets do away with metering all together.

Like really who needs that as a feature. Its a gmmick I say, and should be done away with to make room for more real features such as 3D live view, and motorised zooming.

Funny thing about this thread. Here I was, with a new 40D, and less than thrilled with the IQ and color balance. As I was studying the 2 books I bought to go with the camera, I began experimenting. Viola! in Evaluative mode, the IQ and color balance I was used to getting with my ElanII and my G3 came roaring in! Still working on the tweeks as there is som much power in the menus, but I'm thrilled with the results. Example:

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Both of the pictures posted are good. I'm still getting used to my 40D and working with the metering modes. Good to know it performs well in evaluative. I always shoot in Manual, but I use the meter to give me an idea of what the camera's picking up. One of these days, I'll be so good that I can do away with metering altogether. I'll just feel the light.

BTW, I've had it for almost a month and I haven't tried live view yet (learning to feel the light).

emomophantom wrote in post #4872748
Both of the pictures posted are good. I'm still getting used to my 40D and working with the metering modes. Good to know it performs well in evaluative. I always shoot in Manual, but I use the meter to give me an idea of what the camera's picking up. One of these days, I'll be so good that I can do away with metering altogether. I'll just feel the light.

BTW, I've had it for almost a month and I haven't tried live view yet (learning to feel the light).

Emo, that's a very good goal to aspire to. I remember the days where Manual would intimidate me with it's complexity. Now I walk into a room and usually nail the white balance and exposure. I still do cheat and use the lightmeter from time to time. Also, it's not that I'm very good at it just that it's simply a matter of practice. Your eyes are just another (VERY GOOD) lens, factor in aperture (exposure time to specific light) and your constant shutter-speed and you'll be able to set your camera accordingly.

... am I sounding silly or does the above make ANY sense?

AZGerry wrote in post #4872524
Funny thing about this thread. Here I was, with a new 40D, and less than thrilled with the IQ and color balance. As I was studying the 2 books I bought to go with the camera, I began experimenting. Viola! in Evaluative mode, the IQ and color balance I was used to getting with my ElanII and my G3 came roaring in! Still working on the tweeks as there is som much power in the menus, but I'm thrilled with the results. Example:

That's an outstanding shot. Amazing what clear air does for color saturation and great tonality across the board.

The shots are excellent.

What I wonder, though, is if the environments really are very taxing to an averaging metering mode.

I mean, when I look at AgentMedia's shot, it appears to me that the overall distribution of light in the resulting shot is pretty much medium gray. The problem, of course, is that I'm looking at a picture, not at the actual scene that was shot.

It would be interesting to perform an experiment: shoot an equally challenging scene with the 40D and another, earlier model (such as a 10D), both in evaluative mode, and compare the resulting images to see if there really has been an improvement to evaluative metering.

Regardless, it's tough to argue with the results you both got.