Using Exposure Compensation

[jaapv]

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I believe that this is not quite correct like that. Is it not rather the case that the sensor has a dynamic range that we do not know yet (until DxO Mark hast tested it). Within that dynamic range you are fine. I wonder now if the dynamic range of the so called "new" sensor is 12,5 or 13 or even 14 or more EVs. That is the whole point. And then it depends at what ISO settings we measure the dynamics. The higher the ISO the lower the dynamic range. Further when you look at the information that is in a RAW, there are much more details resp. data in the hights (right side of the histogram) than in the dark areas (left side of histogram). Therefor it is advisable to exposure as light as possible (move the histogram as far to the right as possible without toughing to the right); just not to blow the hights. This is called as well "exposure to the right" ETTR.

 

Still the experience of evikne probably matches the experience of many users. The highlights are very delicate. Blown clouds can not be fixed any more. In landscape I started to do the following (manual settings): I measure first the sky and try to have the red bullet just red without any arrow. Then I give it an additional 1 ½ EV and with that setting I shoot then the landscape. As a result the sky will not be blown and still the histogram is very much to the right without (or slightly) touching the right side. As the histogram shows a JPG and not the RAW in Lightroom I have enough possibilities to set the exposure right as a RAW has a reserve of about 2 EV over the JPG.

 

When you say that you generally you set your exposure at -⅓ EV then I would not advise to do that. It depends a lot on the situation.

 

Does that make sense?

Knowing the DR is not much help until you know the shape of the curve at the ends. The usable dynamic range, the exposure range. depends on the linear part.

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[M11 for me]

I fully agree with you. That is what I said that we need to know the curve.

 

Anyway it is not a good idea to set the EV wheel permanently at something like -⅓ EV as we have exactly to know what the camera measures. I had to learn a lot about this and I am not sure if I do everything right. This is assuming that I want to have a perfectly exposed image with histogram not toughing on either side. Of course we see many very interesting pictures that are very underexposed. I do not speak about these artistic possibilities. I do not know if I ever have a chance to end there.