jacopastorius Posted May 31 Share #1 Posted May 31 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi all. I have been shooting with SL 601 for 2 weeks. I have a voigtlander 35 ultron f2 v2 attached and I’m liking this combo so far. I noticed that with this camera in conditions of strong light often it is better to underexpose a bit and then recover the shadows in Lightroom. I have the feeling that this sensor tends to amplificate a bit the highlights. Do you confirm or is it just me? I attached a jpeg straight from camera where you can see sky and clouds a bit burned but the rest well exposed Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Edited May 31 by jacopastorius Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/421739-new-sl-601-user-question-about-exposure/?do=findComment&comment=5810194'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted May 31 Posted May 31 Hi jacopastorius, Take a look here New SL 601 user. Question about exposure. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
LD_50 Posted May 31 Share #2 Posted May 31 I never shot jpeg with any of the SL cameras but I have always exposed to protect highlights with each of them (601, SL2-S, SL3-S). 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
graeme_clarke Posted May 31 Share #3 Posted May 31 I had a 601 for about 9 years from not long after it became available - it made fabulous photographs with a 24-90, 90-280 and a R100 macro with a "cable" release. I sold it a few weeks ago and now have a SL2S and a SL3. For them all I use -1/3 or -2/3 ev as they tend to overexpose, as you have found. I use spot metering most of the time and first I check the histogram to make sure bright areas are not burned out and have clipping set to flash burned areas in the viewfinder. I save the images as dngs (raw files) for post processing in Lightroom. Hope this helps and I trust you enjoy using the camera as much as I did. Best wishes, Graeme Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted May 31 Share #4 Posted May 31 Ever since cameras had exposure meters built in users had to get used to the specific characteristics for each type. Nothing new. Just “shoot your preferred exposure in”, as generations of photographers have done. The photographer determines exposure, not the camera. Don’t forget:the best exposure information the camera can give you is the histogram 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted May 31 Share #5 Posted May 31 1 hour ago, LD_50 said: I never shot jpeg with any of the SL cameras but I have always exposed to protect highlights with each of them (601, SL2-S, SL3-S). Jpg has less dynamic range than DNG. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacopastorius Posted June 1 Author Share #6 Posted June 1 many thanks for replies. I posted the jpeg just because the raw is too big but it has the same exposure. thanks for the advices! I really love this camera and just have to get used to manage these high contrast scenes Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
graeme_clarke Posted June 1 Share #7 Posted June 1 Advertisement (gone after registration) I forgot to mention that some scenes require more that -2/3 ev compensation: white water at waterfalls and rapids and breaking waves need particular care . Sea birds, such as gannets, are notoriously difficult, especially in sunlight, where you may need - 2ev or even more compensation as their light feathers burn out so easily. Hope this helps, Graeme Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 1 Share #8 Posted June 1 My technique is to have the Histogram active in the EVF, and use exposure compensation on the thumbwheel to optimize exposure. Using this technique I find that the optimal exposure varies between -2.5 and +1.5 EV, depending on the subject ( occasionally even more!). That means that if you set the exposure compensation as a fixed value "to be safe", you can lose up to 4 EV values in dynamic range on some shots. The fixed exposure compensation technique, although popular, cannot be recommended if you care about image quality. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hansvons Posted June 1 Share #9 Posted June 1 13 hours ago, jacopastorius said: I noticed that with this camera in conditions of strong light often it is better to underexpose a bit and then recover the shadows in Lightroom. I have the feeling that this sensor tends to amplificate a bit the highlights. Do you confirm or is it just me? I don't know the SL601 but have seen many images that are perfectly fine without clipping highlights. So, it's not a camera issue per se. Most people believe that shooting at the lowest ISO leads to the best results. This is not true. At ISO 400 you'll gain two stops more headroom in the highlights without introducing distracting noise. Another way to solve this issue is to shoot at ISO 200 and set EV compensation to -1 EV. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 1 Share #10 Posted June 1 I do not know where you found this, Hans. It is not supported at all by Photonstophotos: Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/421739-new-sl-601-user-question-about-exposure/?do=findComment&comment=5810519'>More sharing options...
jacopastorius Posted June 1 Author Share #11 Posted June 1 1 hour ago, jaapv said: My technique is to have the Histogram active in the EVF, and use exposure compensation on the thumbwheel to optimize exposure. Using this technique I find that the optimal exposure varies between -2.5 and +1.5 EV, depending on the subject ( occasionally even more!). That means that if you set the exposure compensation as a fixed value "to be safe", you can lose up to 4 EV values in dynamic range on some shots. The fixed exposure compensation technique, although popular, cannot be recommended if you care about image quality. How can you set the exposure compensation without press any shortcut button? I have to long press one button to enter in the exposure compensation mode and then rotate the thumb wheel. A bit slow. I’d like to set the exposure compensation directly acting on a wheel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 1 Share #12 Posted June 1 Sorry, it is on the front wheel Also my SL2S, which has much better ISO than the 601. They are cheap right now, you might consider trading it in. Here is a 6400 image on the 601 with only Adobe enhance applied in ACR (AKA Lightroom derivative) I exposed on the histogram (+1) Focus on the bird. Would that be good enough for your use? Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/421739-new-sl-601-user-question-about-exposure/?do=findComment&comment=5810570'>More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 1 Share #13 Posted June 1 This is exactly the same on the SL2S Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/421739-new-sl-601-user-question-about-exposure/?do=findComment&comment=5810572'>More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 1 Share #14 Posted June 1 Sorry, different lens, the 35 stopped down a bit instead of the 50. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BernardC Posted June 2 Share #15 Posted June 2 On 6/1/2025 at 7:15 AM, jaapv said: I do not know where you found this, Hans. It is not supported at all by Photonstophotos: We've discussed PtP here before. Their charts don't align with most users' experience. You don't lose a stop of DR for every stop of EI. If you did, why would you bother changing EI? You would be better-off underexposing by a stop and increasing the brightness in post. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 2 Share #16 Posted June 2 Yes that technique is a legitimate one for ISO invariant sensors( most of them, at least part of the curve) and has been discussed here often. The main reason not to use it that the EVF and LCD black out. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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