Thinkin about doin some fannin today but the last time I went all my pictures were overexposed…not too much but just that little bit so when you zoomed in it was noticable. I have a Cannos EOS Rebel 35MM and am wondering what settings I would use to have my photos not be overexposed.
Some examples:
http://railpictures.net/viewreject.php?id=567586&key=143011714
http://railpictures.net/viewreject.php?id=567584&key=1297836887
http://railpictures.net/viewreject.php?id=567583&key=765543574
You can control exposure through a combination of shutter speed and F-stops. The larger the F-stop, the smaller the aperture opening in the lens. For a faster shutter speed, you need a larger F-stop. (Shooting at 1/1000 would require an opening of say f/2.8 or perhaps a bit larger) The settings also affect depth of field as well.
When shooting in bright sunlight, I usually shoot around 1/800 to 1/1200 depending on how bright the scene is, with an f-stop of f/2.8 to 4. I get fairly good results at those speeds. But, I also use digital, so, I can immediately look and see if the scene is acceptable.
In lower light situations, you need a slower shutter speed, and larger opening to allow more light. The maximum f-stop on most consumer cameras is usually around 1.4, but that varies by manufacturer. Also, you have to factor your lens, and focal length in. If you are zooming, or using wide angle.
Chris, can you help?? I don’t want to confuse coborn35 too much… LOL.
There is all kinds of information out there on camera settings. Including some information at the Fuji, Canon, and Nikon websites.
Visit the photo galleries of some of the members here, I know in the case of my photos, the EXIF data, or camera settings is displayed beneath the photos, that might help give you an idea of how to set your camera.
Just went to the Canon USA website and looked up the Rebel film camera and you can adjust the exposure by 1/2 stop increments. All this should be in your user manual as well. Sooo you just have to start shooting a half stop down to see if that corrects your exposure. Camera meters are not always accurate. By testing exposure settings you can figure out what your meter is doing wrong, ie: over/under exposure and then compensate. Hope that helps rather than confuses. John
First of all,John is right,dont always rely your camera’s built in light meter set the fstop at center,or 1/2 or 1 step below center(-)…I would slow the shutter speed down also to 1/250th, that will freeze the action and give you better color rep…You dont need to shoot moving trains at 1/1000th if your using 100 iso or even 400 iso…Dont use anything higher for daytime photos… high speed film is for night photogrhy…
hope this helps…
You can always start with the “Sunny 16 Rule”. For bright days, use f stop to f/16 and the shutter to the speed closest to your film speed - ex. 1/125 for ISO 100 or 1/500 for ISO 400.
Some other starting points for ISO 100 film:
Bright cloudy day: f/5.6 @ 1/250 or f/8 @ 1/125
Dark overcast day: f/4 @ 1/125
Bracketing is your best bet for getting the right exposure.
Nick
This is some excellent information, thanks for posting! (And, thanks for asking coborn35! [(-D]) I use an older high-end point-n-shoot digital, so I have most of the setting available for use, I just never really knew how to use them – or, for that matter, what questions to ask. You can see from the photos on my website that I do get some decent stuff, though I can blame that on my eye for a scene, and the quality piece of camera that I shoot with. [8D]
A couple of possibilities come to mind. First, have you checked the exposure compensation setting (+/-) in your controls? It could have been inadvertently set to the + side and overexposure would result. Be sure it is set at the zero setting. Secondly, are you using slide or print film? If you are doing prints your processor could be at fault. Best way to check this would be to either try a different lab or go to your original lab with your negatives and a sample print and ask for a reprint that is darker. Hope this helps.
Posted some examples.
Manual settings if you’ve got 'em, that’s all I’ve got to say.
Oh, and run your photo by me for processing before you submit it, like Atmo did [:P]