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mbworldz · Feb 7, 2011, 10:30 PM

Got huge problem when taking outdoor pictures under the hot sunny day.
Yesterday we went to the temple and took this shot with the Mark III 16-35mm L f/2.8 lens. It came out too harsh and not sharp at all with such great lens. Do I need to step down the exposure ?

What is the secret taking pic under the sunny day ?

Also I tried taking pic with people in front of it. I was also using the external flash. But result came out the same, really harsh.

Can someone one help.

The indoor one seems ok.

Thanks.

ac.smith · Feb 7, 2011, 10:56 PM

Your first photo is underexposed IMO, probably because of the directly lit white staircase overly influenced the metering. The sharpness difference you see are likely because you used ISO 800 for the 1st shot and ISO 200 for the second shot.

A. C.

mbworldz · Feb 8, 2011, 12:40 AM

A. C. What should I do for the first pic. Minus the exposure like -1, -1.5 ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ac.smith

Your first photo is underexposed IMO, probably because of the directly lit white staircase overly influenced the metering. The sharpness difference you see are likely because you used ISO 800 for the 1st shot and ISO 200 for the second shot.

A. C.

ac.smith · Feb 8, 2011, 10:37 AM

I usually handle a scene like that by altering my metering method, using center weighted or spot metering and aiming more toward the shadow. If you're not comfortable with that then an EV comp of around +1 would be a decent compromise. It's a difficult scene so using an ISO in the 100-200 range should get you more dynamic range than the 800 that was used.

Fact of life, direct sun is harsh. If making a pleasing photo of a person is the objective then moving them into an area of open shade may help.

Were you using a CPL filter?

A. C.

VTphotog · Feb 8, 2011, 11:34 AM

PhotoMe shows that the first shot was at ISO 800, with noise reduction on. While I am not familiar with the characteristics of your camera, I would think that this may be a good part of the lack of sharpness. The exposure difficulty is mostly a matter of having the white stairway and people in white shirts, in sunlight in the foreground, while so much of the rest was in shadow - too much contrast.

brian

mbworldz · Feb 8, 2011, 2:15 PM

I had the filter on all my lens. I guess the metering is wrong. Gotta read more about it.

\

Quote:

Originally Posted by ac.smith

I usually handle a scene like that by altering my metering method, using center weighted or spot metering and aiming more toward the shadow. If you're not comfortable with that then an EV comp of around +1 would be a decent compromise. It's a difficult scene so using an ISO in the 100-200 range should get you more dynamic range than the 800 that was used.

Fact of life, direct sun is harsh. If making a pleasing photo of a person is the objective then moving them into an area of open shade may help.

Were you using a CPL filter?

A. C.

ac.smith · Feb 8, 2011, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbworldz

I had the filter on all my lens. I guess the metering is wrong. Gotta read more about it.

\

Just for clarity do I read your reply correctly that you have a circular polorizing (CPL) filter on all your lenses? Or that you have a UV filter on all your lenses?

A. C.

JimC · Feb 9, 2011, 12:06 AM

Another observation. I see that you had Contrast set to High in the first image (but I can't see the maker notes data in the next one). Setting Contrast to High in camera is going to make dark areas darker, and brighter areas brighter (leading to loss of detail in both shadows and highlights, reducing dynamic range).

While increasing Contrast can add "punch" to an image, it's not always a good idea to take that approach with camera settings. It's usually better to use conservative settings in camera, then post process later for more flexibility without as much loss of detail.

mbworldz · Feb 9, 2011, 1:47 AM

Sorry I meant UV Filters. Do I need circular polorizing filter ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ac.smith

Just for clarity do I read your reply correctly that you have a circular polorizing (CPL) filter on all your lenses? Or that you have a UV filter on all your lenses?

A. C.

mbworldz · Feb 9, 2011, 1:49 AM

I am not sure exactly if I did set anything to the contract in camera. Would it be under the Custom Functions on the Mark III ? I didn't touch that, it should be the default settings.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimC

Another observation. I see that you had Contrast set to High in the first image (but I can't see the maker notes data in the next one). Setting Contrast to High in camera is going to make dark areas darker, and brighter areas brighter (leading to loss of detail in both shadows and highlights, reducing dynamic range).

While increasing Contrast can add "punch" to an image, it's not always a good idea to take that approach with camera settings. It's usually better to use conservative settings in camera, then post process later for more flexibility without as much loss of detail.

Feb 7, 2011, 10:30 PM	#1
mbworldz Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 19	Need urgent help :-( Got huge problem when taking outdoor pictures under the hot sunny day. Yesterday we went to the temple and took this shot with the Mark III 16-35mm L f/2.8 lens. It came out too harsh and not sharp at all with such great lens. Do I need to step down the exposure ? What is the secret taking pic under the sunny day ? Also I tried taking pic with people in front of it. I was also using the external flash. But result came out the same, really harsh. Can someone one help. The indoor one seems ok. Thanks. Last edited by mbworldz; Feb 7, 2011 at 10:34 PM.

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Feb 7, 2011, 10:56 PM	#2
ac.smith Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Davenport, IA Posts: 2,093	Your first photo is underexposed IMO, probably because of the directly lit white staircase overly influenced the metering. The sharpness difference you see are likely because you used ISO 800 for the 1st shot and ISO 200 for the second shot. A. C.

Feb 8, 2011, 10:37 AM	#4
ac.smith Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Davenport, IA Posts: 2,093	I usually handle a scene like that by altering my metering method, using center weighted or spot metering and aiming more toward the shadow. If you're not comfortable with that then an EV comp of around +1 would be a decent compromise. It's a difficult scene so using an ISO in the 100-200 range should get you more dynamic range than the 800 that was used. Fact of life, direct sun is harsh. If making a pleasing photo of a person is the objective then moving them into an area of open shade may help. Were you using a CPL filter? A. C.

Feb 8, 2011, 11:34 AM	#5
VTphotog Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Extreme Northeastern Vermont, USA Posts: 4,309	PhotoMe shows that the first shot was at ISO 800, with noise reduction on. While I am not familiar with the characteristics of your camera, I would think that this may be a good part of the lack of sharpness. The exposure difficulty is mostly a matter of having the white stairway and people in white shirts, in sunlight in the foreground, while so much of the rest was in shadow - too much contrast. brian

Feb 9, 2011, 12:06 AM	#8
JimC Administrator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Savannah, GA (USA) Posts: 22,378	Another observation. I see that you had Contrast set to High in the first image (but I can't see the maker notes data in the next one). Setting Contrast to High in camera is going to make dark areas darker, and brighter areas brighter (leading to loss of detail in both shadows and highlights, reducing dynamic range). While increasing Contrast can add "punch" to an image, it's not always a good idea to take that approach with camera settings. It's usually better to use conservative settings in camera, then post process later for more flexibility without as much loss of detail.