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Is my Nikon D40x toast?
Hello I'm new to photography so perhaps I'm missing something here. The problem is that when I take pictures in manual mode, the camera indicates correct exposure but the pictures come out terribly underexposed. Is the camera's light meter toast? Pictures in auto and other modes come out fine. Does anyone have a clue what may be going on?
In this folder below, the first picture is taken in manual mode and the second one in auto mode with the flash off.
http://picasaweb.google.com/mpowerdeep/20091011?authkey=Gv1sRgCNnKz9bz5I-eiAE&feat=directlink
In this folder below, the first picture is taken in manual mode and the second one in auto mode with the flash off.
http://picasaweb.google.com/mpowerdeep/20091011?authkey=Gv1sRgCNnKz9bz5I-eiAE&feat=directlink
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I understand that. I make the adjustments until the camera indicates correct exposure, but the pictures come out looking underexposed.
Not using manual mode is not an option. Why buy an SLR if all you want to do is use preset modes?
JatZilla, welcome to the Digital Grin.
Manual mode allows you to choose a meter mode. It would appear that the meter mode you selected is perhaps trying to read the wall in the image. Note that the first exposure (manual mode) is at ISO 200 and 1/25th at f5.6, while the second exposure is at ISO 400 and 1/25th at f3.8. This is a 2+ stop difference in exposure. Try different meter modes until the "auto" settings agree with the manual settings and then learn how the mode is metering the scene.
For this scene I would probably choose a center-weighted metering mode, take an image and then adjust with either shutter speed or aperture until the histogram showed acceptable values and adjusted to be "to the right" in the histogram, but without any highlight "blinkies" showing.
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
http://picasaweb.google.com/mpowerdeep/Sample?authkey=Gv1sRgCOfutMiGwcWTCw&feat=directlink
Wondering what happened to the camera NOW..or is there some setting I changed...?
Thanks ziggy but I don't think the problem is metering mode. I took some pictures outdoors yesterday evening, about 30-40 minutes before sunset, with the same results:
http://picasaweb.google.com/mpowerdeep/20091010?authkey=Gv1sRgCIbJ1reExNDmTw&feat=directlink
So you are able to center the meter indicator at zero and you get these results?
Try the different metering modes. Do the meter results vary with the mode?
What lens(es)?
Is the EC neutral for all exposure modes? (It should not matter in Manual mode, but I'm trying to be complete.)
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Metering mode may well play a role in this, based on all of the photos. The results I've seen so far indicate that that is the first likely place to look.
For instance, in the shots you posted of outside that you say were fine, it'd be interesting to note what you were metering for. As I look thru that image gallery, they all seem to be exposed for the majority of light...which may create the effect you desire, but also leaves important details too dark.
Take photo #8, the Geese. Very nice, yet the side to the viewer of the geese is too dark to see much detail. If you'd have exposed for the near side of the geese, then the BG would have been much brighter.
I sometimes set my camera exposure bias based on what the scene looks like to me versus what it looks like on the LCD: and adjust accordingly.
As for the camera, I updated the firmware and did a 'reset' on it, which I think resets all options to factory settings. I'm not having the underexposure problem anymore so that's good news. Bad news is that I didn't really take the time to understand why it happened. Oh well next time.
Your comments also helped me look at my pictures more critically.
cheers, JZ
PS: I have a Nikon 40Dx with a 18-135mm f3.5-56 G ED lens and that's all I have. This will change on the 24th of October when I head up to NYC for a photo expo and pick up a bunch of things