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Do digi cams pick up more light?
I'm sure it's been discussed here somewhere, but I cannot seem to find it after searching, so please bear with me and perhaps lead me to the right spot.
I do a lot of studio shots with a D100 (mostly) synced to either a 500-watt or 1000w power source for light, and have noticed a dramatic increase in the amount of light that my camera can see. In other words, I can light up the place with my smaller power box and still shoot with a small aperature (f22 and f25 is common)—something I could not do with my film Nikons.
In the past, with film, I had problems filling rooms with light. Now, with digital, I have the precise opposite problem: The camera reads so much light that I'm blowing out photos even when setting my power source to its lowest (250w) setting. Help!
What gives here? Can anyone explain why my camera is "seeing" more light? Is there a previous discussion somewhere that explains this? And is there some way to overcome my overexposed shots?
I do a lot of studio shots with a D100 (mostly) synced to either a 500-watt or 1000w power source for light, and have noticed a dramatic increase in the amount of light that my camera can see. In other words, I can light up the place with my smaller power box and still shoot with a small aperature (f22 and f25 is common)—something I could not do with my film Nikons.
In the past, with film, I had problems filling rooms with light. Now, with digital, I have the precise opposite problem: The camera reads so much light that I'm blowing out photos even when setting my power source to its lowest (250w) setting. Help!
What gives here? Can anyone explain why my camera is "seeing" more light? Is there a previous discussion somewhere that explains this? And is there some way to overcome my overexposed shots?
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Are you talking about P&S digicams or DSLRs?? Not that it really matters.
ISO 100 - film or digital - the exposure is the same. I do not understand why your studio flashes seem so much more powerful if the ISO is the same as the film you were shooting. IF you were shooting with the automatic modes of most digicams and some DSLRs, the camera itself may be changing the ISO rather than keeping it constant? That could explain the blown highlights.
Digital is more sensitive to overexposure than film - it is much more like slide film than color negative. There is no slope to the curve as you approach overexposure - it is digital - and once you step outside the highest level of the sensor, it is completely white - blown - there is no gradual transition in the highlights like with film. But form your desription it does not sound like you are talking about a one or two stop difference, but substantially more, which leads me back to my origianl hypothesis. That your digital camera is on automatic, not manual exposure??
You might consider using a neutral density filter to diminish the light exposure as a solution to your problem.
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
I shot this one at f13:
Thanks for responding.
As I mentioned, I'm using a Nikon D100, which is an SLR—type digi cam. I am syncning with my lights at 1/125 on full manual. I usually use two umbrella heads plus a third light mounted in a softbox mounted to a moveable boom.
The problem is too much light! Even when powering down my 500w box to 250w, and moving my lights as far back as the studio or the location will allow, I still find I'm shooting at f22 or even higher. The camera is simply picking up too much light, and I don't know a) why, and b) what to do about it. It's very frustrating. And in the meantime, my photos are overexposed or, in my efforts to reduce the amount of light, badly lit.