I will prove to you that Nikon D300 way overexpose / washout

Thanks everyone for quick response... So the problem is at the new metering on D300. I did try to use fine tune compensation to -2/6, the images come out better but the images still soft when I crank up the saturation it tends to overexpose.

I use AWB, parten metering, P mode.

I try to set D300 exactly to what suggested in the manual, the images are really overpose, so my question is that at some level it does need to have a standard point where you can shoot anything without tweaking the setting and if you do accordingly to the manual it shold give you a reasonable quality image right?

Anyway thanks very much everyone.

thanhuy said:

Thanks everyone for quick response... So the problem is at the new
metering on D300.

Click to expand...

No, there isn't a "problem". That's the way it's programmed.

thanhuy said:

I did try to use fine tune compensation to -2/6,
the images come out better but the images still soft when I crank up
the saturation it tends to overexpose.

Click to expand...

So now they're soft? What goes on? Care to try some hand-holdable shutter speeds? And saturation is part of the Picture Controls. It has nothing to do with exposure.

thanhuy said:

I use AWB, parten metering, P mode.

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Parten? Pattern? Is that supposed to be Matrix? I explained the issue with matrix earlier.

thanhuy said:

I try to set D300 exactly to what suggested in the manual, the images
are really overpose, so my question is that at some level it does
need to have a standard point where you can shoot anything without
tweaking the setting and if you do accordingly to the manual it shold
give you a reasonable quality image right?

Click to expand...

Would you please post some images of this "overexposure"? 'Cos there ain't any in the first lot. And what exactly does the manual "suggest"? It reccommends a few basic settings for specific applications. The D300 isn't a P&S. You have to tweak and twiddle and work out what looks good to you. If you want a camera which will shoot everything without you changing settings, get a D40 or a P&S. The factory settings aren't meant to be left as they are.

But why am I writing this? You already found the solution - dial in -0.3EV! But no sooner than that problem is solved, you complain about soft images. What's the game?
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Regards,
Richard

Do this:

1) Reset your camera to factory default

2) Find a well-lit, less contrasty scene (landscape shot in the evening, just before the sunset?)

3) Take a shot in RAW, matrix, be sure to use shutter speed which will allow you to comfortably hand hold your camera (1/60?)
4) Install Capture NX which came with your camera
5) Open up the RAW file in Capture NX
6) Go to Picture Controls and play with different modes

Standard, Neutral, Vivid, etc. Play with brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpnes. Play with White ballance and exposure.

See how all that affects your image. You will be surprised how drastically results will change based on what settings you pick.

7) Take a note of the settings that you feel give you the best look for your taste
8) Set your camera to the settings you achieved in Capture NX

This is the n'th time we have this discussion. But the question of color space has not been mentioned often, so I will do it here.

From the exif I can see, the pics are sRGB. That is not the best color space to use indoors in tungsten light. Especially not if you have the WB so much to the warm side as you have in a couple of your photos (some may say your WB is off). sRGB simply is too narrow a gamut to capture all the colors in the scene (here the reds) - and you push the reds further out of gamut with the warm WB setting. The result is saturation clipping.

Try using Adobe RGB, that has a wider gamut, if you shoot JPEG. Or - still better - shoot RAW and postprocess in ProPhoto RGB, that has an even wider gamut than Adobe RGB. And take better care of your WB. I bet the saturation clipping will be almost gone that way. Provided of course YOU have exposed the shot correctly.

The D300 don't overexpose. What is true is the firmware sets the midtones fairly bright and tends to saturate the reds - but that happens by means of the camera profiles AFTER the exposure. It shows up in JPEGS and of course also in RAWs opened in Capture NX, since NX imports the camera profile settings from the camera. Many - me included - don't like that "hot" profile setting. But it is absolutely possible to tweak the camera profile to avoid it.

You can try to open a D300 RAW file in a third party RAW converter (Lightroom, Adobe Capture Raw, Bibble, Capture One 4 etc.) that doesn't internalize the "hot" camera profiles (except WB) but only opens the "naked" RAW file, and you'll see no so called "overexposure".

You've made my day. I couldn't stop laughing to your response. Just what the doctor order at the end of a long work week. Great response. -Norm

miancu said:

Learn how to take a decent photo then bash a camera and post huge
useless files.
This cr@p is incredible.
Not only that you're an offense to this art, you're offense to yourself.

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--

PBase supporter

Nothing to see here.

--
-Mike
http://www.pbase.com/ghostrider25

'You can't keep blaming yourself. Just blame yourself once, and move on.'

--
Chris
Nikon D300, D200

Good suggestions and very handy for the op....
--



My Pictures & Web Site: http://www.dltp.co.uk

thanhuy said:

I did try to use fine tune compensation to -2/6,
the images come out better but the images still soft when I crank up
the saturation it tends to overexpose.

Click to expand...

With any digicam, if you crank up the saturation and shoot with the WB way off in sRGB color space, as you do in a couple of shots, you have a perfect recipe for saturation clipping - which is what I see in your warm-WB shots (not overxposure). There is no clipping - nor overexposure - in the shots, where you have managed to get the WB right. See my post further down.

thanhuy said:

at some level it does
need to have a standard point where you can shoot anything without
tweaking the setting

Click to expand...

You got that wrong. You can't "shoot anything without tweaking the setting". That's why you have all those tweaking options.

Very funny I couldn't stop laughing... you know how to make friends...

Do you happen to be a manager ?
--



My Pictures & Web Site: http://www.dltp.co.uk

Please shoot in MANUAL MODE AND YOU WILL HAVE A PERFECT EXPOSURE FOR EVRY PICTURE YOU WILL TAKE.

Good Lock

Already, here are my latest images just took a second ago one was shooting at my book-shelf with fine comp set to -1/2 and vivid saturation to +1. F/5.6, speed 1/13, matrix, white balance 4000k and the other one under direct sun light.





82 mm, F/9, 1/320, ISO 200, Matrix, fine Comp -1/2 and AWB

Thanks everyone for quick response...

thomas2279 said:

Very funny I couldn't stop laughing... you know how to make friends...

Do you happen to be a manager ?

Click to expand...

I apologize to anyone if I was rude (including the OOP, though he/she doesn't deserve it). But it got on my nerves.

I assume it would be more appropriate to blame my idiocy if I hit my nails with a hammer, not the hammer.

Yes, I'm a project manager, though not really a manager.

cheers

miancu

thomas2279 said:

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My Pictures & Web Site: http://www.dltp.co.uk

Click to expand...

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/nikonion
http://nikonion.smugmug.com

First, learn how to re-size your images for web display. Those of us who are on dial up are not inclined to wait 2 hours for your images to load.

Second, do a search on Picture Controls as they relate to the D300. The out of the box setting for the D300 uses a Picture control with a heavy mid tone "bump" in brightness. So, your not over exposed, what your seeing is the effect of a Picture Control that is not suitable for what your doing with your camera. try setting your Picture Control to Neutral and you'll see a distinct difference in how the mid tone balance is rendered.

--
Z-Man

OUCH!
--

Konica-Minolta A-2 user here.

Wow. I wish I could even buy a D300 without risking immediate divorce. If I did have one and noticed a trend toward overexposure, I think I'd maybe dial in some exposure comp (bet it does that) or set shutter and aperture so the old-fashioned meter in the viewfinder (bet it has one of those too) is a little to the left of the middle.

But hey, that's just me.

thanhuy said:

Already, here are my latest images just took a second ago one was
shooting at my book-shelf with fine comp set to -1/2 and vivid
saturation to +1. F/5.6, speed 1/13, matrix, white balance 4000k and
the other one under direct sun light.

Click to expand...

Good. See, no overexposure - tweak to your liking. Next step: If it isn't sharp enough, try shooting at sane shutter speeds. You seem to have some sort of motion blur fetish with your inside shots...

thanhuy said:

82 mm, F/9, 1/320, ISO 200, Matrix, fine Comp -1/2 and AWB

Click to expand...

Again, this is what matrix metering is meant to do. That exposure is a good compromise.

thanhuy said:

Thanks everyone for quick response...

Click to expand...

Wow, at least you're a mild-mannered guy. My grudging respect

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Regards,
Richard

hey thanks... At least I get lots of updated from you all on new D300 Vs D200. All sudden I am holding Ferrari steering wheel when my whole life was driving toyota corolla '79. The basic idea is the same but technological advances between two is so far off so it's good to get input from people who owns and know how to operate it.

Thanks all

One thing I've noticed is the lack of any lens data!!

What lens(es) are you using?

I've noticed very different exposures from various lenses too..

and NO!.... my D300 doesn't over expose.... it's always my fault!!