I've had a D700 for a few months now and use several lenses but consistently the D700 overexposes anywhere from 1/3 to 1 1/2 stops. I've used every combination of exposure control but it still overexposes. I've owned dozens of slr cameras and never saw this. Is this the case with the D700 where you must compensate the exposure on a $2500 camera?
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D700 overexposure
- Thread starter Hustus
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Allinthemind
Forum Enthusiast
I set mine to "-1/6th", pretty well all exposures come in + - 1/2 stop when on auto (assuming no bright lumps of sky or specular highlights etc).
Have you checked the various compensations? Can you post a picture that you think is overexposed?
Si
Have you checked the various compensations? Can you post a picture that you think is overexposed?
Si
xrdbear
Veteran Member
No it isn't. Either your camera is set up incorrectly or it has a fault. If your camera has the 2 button reset now is the time to use it. Set the camera to Program (P) mode, set it to Matrix metering and take a picture of an average low contrast scene as a jpeg. If that is overexposed then I reckon you can assume the camera is faulty.
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Brian
Fine Art Print sales of the Isle of Skye at:
http://www.eyeofskye.co.uk/
Now, information you've provided is kind of vague. So, what are you talking about?
- What metering mode?
- What file type are you capturing?
- What kind of scene? (images would help)
regards, eric
DaveTheAffable
Leading Member
As others have said, "No". There have been discussions / opinions that the D700 over exposes about 1/6 to 1/3, others feel this is simply taking advantage of highlights. But 1 1/2 stops? No.
It's a great camera. It's used by thousands of people every day. It sounds like you have a problem or a misunderstanding, maybe for several months(?),and are frustrated. We'll try to help.
But we need details.
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Dave
Studiowest
Well-known member
I think I know what the problem is and If so, your camera is fine.
Are you shooting raw and processing in ACR? When my 700 was new I noticed that my jpegs and raw, when shooting concurrently, were not identical. The raw exposures were hot by approx 1/2 stop. My in camera settings were still at default -no exp compensation- so I went to ACR defaults and lowered default exposure by .6 and that solved the problem. BTW when opened in NX2 the raw exposures of the raw/jpeg pairs are identical. If you have consistently hot raw exposures in NX2, I don't know what the problem is
My acr is 5.5, I don't know if later versions, if any, have a better profile for the 700.
Richard
Are you shooting raw and processing in ACR? When my 700 was new I noticed that my jpegs and raw, when shooting concurrently, were not identical. The raw exposures were hot by approx 1/2 stop. My in camera settings were still at default -no exp compensation- so I went to ACR defaults and lowered default exposure by .6 and that solved the problem. BTW when opened in NX2 the raw exposures of the raw/jpeg pairs are identical. If you have consistently hot raw exposures in NX2, I don't know what the problem is
My acr is 5.5, I don't know if later versions, if any, have a better profile for the 700.
Richard
Richard,
Correction on my first post; I should have said 1/3 to 1/2 stop and not 1 1/2.
I think you nailed my issue with overexposure. I have in fact shot raw 90% of the time and process in ACR. Honestly I can't remember if it was an issue shooting JPG's but I will try that soon. I have, however, talked to the dealer I got my D700 and he said that was normal. Today I used the dealers D700 & then mine w/my lenses and results were identical. Usually 1/3 to 1/2 but also as much as 2/3 with notable highlights.
Got home and Googled "D700 overexposure and as soon as I typed "D700 o" I got hundreds of hits on "D700 overexposure" so it seems it's not just me. I'm not losing sleep over this as I have adjusted exposures -1/2 on average when in raw and then tweak in ACR. Not what I had in mind when I got this camera but get what i want.
Correction on my first post; I should have said 1/3 to 1/2 stop and not 1 1/2.
I think you nailed my issue with overexposure. I have in fact shot raw 90% of the time and process in ACR. Honestly I can't remember if it was an issue shooting JPG's but I will try that soon. I have, however, talked to the dealer I got my D700 and he said that was normal. Today I used the dealers D700 & then mine w/my lenses and results were identical. Usually 1/3 to 1/2 but also as much as 2/3 with notable highlights.
Got home and Googled "D700 overexposure and as soon as I typed "D700 o" I got hundreds of hits on "D700 overexposure" so it seems it's not just me. I'm not losing sleep over this as I have adjusted exposures -1/2 on average when in raw and then tweak in ACR. Not what I had in mind when I got this camera but get what i want.
Steve Bingham
Forum Pro
In ACR, when opening a new raw file, use AS SHOT but use AUTO as opposed to DEFAULT. You see, AS SHOT in DEFAULT pretty much delivers too much BRIGHTNESS. Try this. It takes 1 second and will probably benefit 95% of your shots. I think this is all part of Nikon not giving Adobe the info they need to properly tweak AS SHOT. Anyway, give it a try.
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Steve Bingham
http://www.dustylens.com
http://www.ghost-town-photography.com
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Steve Bingham
http://www.dustylens.com
http://www.ghost-town-photography.com
and many of of us D700 owners do it. Just go to your b6 menu item and fine adjust your exposure for a particular camera. Many of us dial in a -2/6 (-1/3EV). You can do this individually for Matrix, center and spot metering. You can still use the + - exposure compensation you would normally do as before.
Studiowest
Well-known member
I really don't think the camera is overexposing thus I wouldn't change the in camera settings. The issue is with ACR and its profile for the D700. Raw files without any exposure compensation are dead on when opened in Nikon's NX2 to prove the point (and jpegs are correct at default in camera also). Just set up a custom setting in ACR for your d700 of -.6 exp or whatever works for you. A previous poster suggested using Auto in ACR, not default. I will try that tomorrow.
Bill Janes
Senior Member
I agree entirely. The problem is the BaselineOffset of +0.5 EV that Adobe uses for the D3 and D700.
For example, here is a Stouffer step wedge exposed by the D3 so that step 1 is just short of clipping (by 1/3) stop. Since the tone curve used by the camera's JPEG engine or a raw converter may affect exposure, it is necessary to look at the raw file directly with a program such as Rawnalize. Here, the green is about a third of a stop from clilpping:
Then look at the camera histogram. It is pretty accurate.
Then process the file with ACR. Here I used a linear tone curve with all sliders set to zero and with the default exposure of zero. Highlight clipping is present:
Then I used -0.5 EV exposure to counteract the Adobe baseline exposure offset of +0.5 EV. The histogram is now accurate:
Then read the DNG specification by Adobe explaining their BaselineExposure tag. For the D3 and D700 it is +0.5 EV:
http://www.adobe.com/products/dng/pdfs/dng_spec.pdf
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Bill Janes
woolwinder
Member
Just my penny's worth. In one D700 specialist book I read, the author strongly advised against adjusting the B6 Exposure Fine Tuning for Matrix Metering. He reckoned MM could cope very well on its own and having taken his advice, I do not have exposure problems.
I would also ask if you are using the correct white balance, I say this from experience, I forgot to change from fluoresence back to daylight. Very artistic but not quite right.
I would also ask if you are using the correct white balance, I say this from experience, I forgot to change from fluoresence back to daylight. Very artistic but not quite right.
Bill Janes
Senior Member
I too would not suggest altering the camera's exposure fine tuning. The camera histogram is a good guide, and if you have a decent histogram and are shooting raw, you are practically guaranteed to get good data.
Raw is not white balanced, and the RGB histogram of the camera raw file that I posted showing the green channel to the right of red and blue is normal for raw exposure. The ACR renderings that I posted are correctly white balanced since the red, blue and green channels are all equal.
The camera histogram is a luminance histogram and is most sensitive to green. In the RGB camera histogram, white balance would not affect the green channel, since the green multiplier is always 1.0, whereas the red and blue multipliers are typically greater than unity.
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Bill Janes
Trust the meter and adjust ACR as others have said because that is where the apparent overexposure comes from. My ACR is set to default -0.6 and i adjust only when needed.
Coming from the likes of the D200 which metered to underexpose the D700 meters as far as it can to the right but just doesnt reach overexposer and it gets it right the vast majority of the time.
Coming from the likes of the D200 which metered to underexpose the D700 meters as far as it can to the right but just doesnt reach overexposer and it gets it right the vast majority of the time.
I had borrowed 3, D700's and set them all to the same settings, same lens, same test conditions including the use of a Xenon DC powered light to prevent light cycling exposure issues. One D700 histogram just touched the right on the test exposure, another over exposed, and the other under exposed by 15%.
I have the over exposing D700, set the b6 menu for -2/6, and I rarely see lost highlights now, almost perfect eposure everytime. Why would do you think that Nikon added the b6 fine adjust? Why, after I have spend 35 years a semiconductor new product development engineer there is no way that these sensors are equal, every semiconductor wafer has variability between sensor chips, especially the ones near the wafer edge, and again from wafer to wafer.
I have the over exposing D700, set the b6 menu for -2/6, and I rarely see lost highlights now, almost perfect eposure everytime. Why would do you think that Nikon added the b6 fine adjust? Why, after I have spend 35 years a semiconductor new product development engineer there is no way that these sensors are equal, every semiconductor wafer has variability between sensor chips, especially the ones near the wafer edge, and again from wafer to wafer.
Bill Janes
Senior Member
since you are considering only the response of the sensor. The light meter calibration, the tone curve applied to the raw data, lens transmission, shutter and aperture accuracy and other factors are all involved with proper exposure. If the problem is a hot tone curve, it does not make sense to decrease exposure since that will decrease dynamic range and the signal to noise ratio.
Before systematically reducing the exposure with b6, it is best to conduct an investigation to determine the cause of the problem.
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Bill Janes
affecting the metering tolerances and that is why Nikon gave us the b6 exposure fine adjustment. They didn't do it just to fill some void on the menu listing. I'm very happy with the -2/6 EV that I dial in as others have and that includes a lot of pros.
I respect Sam Stern on this site, he's a great wedding photog and he does the same .
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1021&message=31862902&q=b6+menu&qf=m
Try it you may like it...
I respect Sam Stern on this site, he's a great wedding photog and he does the same .
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1021&message=31862902&q=b6+menu&qf=m
Try it you may like it...
Bill Janes
Senior Member
From my tests with my own D3, I see no need to use a -2/6 EV adjustment. Rather than following the advice of a number of pros with different cameras, I would suggest that other users perform their own tests to determine the characteristics of their own cameras. The whole point of your previous post was that sensors (and other components) vary.
Using the negative adjustment does give a bit more of highlight head room. However, the standard meter calibration allows 0.5 EV headroom for highlights and an additional -2/6 EV may be excessive.
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Bill Janes
Studiowest
Well-known member
If the problem is with the cameras metering, as you suggest, why, when I shoot jpeg/raw concurrently and process the raw in ACR without correction are the raw exposures hot and the jpegs are correct? When opened in NX2 both are correct.
I'm just saying that some D700's expose to thr right on the "camera" histogram than others. Mine is one of them and I experienced more blown highlights than I wanted. The b6 allowed me to dial in -2/6 EV as my baseline from where I can adjust the EV with the EV compensation button as needed for the type of scene that I'm shooting. This has nothing to do with raw or jpg's.
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