Why black photos in shutter priority mode?

zBernie said:

The Nikon D7200 says that in shutter priority mode, you choose the shutter speed, while the camera selects an aperture that will produce an optimal exposure. So trying to photograph my kids gerbils, we had them in a coral in the living room. I then had my son shine a flashlight on the coral to add extra light. Then shooting in S priority mode, I increased the shutter speed to 250, because these little guys are fast! I took numerous photos, all of which were black, except for one I took at 1/60, which was mostly black. Also, I have auto ISO enabled, and the max ISO set to 1600.

At 1/250, the Aperture was set to f/5.3. So I'm trying to understand why these photos were black, even with the flashlight providing additional light?

As I said, even at 1/60, the photos was almost completely black.

Evidently I need more practice!

Click to expand...

Your room must be pretty dark. You can check if you have the correct exposure by looking at the exposure meter on the Viewfinder.

Sounds like you need a much higher ISO. Also f/5.3 was not very bright, it must be the maximum aperture of your lens at that particular zoom range.

Otherwise, use the camera flash to assist if you want to keep the ISO at no higher than 1600.

WPMChan said:

zBernie said:

The Nikon D7200 says that in shutter priority mode, you choose the shutter speed, while the camera selects an aperture that will produce an optimal exposure. So trying to photograph my kids gerbils, we had them in a coral in the living room. I then had my son shine a flashlight on the coral to add extra light. Then shooting in S priority mode, I increased the shutter speed to 250, because these little guys are fast! I took numerous photos, all of which were black, except for one I took at 1/60, which was mostly black. Also, I have auto ISO enabled, and the max ISO set to 1600.

At 1/250, the Aperture was set to f/5.3. So I'm trying to understand why these photos were black, even with the flashlight providing additional light?

As I said, even at 1/60, the photos was almost completely black.

Evidently I need more practice!

Click to expand...

Your room must be pretty dark. You can check if you have the correct exposure by looking at the exposure meter on the Viewfinder.

Sounds like you need a much higher ISO. Also f/5.3 was not very bright, it must be the maximum aperture of your lens at that particular zoom range.

Otherwise, use the camera flash to assist if you want to keep the ISO at no higher than 1600.

Click to expand...

Can you use the flash with high shutter speeds like 1/250? I'll have to try it tomorrow.

-Thanks

zBernie said:

WPMChan said:

zBernie said:

The Nikon D7200 says that in shutter priority mode, you choose the shutter speed, while the camera selects an aperture that will produce an optimal exposure. So trying to photograph my kids gerbils, we had them in a coral in the living room. I then had my son shine a flashlight on the coral to add extra light. Then shooting in S priority mode, I increased the shutter speed to 250, because these little guys are fast! I took numerous photos, all of which were black, except for one I took at 1/60, which was mostly black. Also, I have auto ISO enabled, and the max ISO set to 1600.

At 1/250, the Aperture was set to f/5.3. So I'm trying to understand why these photos were black, even with the flashlight providing additional light?

As I said, even at 1/60, the photos was almost completely black.

Evidently I need more practice!

Click to expand...

Your room must be pretty dark. You can check if you have the correct exposure by looking at the exposure meter on the Viewfinder.

Sounds like you need a much higher ISO. Also f/5.3 was not very bright, it must be the maximum aperture of your lens at that particular zoom range.

Otherwise, use the camera flash to assist if you want to keep the ISO at no higher than 1600.

Click to expand...

Can you use the flash with high shutter speeds like 1/250? I'll have to try it tomorrow.

-Thanks

Click to expand...

I don't have a D7200, I have a D5600 which will sync flash up to 1/200 sec. Your D7200 may sync up to 1/250 sec. You can check that on your manual.

In your situation, your shutter speed actually doesn't matter that much, as your camera will only be able to capture over the duration of the flash, if you set your shutter speed at higher than the highest sync speed.

I expect there's simply not enough light for the settings you've selected and the capability of the lens.

The D7200 has exposure indicators in the viewfinder, on the top LCD, and on the rear info screen. They tell you if you're underexposing or overexposing the image based on the amount of light and the camera settings. It works no matter how you arrive at those settings - manual, aperture preferred, whatever.

Hard to believe the exposure indicators would say good to go but your pictures come out black or near-black.

Try on Aperture Preferred mode and set the aperture to f/5.3. Now, how long of an exposure does the camera say you need? To shoot at f/5.3 indoors you possibly need a tripod and a still (not gerbil and not kids) subject.

WPMChan said:

zBernie said:

WPMChan said:

zBernie said:

The Nikon D7200 says that in shutter priority mode, you choose the shutter speed, while the camera selects an aperture that will produce an optimal exposure. So trying to photograph my kids gerbils, we had them in a coral in the living room. I then had my son shine a flashlight on the coral to add extra light. Then shooting in S priority mode, I increased the shutter speed to 250, because these little guys are fast! I took numerous photos, all of which were black, except for one I took at 1/60, which was mostly black. Also, I have auto ISO enabled, and the max ISO set to 1600.

At 1/250, the Aperture was set to f/5.3. So I'm trying to understand why these photos were black, even with the flashlight providing additional light?

As I said, even at 1/60, the photos was almost completely black.

Evidently I need more practice!

Click to expand...

Your room must be pretty dark. You can check if you have the correct exposure by looking at the exposure meter on the Viewfinder.

Sounds like you need a much higher ISO. Also f/5.3 was not very bright, it must be the maximum aperture of your lens at that particular zoom range.

Otherwise, use the camera flash to assist if you want to keep the ISO at no higher than 1600.

Click to expand...

Can you use the flash with high shutter speeds like 1/250? I'll have to try it tomorrow.

-Thanks

Click to expand...

I don't have a D7200, I have a D5600 which will sync flash up to 1/200 sec. Your D7200 may sync up to 1/250 sec. You can check that on your manual.

In your situation, your shutter speed actually doesn't matter that much, as your camera will only be able to capture over the duration of the flash, if you set your shutter speed at higher than the highest sync speed.

Click to expand...

The D7200 has a synch speed of 1/250 or 1/320 in Auto FP flash mode with the built in flash. If you set a higher shutter speed the flash will default to the max synch speed if the flash is raised. The 1/250 speed is the highest speed at which the shutter is completely open; at faster speeds the shutter blades make a variable sized slit that moves across the film plane. Auto FP flash works because it pulses the flash in synch with the moving slit.

You need to -

Use flash, turn room lights on, move your coral outside or to a different room, use a brighter torch, take the photo during the day when the room is brighter.

Quite simply you do not have enough ambient light to use the settings you have selected.

zBernie said:

Evidently I need more practice!

Click to expand...

Or a flash.

Even a manual-only flash off Amazon, with a wireless remote, can light up the room with good "from above" light for very cheap. You just need to find the right power setting from the flash.

The direct light from the built-in flash is very harsh and unnatural.

When the flash is off camera, no matter how you handle it or turn it you won't need to reposition the flash to the ceiling all the time. I usually put it on top of a shelf or something.

(I mentioned a manual flash because TTL don't work on cheap remotes, but you can get a TTL flash anyways so that the TTL works when the flash is on the camera)

TTL flashes usually can also work on manual mode. Neewer 750II is the model i have, no complaints about it.

zBernie said:

The Nikon D7200 says that in shutter priority mode, you choose the shutter speed, while the camera selects an aperture that will produce an optimal exposure. So trying to photograph my kids gerbils, we had them in a coral in the living room. I then had my son shine a flashlight on the coral to add extra light. Then shooting in S priority mode, I increased the shutter speed to 250, because these little guys are fast! I took numerous photos, all of which were black, except for one I took at 1/60, which was mostly black. Also, I have auto ISO enabled, and the max ISO set to 1600.

At 1/250, the Aperture was set to f/5.3. So I'm trying to understand why these photos were black, even with the flashlight providing additional light?

As I said, even at 1/60, the photos was almost completely black.

Evidently I need more practice!

Click to expand...

No, you need more light, and a flashlight (hand-held torch) will not help at all.

Read up on the use of flash. For "gerbil work", the on-camera flash will probably be better than anything else that you can manage. Use auto mode.

For heaven's sake, don't restrict ISO to 1600. Noise is better than black.

Like everyone else has said, you need more light. I have several cheap LED light floating around my house. You may want to consider; in addition to flash.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BCC4VQW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Aputure-Amar...96&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=aputure+Amaran&psc=1

I would also suggest, if you are not sure about the exposure, make couple test shots with auto ISO max set at maximum. Got test shots to play with lighting and exposure setting; get a feel for the proper exposure level. At that point, you would know how much more light you would need for the exposure (i.e. your chosen shutter speed+max aperature+ your max ISO choice). Benefit of digital photography (vs film) is that you can experiment around and see the result right away to adjust.

zBernie said:

The Nikon D7200 says that in shutter priority mode, you choose the shutter speed, while the camera selects an aperture that will produce an optimal exposure. So trying to photograph my kids gerbils, we had them in a coral in the living room. I then had my son shine a flashlight on the coral to add extra light. Then shooting in S priority mode, I increased the shutter speed to 250, because these little guys are fast! I took numerous photos, all of which were black, except for one I took at 1/60, which was mostly black. Also, I have auto ISO enabled, and the max ISO set to 1600.

At 1/250, the Aperture was set to f/5.3. So I'm trying to understand why these photos were black, even with the flashlight providing additional light?

As I said, even at 1/60, the photos was almost completely black.

Evidently I need more practice!

Click to expand...

You need to fatten up the gerbils so they run slower.

Everyone's already given you great suggestions. My only comments are try and remember the science and math behind photography. There's a connection to all of your settings!

One quick test - turn the camera into full auto mode (with no iso limit) and take a picture. See what it needs to get a correct exposure, and you can work backwards.

For a given light amount, if you double or half one of the three settings (iso, aperture, shutter speed), you have to half or double (the inverse) of another setting. Changing the setting to give you another "stop" will double the amount of light in your image.

From what you said:

1/250 sec, F 5.6, ISO 1600 = Black image.

1/60 sec, F 5.6, ISO 1600 = Still almost black image
This gave you approx +2 stops of light via changing your shutter speed: Half of 250 = 125, half again gives you = 62.5.

Your camera is holding the settings you gave it, but isn't getting enough light. 1600 ISO is the highest you'll let it go, and it sounds like 5.6 is the lowest aperture that it can do for that lens at that focal length.

If you kept all of your original settings but were able to use F1.8, this would give you 3.5 stops more of light. This could be enough light for an image but would also give you an incredibly shallow depth of field. Allowing ISO 3200 (Doubling 1600 = 3200) would also be one more stop.

In short, in this situation, it sounds like it adding more lights via flash or other source may be the easiest solution, but you also have other options! Doubling the ISO, increasing the aperture, or slowing your shutter speed may give you a usable result as well.

But as someone else said, grain in an image is almost always better than too dark of an image. If nothing else, it will tell you how dark your environment really is. (The eyes auto adapt, cameras don't).

Happy Shooting!

zBernie said:

The Nikon D7200 says that in shutter priority mode, you choose the shutter speed, while the camera selects an aperture that will produce an optimal exposure. So trying to photograph my kids gerbils, we had them in a coral in the living room. I then had my son shine a flashlight on the coral to add extra light. Then shooting in S priority mode, I increased the shutter speed to 250, because these little guys are fast! I took numerous photos, all of which were black, except for one I took at 1/60, which was mostly black. Also, I have auto ISO enabled, and the max ISO set to 1600.

At 1/250, the Aperture was set to f/5.3. So I'm trying to understand why these photos were black, even with the flashlight providing additional light?

As I said, even at 1/60, the photos was almost completely black.

Evidently I need more practice!

Click to expand...

What lens were you using?

Inside without flash requires a fast lens ie,35mm f1.8 which I suspect you weren't using.

Your pics were black because there was not enough light to capture the image.

You received some good suggestions. From what it sounds like you were using one of your variable aperture, slow lenses. I see you have a 40mm f2.8 lense which looks like your fastest. Try shooting with that lens, and try some different techniques. Put the camera in P mode, and vary your ISO until you can see some images. Take off all auto ISO, and you control the ISO until you become more adept at using the D7200. Once you start seeing images, than try the built in flash, and set your white balance to flash. If you see improvement you can always pickup a used Nikon flash and a SC cord for off camera flash. Remember this isn't film, so if you spend an evening trying to perfect your skills and If you shoot a hundred or two hundred shots it didn't cost anything, and you get feedback quickly.

Nikon flashes from the last 25 to 30 years will work off camera with a SC cord. There are many brand flashes but the older used Nikon flashes are robust and as long as the battery compartment isn't corroded, will last a long time, and used they are inexpensive. Good luck.

Michigan Sandman said:

You received some good suggestions. From what it sounds like you were using one of your variable aperture, slow lenses. I see you have a 40mm f2.8 lense which looks like your fastest. Try shooting with that lens, and try some different techniques. Put the camera in P mode, and vary your ISO until you can see some images. Take off all auto ISO, and you control the ISO until you become more adept at using the D7200. Once you start seeing images, than try the built in flash, and set your white balance to flash. If you see improvement you can always pickup a used Nikon flash and a SC cord for off camera flash. Remember this isn't film, so if you spend an evening trying to perfect your skills and If you shoot a hundred or two hundred shots it didn't cost anything, and you get feedback quickly.

Nikon flashes from the last 25 to 30 years will work off camera with a SC cord. There are many brand flashes but the older used Nikon flashes are robust and as long as the battery compartment isn't corroded, will last a long time, and used they are inexpensive. Good luck.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I've been shooting in manual mode, and I'm learning how to compensate with one setting for another. I believe the black photo was caused by my having auto ISO not configured optimally.

Taking bluenigh7's math a step further, doubling the ISO (in your case to 3200 from 1600) will give you one stop more light.

Doubling it again to 6400 ISO will give you another stop of light.

It's up to you to decide how high you want to go with ISO for before grain becomes objectionable, how slow a shutter speed before subject movement / camera movement become objectionable and how wide an aperture before depth of field becomes too shallow.

ISO, shutter speed and lens aperture are all part of the exposure equation. Experimentation / experience will guide you in achieving the best balance for the situation at hand.

I suggest you go to this website and sign up for their free weekly newsletter. They also have an excellent base of previous articles which should prove helpful.

www.digital-photography-school.com

And by no means don't stop asking questions on dpreview.com!

uncleskull said:

Taking bluenigh7's math a step further, doubling the ISO (in your case to 3200 from 1600) will give you one stop more light.

Doubling it again to 6400 ISO will give you another stop of light.

It's up to you to decide how high you want to go with ISO for before grain becomes objectionable, how slow a shutter speed before subject movement / camera movement become objectionable and how wide an aperture before depth of field becomes too shallow.

ISO, shutter speed and lens aperture are all part of the exposure equation. Experimentation / experience will guide you in achieving the best balance for the situation at hand.

Click to expand...

Thank you for the clarification.