D-Range Optimizer??

[balancedphoto2]

Hey guys, so I was playing with my a77ii just now and see that there is a D-Range Optimizer (DRO) setting. It goes from Auto, then Level 1 to 5. What exactly is this setting? I know it's not HDR because there's a separate setting for HDR.

I noticed that the dynamic range improves at the Level 5 setting compared to the Auto setting. But are there any downsides of taking it off Auto?

 

[stan_pustylnik]

Try taking photo with DRO 0 till 5 with electric bulb in frame.

Reading camera manual would help!

 

[balancedphoto2]

Try taking photo with DRO 0 till 5 with electric bulb in frame.

Reading camera manual would help!

 

[AlphaTikal]

DRO+ works on single raw file before it gets converted to Jpeg. So it can use the whole dynamic of a raw. It is a bit more complex, but you can think of it as brighten the dark areas, which invreases noise. This is not applied to raw, as it is post process. But it works in raw+jpeg mode, unlike auto-hdr.

Search the forum and the web for more info.

 

[balancedphoto2]

DRO+ works on single raw file before it gets converted to Jpeg. So it can use the whole dynamic of a raw. It is a bit more complex, but you can think of it as brighten the dark areas, which invreases noise. This is not applied to raw, as it is post process. But it works in raw+jpeg mode, unlike auto-hdr.

Search the forum and the web for more info.

 

[AlphaTikal]

Yes, although it is a simpliefied explanation. In reality it is more complex, but I think you got it right. Dro cannot replace hdr. Hdr works better at extreme scenes, when dro just works on every image. I use it on auto. 4 and 5 is too much for me but depends situation.
--
· http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackhole_eater/
· (All photos are creative common licensed. Check them out.)
· English is not my native language.

 

[WPNL]

I guess it's pretty much the same on the A77 and A77-II, try Google and youtube ;-)

SONY A77: expanding dynamic range with DRO or HDR (or not)

I work near my kitchen (for obvious reasons). As I look to my right from where I am sitting, I see dark shadows down around the cabinets under the counter, and I also see through the big windows to…

williamporterphotography.wordpress.com

Good luck!

 

[IanML]

Gary Friedman gives some very good a77II-specific advice about DRO and HDR. It would be unfair to him to quote it - you really should buy the book, it's well worth the money.

 

[WPNL]

I did, yesterday hahaha.. Of course DRO was one of the first topics I read

 

[Michael Fritzen]

DRO works on a single image, increasing the perceived dynamic range by lifting the shadows and taming down highlights - with lifting / taming down being executed at different amounts according to te selected DRO level.

HDR is a merging of multiple frames with different exposure settings which has a similar purpose to increase the dynamic range in an image.

The main difference between DRO and HDR under IQ aspects is that DRO works only electronically on the data of a single image which means, for example, that the selected exposure setting may not have produced any data (0,0,0) in shadow areas so there's no data available to make details visible by the performed lifting (noise). In HDR the frame exposed for the shadows produces data to work with and to make details visible, as well as the frame exposed for the highlights. As a result the final merged HDR is able to show details in all areas from shadows to highlights (which, if overdone, may lead to a strange look which doesn't correspond to our natural visual perception of the scene).

For shooting scenes with a broad DR in a single image capture the best idea is shooting RAW because most RAW converters allow for similar corrections / adjustments like DRO with the difference that the amounts of shadow lifting and highlight recovery can be selected separately and according to the needs.

--
Cheers,
Michael Fritzen

 

[lhkjacky]

Hey guys, so I was playing with my a77ii just now and see that there is a D-Range Optimizer (DRO) setting. It goes from Auto, then Level 1 to 5. What exactly is this setting? I know it's not HDR because there's a separate setting for HDR.

I noticed that the dynamic range improves at the Level 5 setting compared to the Auto setting. But are there any downsides of taking it off Auto?

If you shoot RAW, you don't need to care about the DRO setting.

If you shoot jpg only, you should always turn it off.

IMHO, if you are a photographer, never turn on anything call Auto in the camera.

Auto means unpredictable.

If you set it to auto, the camera may unnecessary brighten the shadow , increase shadow noise, reduce the contrast of the image.

Hence, you are using JPG, there are only 256 levels,

you brighten up the -3~0 region, means you get less levels in the -1~+1 region.

Turn it on, if you want to brighten the shadow only.

...

Keep in mind, DRO is done in software, it only adjust the tone curve in the camera,
it won't increase the dynamic range of the sensor.

 

[AlphaTikal]

A good photographer knows when to use auto modes. I have DRO+ on most of the time and I photograph almost exclusively in raw+jpeg mode. The dynamic range optimizer does a good job. There are situations when the function could be in your way and produce something you don't like. In that case it should be turned off. Especially in raw only mode, as the preview would show the effect, but is not included in final image.
--
· http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackhole_eater/
· (All photos are creative common licensed. Check them out.)
· English is not my native language.

 

[zubs]

Hey guys, so I was playing with my a77ii just now and see that there is a D-Range Optimizer (DRO) setting. It goes from Auto, then Level 1 to 5. What exactly is this setting? I know it's not HDR because there's a separate setting for HDR.

I noticed that the dynamic range improves at the Level 5 setting compared to the Auto setting. But are there any downsides of taking it off Auto?

If you shoot RAW, you don't need to care about the DRO setting.

If you shoot jpg only, you should always turn it off.

IMHO, if you are a photographer, never turn on anything call Auto in the camera.

Auto means unpredictable.

If you set it to auto, the camera may unnecessary brighten the shadow , increase shadow noise, reduce the contrast of the image.

Hence, you are using JPG, there are only 256 levels,

you brighten up the -3~0 region, means you get less levels in the -1~+1 region.

Turn it on, if you want to brighten the shadow only.

...

Keep in mind, DRO is done in software, it only adjust the tone curve in the camera,
it won't increase the dynamic range of the sensor.

Hmm, interesting. For a while now, I have turned off DRO. I agree that it can be unpredictable on Auto. I rely mainly on raw, so no point using it.

--
Keep It snappy

 

[lhkjacky]

A good photographer knows when to use auto modes. I have DRO+ on most of the time and I photograph almost exclusively in raw+jpeg mode. The dynamic range optimizer does a good job. There are situations when the function could be in your way and produce something you don't like. In that case it should be turned off. Especially in raw only mode, as the preview would show the effect, but is not included in final image.
--
· http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackhole_eater/
· (All photos are creative common licensed. Check them out.)
· English is not my native language.

Personally, I hate uncontrollable variable & unpredictable result.

If I shoot RAW, I don't care about the DRO setting.

But if I shoot JPG, I always choose the DRO level manually depends on the shadow level I want to push.


IMHO, photographer should avoid uncontrollable variable & unpredictable result.

Some photographer may prefer a higher contrast image,

Some photographer may prefer a flat light/low contrast image,

So let guess can the camera read my mind?

 

[AlphaTikal]

If you use it, then you get a feeling how it works and what benefit you have from it. Off course, not everybody must use it. We all have our experiences and DRO+ does not surprise me. If you never use it, then off course you don't know what the result would look like. Also you can test shoot before any real shooting. Some like it, others don't. After years of using DRO+ Auto, I think I can say it is stable and I know when not to use it.

Btw in raw only mode, you really should set DRO off, as the preview of the image can fool you. Just a suggestion.

--
· http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackhole_eater/
· (All photos are creative common licensed. Check them out.)
· English is not my native language.

 

[K E Hoffman]

Try taking photo with DRO 0 till 5 with electric bulb in frame.

Reading camera manual would help!

The manual sucks.. and we all know that. I would recommend he download Gary's Great Book that will answer these questions really well..

http://friedmanarchives.com/alpha77II/index.htm

 

[Calico Jack]

Hey guys, so I was playing with my a77ii just now and see that there is a D-Range Optimizer (DRO) setting. It goes from Auto, then Level 1 to 5. What exactly is this setting? I know it's not HDR because there's a separate setting for HDR.

I noticed that the dynamic range improves at the Level 5 setting compared to the Auto setting. But are there any downsides of taking it off Auto?

Dynamic Range Optimiser (DRO) allows for dark areas to become visible (such as in shadows). I advise you turn DRO off and make any adjustments in PP the same as with in-camera noise reduction.

Have you read the user manual for DRO and what it does and designed to do? Have a look at this for additional image info which will no doubt show in images what it's all about and the effect it has on images. It's best to not leave it to the camera to do (much like any AUTO setting). There is an online A77 II review which covers DRO here.

 

[AlphaTikal]

I advise you turn DRO off and make any adjustments in PP the same as with in-camera noise reduction.

Bad advice. DRO+ works at raw level with full dynamic range, before converted internally to jpeg. It isn't just another post process filter, based on jpeg level.

 

[splashy]

I'm confused, why some people keep insisting Dro affect Raw, this isn't so.

If you use Dro it might affect your Jpeg picture in a negative way, so keep checking your images on the spot and look for noise.

 

[sybersitizen]

I'm confused, why some people keep insisting Dro affect Raw, this isn't so.

Did somebody say that? Your post was in reply to AlphaTikal's, but read his two posts more carefully.

DRO does set a flag in RAW files, though, and Sony's Image Data Converter will do something (not necessarily the same thing) to RAW files with that flag set.

It has also been suggested in the past that DRO might sometimes affect the RAW exposure parameters, but I've never bothered to do any testing.