rx100's In-Camera HDR

[elliottnewcomb]

anyone else using/trying Jpeg IN-Camera HDR's??

IN-CAMERA HDR

After watching him work, and seeing the great exposure results Bill gets with his manual blending of bracketed shots, I think, learning HDR technique may be more advised than doing the best RAW can do to single shots. Both HDR and RAW combined has to be awesome. RAW bracketing is always out of camera, therefore tripod is required, that's out for me.

rx100m1 lousy IS was too shakey handheld for me, but, with my m3, I am trying and liking the in-camera HDR feature (jpeg only), Handheld, getting blur free shots with it. Often, better exposures, mid-tones, improved skies, much less need to mess with shadows and highlights afterwards. The skies look like you are using a polarizing filter.

2 Shots. Sony In-Camera HDR gives you the original shot, as per your settings, and a 2nd alternate HDR,by taking over and under exposed shots and blending them for you. Sometimes, I miss the strength of my beloved shadows, then I go back to my single exposed shot, but the HDR shows me what other parts of the shot can be.

To try Jpeg In-Camera HDR:

m3: menu, camera, pg 4, DRO/Auto HDR, press center button; down rocker to HDR Auto; side rocker to select the bracketing range you want: options: +/- 1.0 ev ,2,3,4,5, +/- 6.0 ev. Remember to hold the camera steady, it will take three shots.

C button for HDR.

I leave my menu default as DRO Auto. That lets you select any shooting mode, single, continuous, timer, etc. via the Fn button. Then, I program my C button to be DRO/Auto HDR function. menu, gear, custom key settings; C button, DRO/Auto HDR.

Now, while shooting, want forced HDR: press C button, pick an exposure range, shoot. Like flash compensation, you can change HDR bracketing strength shot to shot. Still learning it.

 

[MiamiDolphin]

I use in-camera HDR all the time when shooting landscapes on my RX100 M1 and have been doing so since I bought it in late 2012. I have it stored in one of the MR settings: A mode, f5.6, ISO 125 (adjust if needed), contrast +1, sharpness +2, vivid mode. I don't find the IS to be a problem, maybe I just have steadier hands. In-camera HDR has saved the day many times for me. Like you said, it saves 2 shots, so later I just pick the better one. I have auto HDR saved as my default. I have my auto review set for 5secs, so I have enough time to check the exposure and then adjust the HDR level if needed and retake the shot. It certainly helps with bringing out more details in the shadows, preventing blown out skies and often serves as a better starting point for PP than the normal shot. In lower light, you have to guess what the slowest shutter speed of the three shots will be and adjust your ISO to make it fast enough. When using a circular polarizer, sometimes the sky turns out a very uneven blue. Using in-camera HDR cleans that up a lot and gives you a more uniform blue sky.

I'm all for in-camera HDR and there are several improvements to it that I think Sony can add. More on that later.

 

[wolfd]

Thanks for this invaluable information Elliott.

 

[KBKB]

RAW bracketing is always out of camera, therefore tripod is required, that's out for me.

Whether you do HDR in camera or out of camera, you'll get better results when you use a tripod.

That said, most of the shots that I take are hand-held bracketed RAW. When I need to, I'll combine them in post. The alignment algorithms of various software packages usually work very well.

 

[SoCalWill]

You bracket exposures for HDR so that you can manipulate the lightest and darkest parts of a scene in post-processing; if you're not going to do post-processing, you'll get very similar raised-shadow results using the DRO function, which requires only one shot.

The RX100 leaves DRO off if you set it to "Auto", you'll need to set it to a value to force it on. Try it at level 3 or above, and your JPG will look almost exactly the same as an unprocessed HDR bracketed shot, no holding the button down/multiple clicks or worrying about ghosting.

 

[eazizisaid]

It would have been great if the camera could generate itself a RAW HDR after Bracketing...

Although lightroom 6 does this nicely (if shots are pretty similar), the in camera feature would save a heck load of time, space, and time again !

 

[elliottnewcomb]

You bracket exposures for HDR so that you can manipulate the lightest and darkest parts of a scene in post-processing; if you're not going to do post-processing, you'll get very similar raised-shadow results using the DRO function, which requires only one shot.

The RX100 leaves DRO off if you set it to "Auto", you'll need to set it to a value to force it on. Try it at level 3 or above, and your JPG will look almost exactly the same as an unprocessed HDR bracketed shot, no holding the button down/multiple clicks or worrying about ghosting.

I have been wondering about forced DRO. I will do some comparisons, thanks.

 

[elliottnewcomb]

Thanks for this invaluable information Elliott.

Well, I really didn't like Sony's bloated menu, especially m1 default of starting at the 'top', rather than 'previous'. That was my first need for a spare battery, just exploring the menu. My m1 lens motor is a modern miracle, forget shooting, just out/in while learning.

Trust me, for m1 and m2, when learning, or changing things when shooting, 'previous' is what you want. Now, m3, previous is the default and only choice,

And, when m1 was new, no books existed, and even Sony had not issued a manual. I won't let a machine beat me, so out comes the red pen, dogeared pages, circles and arrows.

After a while, you realize, the technology in these cameras is quite extensive, so you hate the huge menu less.

My memory sucks, so I wrote my m1 super condensed manual for myself, and my friend Sue to refer to while learning. That is when I realized, the Fn menu is the key to using these cameras with huge amounts of options. And, programming buttons can help.

Then, bit by bit, like water color, high contrast black and white, now HDR, soon DRO, we try things, and share/learn from others.

I have learned soooo much here over the last 3-1/2 years, I want everyone to get the most from these fabulous cameras, I try to post stuff I am learning along the way.

Sony: It is a criminal act to not offer touch screen!!!!!

 

[KBKB]

Sony: It is a criminal act to not offer touch screen!!!!!

I'm not against touch screens in principle, but I've found them to be much harder to see in bright light. I'd prefer to use a camera with a screen that I can see versus one that I cannot.

 

[elliottnewcomb]

Sony: It is a criminal act to not offer touch screen!!!!!

I'm not against touch screens in principle, but I've found them to be much harder to see in bright light. I'd prefer to use a camera with a screen that I can see versus one that I cannot.

my sony movie camera has touch screen, and a limited set of context choices, no deep menu hunting, it is very good. it is full tilt/swivel screen, can always angle it to see, and,

you can move the camera to a shady position to see lcd, to make touchscreen pokes, then back up to frame and shoot.

My Oly Stylus 1 has touch screen, you can disable it if you want.

Oly has SCP, super control panel, one press of rear center button gives a touch screen with 23 settings. A one press monster Fn menu. you can touch or use rockers to move in the grid to change one or more things, it is FABULOUS. the touch screen is full tilt

For instant touch focus location, you simply press the dedicated left rocker, a screen with a grid pops up, just touch a box in the grid, presto, frame and shoot.

you don't have to use it, but Sony knows how to do it, and the option should be there.

 

[KBKB]

Sony: It is a criminal act to not offer touch screen!!!!!

I'm not against touch screens in principle, but I've found them to be much harder to see in bright light. I'd prefer to use a camera with a screen that I can see versus one that I cannot.

my sony movie camera has touch screen, and a limited set of context choices, no deep menu hunting, it is very good. it is full tilt/swivel screen, can always angle it to see, and,

you can move the camera to a shady position to see lcd, to make touchscreen pokes, then back up to frame and shoot.

My Oly Stylus 1 has touch screen, you can disable it if you want.

Oly has SCP, super control panel, one press of rear center button gives a touch screen with 23 settings. A one press monster Fn menu. you can touch or use rockers to move in the grid to change one or more things, it is FABULOUS. the touch screen is full tilt

For instant touch focus location, you simply press the dedicated left rocker, a screen with a grid pops up, just touch a box in the grid, presto, frame and shoot.

you don't have to use it, but Sony knows how to do it, and the option should be there.

All that is very nice, but if I can't see the screen, I can't use it. (Recall that I live in a very sunny place.)

 

[66GTO]

I wish that HDR feature was in the M1, would love to give it a try.

 

[Digital Nigel]

I wish that HDR feature was in the M1, would love to give it a try.

Which HDR feature is missing from the m1? Perhaps it's been enhanced in the later RX100s, but my m1 certainly has HDR.

 

[elliottnewcomb]

I wish that HDR feature was in the M1, would love to give it a try.

 

[66GTO]

I wish that HDR feature was in the M1, would love to give it a try.

 

[SoCalWill]

The guy who invented the Rubik's cube would be very impressed with a device that's the size of a deck of playing cards but just as complex as his creation..

That said, RAW exposure bracketing with DRO and then HDRing in Lightroom is notably better than doing it in-camera.

 

[elliottnewcomb]

bounce

 

[SoCalWill]

bounce

Do you mean "bump" or are you telling me to leave?

 

[elliottnewcomb]

I replied to the bottom post of each thread I bounced to page 1, nothing personal, then I realized, if I replied to the first post, it's the same, up to page 1.

Several people have been asking me various things lately, so I went to 'forums', bottom right 'my threads', and bounced all the 'info' threads I wrote past 5 years, the ones I thought might be useful to new owners.

 

[SoCalWill]

Ah, that's a bumped thread, not a bounce.

--
Digital Camera and Adobe Photoshop user since 1999.
Adobe Lightroom is my adult coloring book.