Best dynamic range techniques and tips for the D810

[mikeodial]

I shoot a lot of landscape on my D810. I am always looking for more dynamic range, color fidelity, smooth gradual transitions. Basically the sort of output I might expect from medium format.

I don't like the output of "HDR" except for special subject treatment, so am looking for ways to get the very best out of the D810.

I currently have a good range of Zeiss lenses and the 24-35 Sigma Art and am wondering if there are any tips that might help in this process.

 

[PaulV]

Do you shoot RAW?

 

[Acapulco]

Use lowest native ISO possible, in your case ISO 64.

Bracket 9 shots.

Edit each shot individually and see for yourself where you can pull the most information.

Myself; I have my D800e set to -1 to how it meters, that way I don't need to worry about exposure compensation settings while in Aperture Priority for example.

Since the sensor easily pulls out more information from the shadows than the highlights I always tend to shoot around 1½ to 2 stops under what the camera would meter at factory reset.

But as I said. Try and bracket out 9 shots and play with them each individually and see what takes you to the result you're looking for.

That way you can always have in the back of your head how to expose and reading your meter. For my style of editing and look I never blow highlights in-camera unless I have to, like a backlit shot of course, because it's easier to blow out highlights and add white to an image than it is to pull back.

 

[mikeodial]

Do you shoot RAW?

 

[michaeladawson]

I shoot a lot of landscape on my D810. I am always looking for more dynamic range, color fidelity, smooth gradual transitions. Basically the sort of output I might expect from medium format.

I don't like the output of "HDR" except for special subject treatment, so am looking for ways to get the very best out of the D810.

I currently have a good range of Zeiss lenses and the 24-35 Sigma Art and am wondering if there are any tips that might help in this process.

On the D810 (and most other modern sensors) dynamic range comes from the ability to pull detail out of the shadow areas. In order to do that you need to push your exposure the most you can to the right (ETTR) withoug clipping the highlights. Any room you leave in the highlights results in some amount of lost shadow detail and less DR.

That's not exactly a tip, but rather a hint. Some people resort to uni-wb in order to maximize exposure without clipping any channels. Slight clipping of a single channel will result in a small loss of color fidelity in the highlight areas. For some scenes that may not matter. The simplest way to get a better estimate of the histogram would be to shoot using the flat profile on the camera.

 

[Steve Bingham]

It's my experience that the lower the ISO, the higher the DR is. As DR is paramount in what I do I usually shoot around ISO 64 to 200.

 

[K1XH]

Most people will say to underexpose just a bit and pull the detail and DR out of the shadows. This might work for most people.

My suggestion might be to NAIL the exposure in the first place. The only thing I ever worry about is blown highlights, and if that happens, you didn't nail it. ISO 64 should give you the best option, but I have found that except in the most difficult lighting situations that correct exposure is the best hedge against everything.

 

[TOF guy]

It's my experience that the lower the ISO

Except when native ISO is reached: DR is the same below that value.

, the higher the DR is. As DR is paramount in what I do I usually shoot around ISO 64

And not 32 although it is available on a D810 for the reason stated above.

to 200.

.

 

[A Owens]

I shoot a lot of landscape on my D810. I am always looking for more dynamic range, color fidelity, smooth gradual transitions. Basically the sort of output I might expect from medium format.

I don't like the output of "HDR" except for special subject treatment, so am looking for ways to get the very best out of the D810.

I currently have a good range of Zeiss lenses and the 24-35 Sigma Art and am wondering if there are any tips that might help in this process.

As others have said, ISO 64 RAW is the way to go. That gives around 14 stops of DR if I recall correctly. If the scene requires more than that 14 stops, you have a couple of options. One is to use a graduated filter to even out the scene. The other is to combine two or more exposures.

If you are taking the latter option, you then have a choice of how to combine the exposures. There are two broad ways of doing this; firstly to use software with "HDR" functionality. Results vary with the software and settings used and you may have seen some displeasing results from some software packages. However some produce very pleasing and natural results. Secondly, you can combine the exposures in layers in Photoshop or something similar using masks of some description to hide and reveal the wanted and unwanted parts of each exposure. If you also focus-bracket the exposures, this second method can get you front to back sharpness.

Here is an example of the second method, bracketed for focus and exposure. Two to three exposures is usually sufficient.



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[dccberry]

At ISO 64, the D810 has a boatload of dynamic range. I will sometimes combine two exposures, one shadow-biased, and the other highlight-biased. In many cases it is possible to just use one RAW file and open it two or more times, tweaking it once for highlights, once for shadows, etc. This photo is two exposures, selectively sandwiched.







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[[email protected]]

Higher ISO, lower dynamic range.

I find the dynamic range of the D810 to be excellent.

maljo

 

[Fog City]

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www.photonstophotos.net

It's my experience that the lower the ISO

Except when native ISO is reached: DR is the same below that value.

, the higher the DR is. As DR is paramount in what I do I usually shoot around ISO 64

And not 32 although it is available on a D810 for the reason stated above.

to 200.

.

--
Thierry - posted as regular forum member

 

[Dave Sanders]

Myself; I have my D800e set to -1 to how it meters, that way I don't need to worry about exposure compensation settings while in Aperture Priority for example.

Since the sensor easily pulls out more information from the shadows than the highlights I always tend to shoot around 1½ to 2 stops under what the camera would meter at factory reset.

I think the key difference between the D800 and the D810 is that the D810 can pull a lot from the highlights...maybe a stop more.

 

[Dave Sanders]

I shoot a lot of landscape on my D810. I am always looking for more dynamic range, color fidelity, smooth gradual transitions. Basically the sort of output I might expect from medium format.

I don't like the output of "HDR" except for special subject treatment, so am looking for ways to get the very best out of the D810.

I currently have a good range of Zeiss lenses and the 24-35 Sigma Art and am wondering if there are any tips that might help in this process.

On the D810 (and most other modern sensors) dynamic range comes from the ability to pull detail out of the shadow areas. In order to do that you need to push your exposure the most you can to the right (ETTR) withoug clipping the highlights. Any room you leave in the highlights results in some amount of lost shadow detail and less DR.

From my experience, the D810 has a lot of headroom and I find I can get another stop after the histogram shows that it's blown out. It's an impressive beast!

 

[michaeladawson]

I shoot a lot of landscape on my D810. I am always looking for more dynamic range, color fidelity, smooth gradual transitions. Basically the sort of output I might expect from medium format.

I don't like the output of "HDR" except for special subject treatment, so am looking for ways to get the very best out of the D810.

I currently have a good range of Zeiss lenses and the 24-35 Sigma Art and am wondering if there are any tips that might help in this process.

On the D810 (and most other modern sensors) dynamic range comes from the ability to pull detail out of the shadow areas. In order to do that you need to push your exposure the most you can to the right (ETTR) withoug clipping the highlights. Any room you leave in the highlights results in some amount of lost shadow detail and less DR.

From my experience, the D810 has a lot of headroom and I find I can get another stop after the histogram shows that it's blown out. It's an impressive beast!

Yes it is impressive. However, the fact that you can pull a lot of highlight information is more a function of how much processing is done in-camera with the Picture Controls. Using the Flat picture control helps get closer to a realistic histogram but it's still not perfect. It's one reason photographers have been asking for RAW histograms in-camera.

 

[Dave Sanders]

I shoot a lot of landscape on my D810. I am always looking for more dynamic range, color fidelity, smooth gradual transitions. Basically the sort of output I might expect from medium format.

I don't like the output of "HDR" except for special subject treatment, so am looking for ways to get the very best out of the D810.

I currently have a good range of Zeiss lenses and the 24-35 Sigma Art and am wondering if there are any tips that might help in this process.

On the D810 (and most other modern sensors) dynamic range comes from the ability to pull detail out of the shadow areas. In order to do that you need to push your exposure the most you can to the right (ETTR) withoug clipping the highlights. Any room you leave in the highlights results in some amount of lost shadow detail and less DR.

From my experience, the D810 has a lot of headroom and I find I can get another stop after the histogram shows that it's blown out. It's an impressive beast!

Yes it is impressive. However, the fact that you can pull a lot of highlight information is more a function of how much processing is done in-camera with the Picture Controls. Using the Flat picture control helps get closer to a realistic histogram but it's still not perfect.

Yes. I use flat and still find I can get about a stop meaning...

It's one reason photographers have been asking for RAW histograms in-camera.

...that I would kill for this! I don't know enough about camera sensors to understand why any of the brands that I use can't do this (Nikon, Sony, Fuji).

 

[lightandaprayer]

Iliah Borg, a DPR forum member, has written an excellent article about the challenges of getting every bit of dynamic range from a digital camera. How to Use the Full Photographical Dynamic Range of Your Camera includes step-by-step instructions on how to obtain the "optimal exposure for RAW" from your particular sensor. Borg writes that the ultimate goal is "reliability and repeatability" for getting every last drop of DR out of your camera. Sounds good to me.

It's basically a more scientific approach to ETTR. It doesn't depend on relying on the camera's lowest ISO setting, something that isn't always possible to do. It looks more complicated than it really is. You can compare it to some of the suggestions here and see what approach appeals to you.

Whatever you wind up doing, it would be great to hear what ultimately works for you.

 

[beatboxa]

I shoot a lot of landscape on my D810. I am always looking for more dynamic range, color fidelity, smooth gradual transitions. Basically the sort of output I might expect from medium format.

I don't like the output of "HDR" except for special subject treatment, so am looking for ways to get the very best out of the D810.

I currently have a good range of Zeiss lenses and the 24-35 Sigma Art and am wondering if there are any tips that might help in this process.

...you want 'more dynamic range', but you don't like 'High Dynamic Range..?' That doesn't make sense to me.

That's exactly what HDR is--it's sometimes abused in how people configure the compression, but it's also exactly what you're asking for. A single shot out of the the D810 (or many of the Nikons with 14+ stops) can easily make that "HDR" look.

But at some point, you have to compress the dynamic range in order to be able to display the image--unless you have an extremely bright monitor with pure blacks.

The built in picture controls can be a good starting point for this--I personally use 'Flat' more than anything. HDR tools can also help--if you use them responsibly and pay close attention to the settings.

 

[Ernie Misner]

It's my experience that the lower the ISO

Except when native ISO is reached: DR is the same below that value.

, the higher the DR is. As DR is paramount in what I do I usually shoot around ISO 64

And not 32 although it is available on a D810 for the reason stated above.

to 200.

.

 

[Ian Stuart Forsyth]

For the best I would first find out at what point the camera clips ( not using the camera histogram) with a program that can measure raw data. Then going about deciding how you are going to use the cameras meter. For the D800 I use +1( this may vary with the D810) and using the cameras meter spot checking the area where I want to preserve data in the highlights.

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