Has my camera lost dynamic range?

[Ticobraz]

Hi.

I have a question for the camera savy.

I have been taking pictures as a hobby for about 20 years. I have used DSLRs, SLR's, mirrorless and fixed lens cameras over the years. I can't say I'm a beginner but I'm definitely an amateur.

I currently use a Nikon D750. Because I spent too much time in front of a computer for my job I don't like to edit my photos, so I shoot jpeg's and I toggle around with the white balance and jpeg settings to get a the look that I want straight from the camera. (Something like film simulations)

Maybe I've been spoiled by previous cameras that where more recent but I find my D750 to produce images with very poor dynamic range. I wonder why. The camera is supposed to be know precisely for having a decent DR. My working theory is that either my customised settings make the camera process jpegs poorly and sacrifice dynamic range, or the sensor is going bad?

The other day I was out hiking in sub zero temperatures and after some hours the images started becoming super overexposed to the point my last pictures of the day where almost white. After returning to the warmth of a house it worked normally again. This makes me think the sensor is growing old and maybe the cause for my poor dynamic range. Can this be the case?

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

 

[BudgetTraveller]

Hi.

I have a question for the camera savy.

I have been taking pictures as a hobby for about 20 years. I have used DSLRs, SLR's, mirrorless and fixed lens cameras over the years. I can't say I'm a beginner but I'm definitely an amateur.

I currently use a Nikon D750. Because I spent too much time in front of a computer for my job I don't like to edit my photos, so I shoot jpeg's and I toggle around with the white balance and jpeg settings to get a the look that I want straight from the camera. (Something like film simulations)

Maybe I've been spoiled by previous cameras that where more recent but I find my D750 to produce images with very poor dynamic range. I wonder why. The camera is supposed to be know precisely for having a decent DR. My working theory is that either my customised settings make the camera process jpegs poorly and sacrifice dynamic range, or the sensor is going bad?

The other day I was out hiking in sub zero temperatures and after some hours the images started becoming super overexposed to the point my last pictures of the day where almost white. After returning to the warmth of a house it worked normally again. This makes me think the sensor is growing old and maybe the cause for my poor dynamic range. Can this be the case?

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

If you're shooting with JPEGs, then your dynamic range is going to be limited to 8bit, rather than 12 to 14bit if you shoot RAW. Also, what are you comparing your D750 with? If you're comparing with any smartphone made today, your D750 JPEGs will look bad, not because they are bad, but they are made with a neutral look. Apple and Google are atrocious in cooking their files to make it look like it has more dynamic range. If you want something like you get from Apple or Google, you can create a picture profile online or through NXStudio, which gives you more precise control.

You can upload file simulation files using Picture Control Editor. There are many pre-made files ready for you to use with your D750. You will have much better luck with these shooting with JPEGs. I have several loaded in my Nikon Df and use them as my film simulation mode.
Nikon Picture Control Editor

Last but not least, I think when you're shooting outdoors, there is a tendency for the lens elements to fog up especially in sub zero temperatures. You may need to get a USB lens warmer. It warms up the lens and the camera body so it removes the fog. It is lens fog or fog on the sensor due to temperature differential that is causing what looks like an overexposure. Of course, when you return to the warmth of your house, the fog will be gone.

Amazon.com : Lens Warmer with Cold Flexible Cable Down to -25℃, 350mm Dew Heater Strip Prevents Lens from Dew, Fog and Condensation for Astrophotography, Lens Heater Compatible w/ Telescope and Camera in 4.26" : Electronics

 

[TheSoaringSprite]

Hi.

I have a question for the camera savy.

I have been taking pictures as a hobby for about 20 years. I have used DSLRs, SLR's, mirrorless and fixed lens cameras over the years. I can't say I'm a beginner but I'm definitely an amateur.

I currently use a Nikon D750. Because I spent too much time in front of a computer for my job I don't like to edit my photos, so I shoot jpeg's and I toggle around with the white balance and jpeg settings to get a the look that I want straight from the camera. (Something like film simulations)

Maybe I've been spoiled by previous cameras that where more recent but I find my D750 to produce images with very poor dynamic range. I wonder why. The camera is supposed to be know precisely for having a decent DR. My working theory is that either my customised settings make the camera process jpegs poorly and sacrifice dynamic range, or the sensor is going bad?

The other day I was out hiking in sub zero temperatures and after some hours the images started becoming super overexposed to the point my last pictures of the day where almost white. After returning to the warmth of a house it worked normally again. This makes me think the sensor is growing old and maybe the cause for my poor dynamic range. Can this be the case?

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

There is an in-camera HDR option you could use to squeeze out the most dynamic range possible out of your JPEGs without having to do any post-processing. Or, you can turn on Active D-Lighting. Check out page 175 of the Nikon D750 manual. Page 177 talks about HDR. The HDR mode works best with a tripod, so that there's as little movement as possible. The camera will take multiple frames of your scene and combine them into one, so any movement is going to be visible in the final result if your hands or your subject isn't still. This mode is best used for landscapes, architecture, etc. Anything that's not really moving. I have used this mode successfully hand-held with a VR lens in well-lit scenarios, where the slowest exposures didn't need to be longer than 1/20s.

The only way to get anything better is to shoot RAW and post-process the most troublesome shots at least lightly. Or, shoot JPEG and RAW, and if there's a JPEG you really like, but it could use pulling up shadows or pulling back highlights, you have that option available.

As for overexposed images, that depends on your shooting and metering settings, and of course how bright or dark your scene is. If you're shooting in Auto mode, the camera will try to expose the subject properly in low light, and that means anything that's brighter around it or in the background is going to be overexposed.

Unless using in-camera HDR, using active D lighting, or settling for a "Neutral" in-camera picture control, you're just not going to get much dynamic range out of JPEG in any camera.

--
http://www.dreamsourcestudio.com

 

[Parry Johnson]

The other day I was out hiking in sub zero temperatures and after some hours the images started becoming super overexposed to the point my last pictures of the day where almost white. After returning to the warmth of a house it worked normally again. This makes me think the sensor is growing old and maybe the cause for my poor dynamic range. Can this be the case?

Thanks for your thoughts on ththis.

I live on the Canadian prairies. With tonight's wind chill, it's -40 C --> -40 F.

You're probably experiencing the fact that your lenses can't stop down in the cold. While your camera is thinking it's using f8, it's using f2.8 because the aperture blades can't move quickly enough as lubricants get more viscous in the cooler weather.

Talking about wind chill, some may say, "But it's REALLY only -28 Celsius!" That's true, but wind affects other liquids as much as it does water, so although your skin (containing water) freezes faster, so do the lubricants in your lens, camera and car! I'll trust my D4 over my D800 in the cold -- the insulation is better, the body is bigger and the battery is bigger, too. My pro lenses will also work longer than my more consumer lenses, too; and the best ones are still usually the old manual-focus AIS lenses (providing, of course, that they are kept in good shape -- I won't trust my 55 AIS micro in cold weather, as that one will certainly seize up!)

Finally, condensation will happen when you go from cold to warm -- there's very little chance of anything fogging up outside unless you're breathing heavily on your lenses or monitor. In reality, if you're outside in that kind of weather, it won't be for long -- your camera is probably smarter than you and is trying to tell you something!!