Need Help with dSLR - rebel xt - SOLVED!!

AxlxA

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Joined
Jan 3, 2005
Messages
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Location
San Francisco, California
So like i said in the lens flair thread, my pictures are coming out kind of dark when it's on auto or program AE mode. Most of the time i get frustrated by this and just bump up the shutter or widen the aperture. Is there a reason why I suck at this?

sample images:
http://img149.imageshack.**/img149/6347/img06014yt.jpg
Look closely near the middle/left/up of this pciture. I have a spot there?! Is it dirt or something? water spot? urgh camera is 3 days old!

http://img230.imageshack.**/img230/4944/img06873ai.jpg
http://img230.imageshack.**/img230/5945/img07469ji.jpg
http://img149.imageshack.**/img149/6200/img07535do.jpg
 
Looks like the images you took are basically a back lit image, akin to taking a photo of a person with the sun behind their back. You can either take an exposure reading off the subject you are shooting (so you'll get the correct exposure). This usually overexposed the lit parts of the photo... so you may want to look into ND filters to compensate. There are graduated ND filters which will bring the exposure down anywhere from a full to two stops. And yes, that looks like sensor dust.
 
When your in 'P' mode look throught the viewfinder and look at the line of numbers thats reads -2 -1 0 1 2 and has a little gauge underneath it. When the shutter is half pressed it should read at 0, if its reading over or under you need to press and hold the +/- button on the top right of the camera and roll the wheel left or right to set the gauge at 0.

According to the exif your set to underexpose your shots by -0.7 :)

Thats your problem right there. Also, by increasing the speed of your shutter, the image will get darker, its only when you slow it down the image gets brigther. You were shooting in Av mode too which is for aperture priority and your aperture was set to 3.5, wide open on the stock 18-55 EF-S which will automatically set the shutter speed at its highest.

for the mean time try P mode, as it should help you adjust to the changeover to DSLR faster :)

Any problems and just add me on MSN !
 
cosworth
interesting, because on the lcd, the mark was at 0 for the exposure readings(or i thought it was.) Anyways, I think purgetv is right, the sun was indeed in the background so the light was coming directly from there. Besides an "ND?" filter, is there any settings i can do with my camera? like evaluative/center weighted metering?

Still learning and would be great if you guys can give me more tips.

Actually i got a kick ass picture of the bridge after the sunset but I wont post that til i have another good shot.
 
What you can do is use the AE lock button, when you point the camera at the car hit the AE Lock, frame the shot with the sky and click, the sky however will comeout a little blownout tho ...
 
AxlxA said:
cosworth
interesting, because on the lcd, the mark was at 0 for the exposure readings(or i thought it was.) Anyways, I think purgetv is right, the sun was indeed in the background so the light was coming directly from there. Besides an "ND?" filter, is there any settings i can do with my camera? like evaluative/center weighted metering?

Still learning and would be great if you guys can give me more tips.

Actually i got a kick ass picture of the bridge after the sunset but I wont post that til i have another good shot.

Hmm, the 350D doesn't have spot metering, does it?

And those photos (except for the second one?) were all set to be underexposed... Definitely check that out, I've had that happen before. It doesn't reset itself either, I don't think.
 
If you're using some sort of automated mode try directing the camera towards an area
of the pictuer complete lighted as what you want highlighted with no bright sky or
whatever fooling the automatics to think it has to brighten it down...
 
If you're using some sort of automated mode try directing the camera towards an area
of the pictuer complete lighted as what you want highlighted with no bright sky or
whatever fooling the automatics to think it has to brighten it down... While holding the
trigger slightly down offcourse.
 
AxlxA said:
cosworth
interesting, because on the lcd, the mark was at 0 for the exposure readings(or i thought it was.) Anyways, I think purgetv is right, the sun was indeed in the background so the light was coming directly from there. Besides an "ND?" filter, is there any settings i can do with my camera? like evaluative/center weighted metering?

Still learning and would be great if you guys can give me more tips.

Actually i got a kick ass picture of the bridge after the sunset but I wont post that til i have another good shot.

ND = Neutral Density

You should actually use spot metering if available on your camera and lock the exposure reading based on that. Or you can actually just go full manual, then figure out the exposure for the area of the composition you actually want focused / visible (perhaps using center-weighted) or get a meter reading off of something else then shoot based on that exposure. Also, you may want to try bracketing your shots (perhaps -1/0/+1) so that you'll have three to choose from.
 
i'm not sure if the Rebel XT has spot metering...


cuz i know the 20D doesn't.

Nikon DSLRs do..i'm just not sure how the metering works in Canon DSLrs.
 
I only get evaluative, partial, and center weighted. It also has the auto exposure bracketing which takes 3 pictures. I will give my camera a try in broad daylight, which I haven't found time to do yet.
 
Shrug... dunno... both Canons I have possess full metering capabilities / variations. I would actually choose to get metering off the part of the photo you want proper exposure for then push it 1/2 stop to 2 stops in 1/2 stop increments. Keep experimenting with bracketing and pushing exposure. You'll get the hang of it.
 
Cosworth said:
for the mean time try P mode, as it should help you adjust to the changeover to DSLR faster :)

What is P Mode? I've never used it, I've been using A or S mode all along
 
P mode allows you to adjust the combination of aperture/shutter speed. ie. turn the wheel one way, smaller aperture, longer shutter speed, other way is the oppposite...

What's S mode?
 
^ S mode is Shutter priority (you set the shutter speed), A mode is Aperture priority (you set the aperture) - well, that's how it is on my non-slr :)()

Edit: My mind's getting very rusty - on my camera it's Tv for Shutter priority, and Av for Aperture priority
 
flamingice said:
P mode allows you to adjust the combination of aperture/shutter speed. ie. turn the wheel one way, smaller aperture, longer shutter speed, other way is the oppposite...

What's S mode?

Im using a Fuji S5600, I get S mode, P mode and A mode, and its not an SLR, just a SLR lookalike with manual functions.
 
P usually refers to program mode, where the camera takes photos based upon internally programmed "scenarios"... sometimes referred to as "predictive" mode.
 
on an SLR it usually goes as:

P - Program - point & shoot operation. but it'd allow you to pick out other equiv. exposures.

Tv- Shutter Priority - you set the shutter speed & camera picks aperture. best for controlling motion

Av- Aperture Priority - you set the aperture & camera picks shutter speed. best for controlling depth of field.

M - Full manual control

then there are automatic modes like portrait, landscape, sport..etc.
 
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