F30 niggles

[js797]

Hello all

After a few weeks of using my new F30 I'm on the whole very happy with it, but there are a couple of issues that are causing me concern:

Firstly, the playback image on the LCD screen is noticeable brighter than the image itself once it comes onto the PC screen or is printed. I've even deleted images for overexposure when they would have been perfect. Images that I think are perfect turn out too dark. Of course this is easily edited away but it's very annoying - does anyone else have this problem?

Secondly, I find the camera often underexposes in darker conditions. Here's the most extreme example below, an original image and another that's gone through photoshop. The lighting conditions were dreadful on the day in question - should I be worried about this?

Thanks a lot for your help, do appreciate it :)

[tim11]

Both my cameras' LCD give me wrong impression regarding image exposure - both seem brighter in camera and darker on computer monitor. I just hope there is a way to calibrate both.
As for your attached image,did you use Shutter Priority mode and put it in 1/150sec? If you set shutter at certain speed and there is not enough light you will certainly get an underexposed image.
Personally, I use a lowest ISO possible with Aperture Priority mode. For flower shot without breeze, I'd be happy if I can get 1/60sec. If not, I will use ISO200 or higer.

[js797]

Thanks for the reply Tim,

Re the screen I actually found the LCD Brightness adjust option in the setup menu and have taken it down a couple of notches. Hopefully that will do the trick.

I shot the flower in Manual mode, I can't remember what ISO but it was probably 400 or 800. Everything else was decided by the camera. I'll continue taking some shots in cloudy conditions (not difficult at the moment!) and see what I get.

Jonathan

[mattdm]

Secondly, I find the camera often underexposes in darker conditions. Here's the most extreme example below, an original image and another that's gone through photoshop. The lighting conditions were dreadful on the day in question - should I be worried about this?

This flower is underexposed because it's so white. The camera's metering system tries to render every scene as an average of neutral grey -- which it clearly did just "right" here. Of course, neutral grey isn't right in this case, but until we get cameras able to actually understand the world like a human can, you have to tell it what you want using EV (exposure value) compensation.

Changing the EV value will adjust the shutter speed and aperture (although there's no where further to go with aperture in this particular case, since you're already wide open at f/2.8) and auto ISO if you let it. In this case, you want to increase the EV so you get more exposure -- you'll have to experiment to figure out how much is called for in individual situations, but in this case, it's probably a lot, since the subject is mostly bright white.

This is also good to know for taking pictures when there's snow on the ground, although the camera's Snow mode may actually be better for that, because it takes this into account and knows to compensate for the fact that snow tends to photograph with a bluish tint.