Which cameras have built-in HDR modes?
Asked 9/17/2012
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I often run into scenes with more dynamic range than my camera can capture in a single shot, such as bright skies and darker foregrounds in landscapes. I’ve read that some cameras can automatically take multiple bracketed exposures and merge them into one HDR image in-camera. Which cameras offer this feature, and is in-camera HDR the best way to handle high-contrast scenes?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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There are few options if you want to improve burned out skies on your pictures.
Most of DSLR can have bracketing option that you can set on the camera. Some can do about 3 pictures bracketing. One with normal exposure, one with lower exposure and one with higher exposure. You can usually set increment value for lower and higher exposure. More advanced DSLR which are normally full frame pro camera can do about 7 or 9 bracketed shots. For this option you normally need a tripod and do some post production to combine your shots in a software like Photoshop.
Newer cameras such as Nikon D600, D800, Canon 5DMark III and 650D(not sure) have built-in HDR function. I have tested on 5DMark III and it is awesome. The dynamic range is much improved and the images do not feel surreal.
Another option is to use 'ND Grad' filter. There are a lot of filters out there that you can use for your landscape. Cokin P is normally to start with but I use Lee filter but those are normally expensive. Hitech filters are reasonably priced and very good quality too.
Originally by user11384. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11384
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Many newer cameras offer in-camera HDR, and many DSLRs also support auto exposure bracketing even if they don’t merge the files for you.
From the answers, examples of cameras with built-in HDR include:
- Canon: 5D Mark III, 6D, 650D
- Nikon: D5100/D5200, D7100, D600, D800, D4
- Pentax: K-5, K-7
- Sony: several Alpha/SLT models and NEX mirrorless bodies
More broadly, many point-and-shoot, Micro Four Thirds, and mirrorless cameras also have HDR modes.
A related feature is exposure bracketing: the camera takes multiple exposures (often 3, sometimes 7 or 9 on higher-end bodies). You can then merge them later in software. This is common on many DSLRs.
If image quality and control matter most, the answers suggest that shooting bracketed RAW files and merging them later in software is usually better than relying on in-camera HDR, which can be more limited. A tripod is often helpful for bracketed HDR work.
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