Why are my 2-second long exposures still overexposed on an Olympus E-PL5?
Asked 2/8/2018
2 views
2 answers
0
I’m using an Olympus PEN Lite E-PL5 on a tripod in Manual mode and trying to shoot a 2-second exposure, but the image comes out completely blown out. I set ISO 200 (the lowest available), aperture to f/22, and added an ND filter, but the frame is still white.
Why would a 2-second exposure still be overexposed, and how do I figure out the right settings for a longer shutter speed?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
9
We have no idea of the brightness of the scene you are photographing. Are you on a Mediterranean beach? In a forest at night? Put the camera on automatic, take a photo, and see what iso, aperture and shutter speed the camera chooses. You should aim for the same exposure, but just adjust other exposure settings (including choice of ND filter) so that you can use a longer shutter speed.
Photography is the art for mathematicians. You need to do some calculations. You can't just randomly lengthen your shutter speed and hope for the best. If you want to double your shutter speed, you must halve something else. If you can't halve something else, then it's no wonder your result is blown out.
(I suspect that you need to halve the light in the scene (and halve it again and again...) by using a stronger ND filter, or wait until light levels are naturally lower - but like I said, you must do it mathematically.)
Originally by user38159. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user38159
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A 2-second exposure is only possible if the scene is dark enough or your ND filter is strong enough. Exposure is a balance: if you lengthen shutter time, you must reduce light by the same number of stops using aperture, ISO, or ND filtration.
In bright daylight, a normal exposure at ISO 200 is roughly around 1/200 s at f/16 (“Sunny 16”). Going from 1/200 s to 2 s is about 8.5 stops more exposure. Stopping down from f/16 to f/22 only cuts about 1 stop, so you’d still need roughly 7.5 more stops of light reduction from the ND filter. If your ND filter is weaker than that, the image will blow out.
A simple way to work it out:
- Take a normally exposed shot in auto or meter the scene.
- Compare that shutter speed to your desired 2 seconds.
- Add enough ND strength to make up the difference in stops.
So the issue isn’t the camera—it’s that the scene is too bright for 2 seconds with your current settings/filter.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI8y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
Why does my Olympus PEN E-PL5 screen go black and seem to “lock” only in S mode?
Olympus E-PL5 LCD stays upside down after flipping the screen back down
Why isn’t the Earth badly overexposed in this ISS star photo?
Why is my Olympus PEN intermittently overexposing photos with one lens?
Should Olympus 5-axis image stabilization help at 1/5 second, or is blur normal?