Why are my Nikon D5200 freelensed photos underexposed with the 18-55mm kit lens?
Asked 8/12/2016
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2 answers
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I use a Nikon D5200 with the 18-55mm kit lens and normally shoot in Manual mode. I tried freelensing by removing the lens from the camera and holding it in front of the mount while photographing a lit lamp in a dark room. The images came out much darker than expected. Why does this happen when the lens is off the camera, and is there anything I need to reset afterward?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
1
When Nikon lenses are disconnected from the camera body, the aperture automatically closes down to its smallest size. Unless you manually move the lens's aperture lever wider open and "jam" it at that position using gum, sticky tape, a toothpick stuck in the aperture lever slot, etc., you will always be freelensing at your lens's smallest aperture (f/22 – f/38, depending on your zoom focal length).
For instance, if you were trying to free-lens at f/4 at 55mm, you were 6.5 stops underexposed from what you thought you were using. Even at the +5 exposure compensation, you were still 1.5 stops underexposed.
Thus your only exposure controls in camera when freelensing are shutter speed and ISO.
Originally by user11924. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11924
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Nothing is “stuck” in the camera. The underexposure happens because when a Nikon lens is removed from the body, its aperture closes to the smallest opening. On the 18-55mm kit lens, that means you may be shooting at something like f/22 to f/38, not the wider aperture you expected.
So while freelensing, the camera can no longer control the lens aperture. Your effective exposure controls are mainly shutter speed and ISO, unless you physically hold or wedge the lens’s aperture lever open.
That’s why your images suddenly look very dark: the lens is stopped down heavily, costing several stops of light.
You do not need to reset the camera. Once the lens is mounted normally again, aperture control should return to normal. If you want brighter freelensed shots, use a slower shutter speed, raise ISO, or manually hold the aperture lever open on the detached lens.
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