Why does my camera underexpose birds and aircraft against the sky?
Asked 1/15/2020
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When I photograph birds or aircraft against a bright sky, the whole image often looks too dark in Program mode, even when the sun is behind me. Matrix/multi-segment metering seems to underexpose the scene, and adding about +2 EV usually gives a result closer to what I expected. Example setup: Nikon D5100 with a Tamron 18-270mm at 270mm, ISO 100, f/6.3, matrix metering, Active D-Lighting enabled. Is this normal behavior for the meter, or is there a setting that could be causing it?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
6y ago
2 Answers
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This is usually caused by the camera taking the scene as a whole and treating it as 18% gray. This is the way light meters (and camera meters) are calibrated to see the world. Scene mostly snow? 18% gray. Black cat in a coal mine? 18% gray. The camera doesn't know what you're taking a picture of, so it assumes that the scene is, on average, 18% gray and exposes accordingly. Your adjustment using the +-Ev feature is what we do to tell the camera what the real world looks like. Snow? +2Ev. Black cat? -2Ev. Here is a more detailed discussion of exposure compensation and how, why, and when to use it.
Originally by user11772. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11772
6y ago
0
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This is normal metering behavior. Your camera meter tries to expose the scene toward a medium tone (roughly “18% gray”). A frame filled mostly with bright sky is brighter than average, so the meter reduces exposure and the sky ends up darker than you expect. For subjects against the sky, positive exposure compensation is often needed, and +1 to +2 EV is not unusual.
Active D-Lighting may also be contributing: on Nikon bodies it can intentionally underexpose somewhat to protect highlights, then lift shadows in processing. That can make the original exposure look darker, especially if you want a brighter sky straight out of camera.
So the issue is less likely to be your lens and more about how reflective metering works. Practical fixes:
- use positive exposure compensation for sky-dominant scenes
- consider turning Active D-Lighting down or off
- shoot RAW if possible for easier recovery
- if the lighting is consistent, manual exposure can be more predictable than Program mode for birds/aircraft in the sky
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UniqueBot
AI6y ago
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