Does your S2 overexpose???

[snapshotmd]

I've had my S2 for about 4 months now and just did my first job assisting a wedding with another digital photographer using the D100. I've noticed that the S2 seemed to overexpose, but figured that it was my imagination. To my embarassment, I blew out almost the entire job! Meanwhile, the D100 was performing almost flawlessly nailing the exposure on every shot! Today I did some testing and found my S2 consistently overexposes everything, ambient and flash, by about 1 stop. Have any of you found the same thing on your S2?

Ken:o

[jeffinkansas]

I find that in any professional setting you are required to be responsible for your own equipment and that equipments actions. While your LCD may not be the best judge of exposure, your histogram is. Learn to use it! Auto metering is something that is supposed to be tweaked and not used as an absolute. I mean really, who is taking the pictures? Perhaps you are used to shooting negatives and metering for the shadows. Perhaps your meter is off. I don't know. But I do know that you could have realized this problem after the first shot and corrected rather than the last.

[larc]

First of all I would like to ask snapshotmd if you're still having this consistance over exposure issue? Jeff, you came down a little hard but your suggestion to ride the histogram is very wise and saved me from the same issue I seem to be having. I was out over the last two days doing outside tourism photos for a contract I have and yesterday started noticing a tendency for overexposure by one stop. What was different about it was that it did not seem to be happening the day before.

It's one thing to have a consistant problem and be able to manage it. It's another if it's inconsistant and we have to be neurotic about making sure every shot is right. That just may be the price we have to pay for having instant gratification. Personally I would like to put a little more trust in a $2000 plus body with what is supposed to be superior Nikon matrix metering.

If anyone else is having exposure issues please post and let us know. Jeff, if you would not mind explaining what a perfect histogram looks like, or anyone else for that matter I would welcome the education. I spent a lot of time looking at my histograms yesterday but was not sure exactly what was the ideal look of one.

Thanks.
Larry

[imagepro]

Pg. 77 of the manual shows some histogram examples. I used it as a starting reference and have shot in various lighting situations, noting the changes in the histogram displays under the different lighting conditions.

[larc]

Ahhh..the manual. Now just where did I leave that silly thing? ;) I'll definity study up there, thanks.

Larry

[ballroom_boy]

This is a very good article on understanding histograms:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/understanding-histograms.shtml

Happy Reading!

Roël :)

[jeffinkansas]

You are probably right, I am sorry for coming down so hard. Another way to evaluate what a good histogram is by looking at correctly exposed images in photoshop and then pulling up their histogram. There is not a perfect shape, however you are looking to lose spikes on the bright end. Another way to help clean up an overexposure mess is by shooting RAW. While more time in post-processing, it provides superior control when image evaluation is and can be more accurate.

Back to the meter. Sometimes mine overexposes and sometimes it underexposes. That has to do with the environment, and that is why there is an EV +and - button. My guess, and I could be completely wrong, is that you guys are used to shooting negatives. Overexposure is much less of a big deal and in color could account for your wonderful saturation. I don't know, but shooting digital is like shooting chromes. WATCH THOSE HIGHLIGHTS!!! I also think you are more critical off the bat because you see a positive image. I know I am. So yes, your meter could be faulty, but my thought is that most meters are tweaked to overexpose to insure at least correct exposure. Now that these meters are used by cameras making positives exclusivly maybe they need to be tweaked, or maybe we just need to think differently ourselves.'

Once again, I am sorry for coming down so hard.
Jeff

[larc]

Hi Jeff...thanks for the follow up. I just felt bad for the original poster who blew the wedding shots. "we shoulda" is pretty hard to hear in times like that.

Anyway, your suggestions are accurate and yes, I'm learning more and more how important the histogram is. I've shot all manner of film in the past and have been spoiled by having my color negatives scanned as my "poor man's digital" solution. Now that I'm capturing digital that's all different. It's amazing how bad a shot can be by being one stop over as with slides.

By the way, on Saturday's sunset shots I rolled the exposure to the max at three stops under. I could not have acheived the results had I not done so. I'll post a shot of that result for you.

I'll just be monitoring everything I shoot and not make assumptions about the accuracy of automatic metering.

Larry

[snapshotmd]

This camera is totally F'ed up!!!

Now I've noticed significant noise in the highlights at all ISOs. Even in the highlights with detail, not only in the blown out areas.

Consistency is questionable as well. At the time I tested the camera it was overexposing by one stop indoors with no flash. And now it seems to be exposing well at the same settings.

In addition to my many problems, this body just came back from "Err" repairs, March 21... Problem was a faulty PCB and was replaced with a new one.

[jeffinkansas]

Sounds like fuji owes you a new camera. I would not hesitate to call them on this. My camera works great, but it is also my second one. Send them shooting examples for the noise. You may just have a really bad one.

good luck

[Tom V]

Snapshotmd,

It sounds like you got a rotten apple. There are a few people here that have had problem cameras, but even more that have perfectly functioning cameras.

Naturally, problem cameras cause more stink, and it takes some time to figure out if it is you or if it is the camera that stinks - and this forum is a great place to air it out and see if the local stench is in fact your camera.

Fuji is the place to send your rotten apple. Provide a disk of example images (include hard copy prints as well if you can) to show the dense, cold, uncaring, people at Fuji what the problem is.

In my case, my camera works fine, -- so the stench that surrounds me is....
...
...
...

Hey, wait a minute! It wasn't me! Honest!

[jaskin]

Mine was underexposing about 1/2 a stop

[Cooperman]

Snapshotmd, too bad it happened but SH*T happens. I had a problem when Nikon D1 came out. I spent $9000.00 with accessories and was doing a commercial job. The camera began over-exposing FIVE stops over (shooting in manual mode) ever few frames and then to almost 80% of the captures. I freaked out because most rental places had little D1 available and the ones that did, PJs had them out for months. I couldn't even option to buy another because it was backorderd for the whole U.S.

I figitted for 1 1/2 hours. The client gently reminded me that whatever was wrong, I needed to get it remedied since the model for the day was over 5 figures and that the client was not going to pay for overtime. Breaking a sweat, I did track another photographer that I knew shooting in another rental studio that had the system available. The day was stressful but I finished in time. As for the camera I was so mad since it was only two months old and used 10 times on the job. My dealer sent it in with upmost priority. I got it back a week later because it required a MAJOR overhaul. The whole aperature lever mechanism that interfaces with the lens was sticking at f/3.5. I shoot @ f/16 for normal strobed fashion shoots. It really sucks when it happens but nothing is fail-proof unless you don't use it.

By the way, I came across this site by accident last week and after reading this thread I wanted to give you my simpathy...post #1:)

p.s.: Later I got rid of the D1 (not because of that incident but due to new cameras with better res.) I traded in for the S2 so that I have something to play around with while I wait for the high-end digital backs come down in price. I have yet used the S2 on a job.

[Cooperman]

By the way, I don't have any exposure problems with the S2. If you do experience it, perhaps do a "sunny 16" rule exposure test. For those who do not know, in a bright daylight, (in manual mode) set the lens aperature @ f/16. Whatever the ASA/ISO is set at, take the inverse as your shutter speed. Example: ASA @100, then inverse is 1/100th sec. Closest shutter that match is 1/125th sec shutter setting. Lens @ f/16. If you have ASA @ 400, the your exposure is @ f/16 @ 1/500th sec. You should end up with the right exposure.

I recently refreshed my assistant how to estimate the right exposures if he didn't have the meter. Actually, he did have the meter (rented one) and it suggested something else. I opened the batt. comp. and the exposure compensation was set to -.6. If you are backlit, then open up 2 to 2.5 stops from f/16. You get the idea and then eventually you can develop a good sense of what the exposure is.

[surge]

have the s2 for 2 months now and think it underexpose at times but never over. sometimes i bracket one over just to play safe. but over wad never a problem

. when i first got the s2, i shot a school event with it. light level was really low so i shot at ISO800. when i was under shelter, decided to on my sb-24 to get so fill. shots came back with a lot of inconsistent exposure with flahs. then realised that s2 only ttl to ISO400


so...KNOW YOUR EQUIPMENT!!!!

[DragonRich]

I've had my Fuji S2 now for about 1 week and have already done two "jobs" with it. After the first day, I downloaded the images and noticed that the shots I took were underexposed. This surprised me because I wasn't pressed for time and had reviewed each shot before proceeding. The following two days I adjusted my exposure +1 and the images were much better.

From my experience, with my camera (as it seems everyone here has different results), I've found that the LCD on the S2 does NOT give you an accurate presentation of the recorded image. The LCD will display a bright, evenly toned photo but that actual recorded image will be underexposed. Confirming this for me was the fact that when I adjusted by 1 stop, the LCD displayed what by all appearances would have been an OVEREXPOSED image!

As I noticed posted elsewhere here, I guess the most important thing is to learn to read the Histograms. I'm guessing that unless the camera has some physical electronic flaw, the histogram will NOT lie about the image that has been recorded.

[MikePL]

I would like to add my two cents.

First of all, the LCD overexposes, so you think you got it right, while it's actually underexposed. This condition gets worse if you shoot vertical (e.g. people). The LCDs have such a construction that their brightness varies depending on the angle you look at them. If you look at the LCD in vertical position one of your eyes sees a bright image and the other sees a dark one. Check it if you think I'm joking...

Another thing is the metering. I have read somewhere that the matrix metering field extends beyond the viewable area (because what you see is a cropped 35mm viewfinder), so there might be some bright objects that you don't see, but they influence the exposure. What you see is just 66% of the whole 35mm frame, the remaining 34% are invisibly causing trouble. There is a positive thing, however. Notice that because the N80 viewfinder is cropped in the S2, the round circle for center-weighted metering became very big. It actually stretches almost to the upper and lower edges. I don't know how it is set in the N80, but in older Nikon bodies center-weighted metering was calculated as 75% from the circle and 25% from the rest.

That means that you should actually try to take a few pictures with c-w metering and check the results.

Please note that this is pure theory (the idea came up to me a few minutes ago), but theoretically, it should work at least as good as matrix metering.

Got to try later it today...