not only a great video for birders, but probably the best simple breakdown of histogram use for photography in general. completely descrambles the confusion of the histogram for those who are struggling with how to use it to get better exposures
I thank heaven for this tutorial. My rule, increasingly, is only to take instruction from people with gray hair who are wearing knit caps and heavy jackets and talking outdoors with camera mounted in a tripod in the field. (I'm 77 still very active.)
"Still very active". How about being 75 and riding a Kawasaki Ninja 400 sport motorcycle, among younger guys (every one of them in my club) who ride cushy cruisers? I bought it at age 73 as my 74th birthday present to myself. Old is not dead. And, that's why I'm out there photographing BIF with my wonderful Canon 7D Mark II and Canon L series lenses.
This chap is very good. At last, straightforward, practical advice for real-world situations. Clear explanations, not too techy and without all the nonsense of some other photography channels. Images speak for themselves. Well done, more please!
Thank you sir. When getting my long lens, I discovered you and also the Bosque. I was there 13 months ago and likely headed back this weekend. Your classroom videos are also quite helpful. My used 7D mark 2 comes tomorrow to replace my 7D from last trip. It was awesome to see the photographers lined up online and then become one of them within the year.
Hello Eric Cohen, Glad you enjoyed the tutorial. Exposure compensation can help in the lighting situation that you describe. Adding exposure compensation will give a better exposure on the bird, but it will also lighten the sky. You might also experiment with spot metering or partial metering if your camera offers these options. These metering patterns will narrow the meter area and ignore much of the sky, especially in spot metering mode. We hope this is helpful.
I’m 6 years late to the video, but exactly what I need. Your explanation is easy to understand however it will take some practice to make it second nature.
Hi Jonathan! Whether to use auto or not is personal preference. Manually setting the parameters of exposure will give you greatest control of the image. In this video, the photographer wants full control over the three parameters of exposure; aperture, shutter speed and ISO. In this case he is manually setting each parameter. 2:38 This allows him to set the desired shutter speed and aperture and to adjust the exposure by changing the ISO. There are times when auto is fine. Our camera support agents would be happy to review these with you. You can reach them at 1-800-652-2666 Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 9:00 pm ET, Saturday: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm ET, excluding holidays. We hope this information helps.
Folks are invited to learn more about the creation of the CLDC Bird Photography Series here: www.birdsasart-blog.com/2015/01/14/i-smiled-the-whole-timecanon-bird-photography-with-arthur-morris-video-1/comment-page-1/#comment-1709974
Great video. Really good advices. Especially about manual mode. Very Usefull. This guy is far better than all those self-proclamed "photography gods" that swarm in TH-cam.
NOT mentioned by bird master Arthur Morris, is that Exposure Compensation or Exposure Value (EV) (contrôle de luminosité in French) does NOT work in MANUAL mode. Exposure comp only works in Aperture Priority (A - Nikon & most cams, AV - Canon) and Shutter Priority (S - Nikon & most cams, TV - Canon). This may be confusing for some beginners because, he mentions in the video (3:53 in) to start in AV mode (A - Nikon), then says to select the shutter and aperture values and apply it in Manual Mode. This a good idea, however, those shutter or aperture values may be off, if you already had some Exposure Compensation applied, like +1 for dark skies, so don't forget to make that change in your Manual exposure settings. As to purposely clipping the red channel a bit during sunsets, IMHO I disagree with this advice - in photo workshops I give, I have seen many images where red skies looked like they were going nuclear! If you want to preserve the varying tones and colour in a luscious red-orange sunset, pay attention to your histogram and the highlights feature (the blinkies!). Don't clip it! Overall a very informative video. Cheer from Montréal!
Exposure compensation isn't invisible. It must affect a setting within the exposure triangle. In Av mode exposure compensation changes your shutter speed. Copying the aperture and SS values to M would still give you an equivalent exposure (if there were no changes to ISO) even if compensation was applied in one of the semi-automatic modes. So he did NOT mention it because it is completely irrelevant. The exposure is the exposure as expressed by the shutter speed, aperture and ISO. Also, you cannot rely on 'blinkies' to determine if you are blowing out the red channel. This highlight clipping warning will only alert when a luminance value of 255 is reached for ALL channels. You can still be blowing out one or even two channels and not get a highlight clipping warning. The warning is based on a 8 bit Jpeg preview so if you are shooting in RAW this may still be recoverable in post.
great info, mr. Morris. Q: is there some sort of guide or manual available that sums up situations with specific characteristics that 'create' what you call the lying histogram? That would IMHO help me to easier anticipate and make exposure adjustments when the histogram 'lies'.
Hi there! While we don't have a guide specifically outlining those situations, having a better understanding of histograms and how to read and use them will go a long way toward making it easy to identify those deceptive situations. We think you'll find our article at Canon.us/wysr to be a great help. Our team of experts is also standing by to provide advice and answers to any additional questions. Feel free to reach out to them at 1-800-OK-CANON (800-652-2666) weekdays between 8 AM and midnight, or on Saturdays between 10 AM and 8 PM ET. We hope this helps!
Arthur shot a photo in Av, and determined that the image was properly exposed. He then transferred the Av and shutter speed info into Manual mode. Questions: 1. Is that because he wanted to keep the shutter speed constant over varying backgrounds, and if so, doesn't setting the shutter speed in Manual do the same thing? 2. If he needed to change the EV one way or another in the Av mode, for a proper exposure, he'd have to do the same for the Manual mode, am I correct? 3. Is he in auto ISO in both Av and Manual? Thank you
Hello: There are many ways to obtain the exposure for a given image. In this instance, the presenter is using Manual mode to maintain a proper exposure for the subject, the crane, even as is passes in front of different colored back grounds. If you were to use an auto exposure mode, like Av or Tv and Evaluative metering, the overall exposure would change from shot to shot as the back ground changed from sky, to grass to water. In that case the back ground may be exposed correctly but the bird may be too light or too dark. The example of using exposure compensation in Av was for a different capture scenario. In that case, the bird’s size and movement was relatively constant. The background was also constant, so there was not a great change in exposure while following a flying subject. In that example, exposure compensation could be used in Av because the exposure was not changing drastically. Photographing the same subject in M mode, you could adjust either aperture, shutter speed or ISO to obtain correct exposure. Different ISO modes are used in different parts of the video. You may wish to discuss this in detail with our camera support agents. They are able to provide one- on - one technical support. For support you can log into your My Canon Account and register your product. Here is a link: Canon.us/mcahy Once registered click on your product and then select [Product Support] in the Product Details window You can then choose your preferred method of support. We hope this helps.
Thank you. Since Arthur Morris no longer is a Canon "Explorer of Light", you're required to refer to him as a "presenter", rather than use his name in your response?
Exposure compensation will alter various settings depending on what mode you are in. Let's assume our starting exposure is set at 1/250th sec, F8.0 at ISO 200. In 'Aperture Priority' mode the camera will either change the shutter speed to say 1/400th sec if you dial minus value (darker) or maybe 1/125th sec if you use the + dial (brighter). The same principle applies in 'Shutter Prority 'mode except the camera will change the aperture for you. In 'Manual' mode you are in full control of aperture, shutter speed & ISO. The camera will simply take the shot regardless of whether it comes out too dark or light so you must try and at least get the bars/needle in the exposure level meter somewhere near the centre to give a good exposure. Of course (as in the video) you may need to adjust exposure according to the scene (e.g. bright skies, snow, beach, fog etc). Hope that helps.
Love the informative video but I am now more confused because although the exposure was correct how on earth did Arthur achieve a in focus image of birds in flight with a TV of 1/15?? Have I missed something here?
or you can use the sunny 16 rule for the above example; for f8 and 1/1000 use iso 200; that's it; and it matters no more if your bird is flying against blue sky or dark foliage
Hi, At about 3.50 you talk about starting with AV mode, taking a shot, checking the histogram then changing to M and entering the same aperture and shutter speed settings. Why not just leave the camera in AV mode if it’s the same settings?
Hi Nigel. You could leave it in Av mode if you want. It really comes down to personal preference and what works best for you. The advantage of Arthur's method of exposing in Av first, then entering the settings in Manual mode is having a good starting point you can obtain fairly quickly, then being able to make quick adjustments to shutter, aperture and ISO speed in Manual as the need arises. We hope this helps.
nice video!! hopefully the part about exposure compensation will help me with an issue in my photos. i took some of owl in a wooded area and found i was having to increase the ISO to the point there was a lot of noise just to get a decent shutter speed. hopefully upping the exposure compensation will help keep the ISO down!!
When using exposure compensation your settings will change when in av or tv mode. Adjusting iso settings remain same as your settings so speed or depth of field is preserved. Hear manual setting you would have to adjust for light values either shutter or aperture.
Arthur Morris Will be subscribing this morning. I have to admit one area I have yet to get involved in is bird photography. Slowly moving into different areas and thats one subject as well as sports that I need to get more time with. I am not a "AUTO" or "P" person and not so much a "T" so I tend to stick with "A" and "M" and auto WB. But watching the series of videos you did the other day is giving me more confidence to go manual with a set WB, shutter and aperture,and maybe just let the camera go on auto ISO so the only thing left for me is to focus and shoot.
thank you for the terrific video. i have one question what if a bird (hawk, eagle) is quite high up in the sky and side or back lit? do i use exposure compensate to brighter the wing pattern and colour? i didn't a few days ago and basically got a b&w image. the sky was white not very overcast; no blue sky except behind me.
In film days as in today's digital world. You can't get everything perfect in all situations. Sometimes you sacrifice one thing for another. Expose for what is important your subject or add light by adding reflectors or flash. Or wait for your subject to move into more manageable light. In the film days we opened up our exposure in the situation you described, the black birds would be black regardless.
If the dynamic range is more broad than your camera can cover, do you suggest clipping blacks or whites? I would clip blacks as I feel in real life one can often not see enough (in the dark), but short of looking at the sun would never see too much.
Jordan Lockhart Hi Jordan, The decision to clip highlights or shadows will depend on the tonal range of the scene and which is the most important to preserve. If the blacks or the shadow areas are the most important part of the scene, you would want to sacrifice the highlights. The reverse procedure will apply if you are attempting to keep the most detail in the highlight areas. We hope you find this helpful.
***** Ah okay, thank you for your input, very good advice to make the choice scene dependent rather that always blacks or always whites. And thank you for the quality of your videos, the information given is presented as if needing to be understood by a beginner, but with subject matter easing into the highly technical. I guess I could say your videos has a broad dynamic range themselves. Thank you!
@@jordanlockhart5667 In some cases you may be able to use HDR or exposure bracketing and image manipulation to extend the dynamic range. Even for moving subjects you may be able to take a photo of the background at one exposure and then merge with a photo of the moving subjects at a different exposure. It's a lot more work and requires a tripod but it avoids (or much reduces) clipping.
I have way too many blinkers on a white egret. There is way too much data in 5th box. I have decreased exp. But these shots are blown out. 8:30am sun out hitting egret. Data is way to the right clipping. Thanks. I will try again. I can’t shoot manual as one arm is paralyzed. I’m holding that camera on tripod for dear life. I’m unable to focus out so I use AV. I like to get this bird in flight. Thanks Arthur.
I am confused how an underexposed image has more noise. I thought the more light you let in, the more noise you introduce so it would logically follow that higher exposure = more noise. Am I missing something?
Hi nygreenguy, Noise is typically caused by two factors in camera. The use of high ISO settings will introduce overall image noise due to the gain sensitivity being raised. The amount of noise will vary depending on the camera being used, Canon's newer DSLR camera processors have the ability to handle higher ISO settings at reduced noise levels compared to earlier models. Underexposure tends to create image noise, especially in the shadow areas of a photograph. When the shadows are underexposed, they tend to get muddy and noisy. When you work on them in post, it usually exaggerates the noise levels. Highlights are typically easier to recover in post than shadow areas which is why we would lean to over rather than under exposure. We hope this helps.
Any Sensor has _some_ noise from various sources. My Channel has some specialized Sensors that have so little noise that you can count Photons or make Videos in the dark. Consumer Cameras must strike a balance between cost and needs, to provide something affordable with features not only suited to PhotoGeeks. With very little light the Sensor only has that bit of light and all the noise to capture. With more light the noise becomes harder to see but does not actually decrease. It is like dirt shows up on a white car easier than a black car, unless you work at a Flour Mill. then it's the other way around. If the highlights are too bright the Sensor's 'Well' overflows, the noise is 'lost' because you have 'pinned' the Sensor. A value of 245 +/- 5 looks a lot less noisy than a value of 10 +/- 5, so more light means a lower percentage of noise. Rule of Thumb: As long as you do not introduce clipping (that will be visible) it is always better to capture a bit more light and darken the Photo later than to capture 'less of a Photo' and try to get a Program to add in the missing details (and remove the more visible noise). Lots of Low Light Stuff on my Channel, and we stay up to date with new (low light capable) Canon Products.
Think of it like listening to music - if the orchestra is playing loudly you won't notice people moving in their seats or coughing, but if the music is very quiet then you can pick up every extra sound in the room.
Art, first thank you so much for providing information. I'm a new photographer (8 months now), but learning so much from people like yourself and Denise and others. So, as a beginner, forgive me for my questions, but I learn by challenging information. You talk about using ISO/EC to get the "right exposure" and ETTR. As a new photographer who is shooting birds I have been trying to dissect this information one piece at a time (Happy 70th by the way). Here's my dilemma. ISO is not part of exposure, right? Only shutter speed and aperture determine how much light the sensor sees. At native ISO no additional gain/voltage is applied to the sensor. At "amplified" ISO noise begins to get introduced. I'm left to wondering why raise ISO (noise) to get better images. I do realize that if something is too dark, raising the exposure in LR/PS also introduces "simulated" noise. It would seem to me that you have to optimize sensor saturation simply by picking the best aperture and shutter speed you can for the situation. But raising ISO and introducing noise? Can you explain this to me? I trust your opinion, but I'm having trouble resolving this issue.
Hi there. Shutter speed, aperture and ISO speed all affect the "exposure" of an image. Even though shutter speed and aperture determine how much actual light is allowed to hit the sensor, there are times where it is difficult or impossible to properly expose the image by adjusting those two settings alone. It is good practice to use as little ISO as is needed, but increasing the ISO speed so you can achieve a shutter speed or aperture that works best for the image is sometimes unavoidable. One example is with action in photos. You could, in theory, expose the image properly by using a slower shutter speed. However, that will likely result in a blurry image because it wasn't fast enough to stop the action in the photo. If the aperture is already wide open, the only available solution is to increase the ISO speed to allow for a faster shutter speed. We have another video series we believe will help you understand this better at Canon.us/l3r4 We hope this helps!
Thank you for your response. I did follow the link and watch the video. I found the video good for beginners, but a little too basic for the information I was looking for. Appreciate the effort though. I also understand your explanation for trying to photograph birds in flight in low light and the need for higher ISO as lowering shutter speed would blur imaging and lower f/stops either might not be possible or not the look/DOF one is looking for in the photography. So let me better phrase my question this way (again, appreciate you taking the time to answer): When utilizing ETTR to maximize sensor saturation (so that you can bring up the shadows/dark feathers) without blowing out highlights, did you (when first learning..it's obvious now you have lots of experience to draw from) take test shots with lowest ISO/widest aperture possible/anticipated shutter speed and set your ISO manually for what you wanted to shoot? Better said, to use ETTR "expose to the right" you have to use exposure settings (i.e. best aperture and shutter speed) possible under the circumstances at the lowest ISO possible for best DR. I'm just wondering how you determine that in the field when shooting (i.e. what is your procedure). Does that make sense? Again, thanks.
Hello again. We have a team of experts that are happy to share their advice with you for these situations. Please give them a call at 1-800-OK-CANON (800-652-2666) weekdays between 8 AM and midnight, or on Saturdays between 10 AM and 8 PM ET. We look forward to hearing from you.
I always shoot with spot metering for birds in flight, thinking it’s more important to get them correctly metered than anything else. This is especially so if I’m shooting birds with a lot of white in their plumage, like a bride in their wedding dress. I’m presuming I’ve always done it wrong?
Hi Mark. We don't think you've been doing it wrong all this time. Proper exposure can be achieved more than one way, and if you've found that Spot Metering works best for you in certain conditions, then you're on the right track.
tomojulitaiga Hello tomojulitaiga, The histogram of your image can be viewed by cycling the Info button on the back of your camera. Additional information about the information display can be found in your EOS 7D Mark II instruction manual starting on page 354. We hope this is helpful.
Thank you Sir! the problem I have is that I work in Japan and bought my camera here son my manual is Japanese. I hope I can buy one in English somewhere. But thanks a lot!
A very informative video for a learner like me. The only thing that is confusing me is how your camera achieved the shutter speed of 1/2000, in the Av mode with f/8 and ISO 400?Although I don't own a dslr, I was trying out this scenario with my canon SX50HS and I NEVER achieve such a high shutter speed in Av mode while trying to shoot a bird in flight in clear light conditions.
Hi, Tom! "Blinkies" are an informal term for the highlight alert feature mentioned at 0:41. When you use this feature, overexposed areas of the image will blink on your LCD screen. Unless that's the specific look you're going for, you'll want to adjust your exposure and try taking your photo again. Hope this helps!
Hello Sukanya! On most Canon DSLR and mirrorless cameras, you can press the Playback button to review your images you have taken. Once the image appears on the LCD, you can press the INFO button repeatedly to cycle through the different displays. One of the display screens will show the Histogram. We hope this helps!
That depends, if your subject is dark you will have to increase exposure even if sacrificing the sky! And will you only shoot under that curcumstances? At the end the zone system is the ultimate method to get YOUR best exposure cfor how YOU want to have this scene obtained!
Hi Tim: In certain situations, you will want the control that Manual mode provides, to ensure your subject is properly exposed. While cameras are getting “smarter” they may not meter your subject the way you want in certain lighting. For example, a darker bird against a light sky or snow-covered field. In these cases, you may want to manually set the exposure. You can certainly use the automated modes, like Av, to obtain a base exposure for your M mode settings, as shown at 3:52 in the video. If you need more information our camera agents can provide one-on-one support. You can reach them at 1-800-652-2666 Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 9:00 pm ET, Saturday: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm ET, excluding holidays. We hope this helps.
I tried to "Like" this video twice but incidentally removed my first like. Guess what that means? I get to "Like" this video a third time.... :) Great Video Thanks from Chicago
'Bad auto focus' is unfair and rather hyperbolic. AM has made varying accounts as to why he switched from Canon including autofocus. Others bird photographers have moved from Canon to Nikon for AF as well. Most notably Ari Hazeghi. His explanation is somewhat more grounded. He believes that Canon's AF system is excellent but Nikon has an advantage when isolating birds from complex backgrounds. By his account this advantage comes to play in about 5% of shots. Of course this advantage in no way means Canon's AF is completely incompetent. It performs in that scenario. Just not as well. Unless your goal is very specific choices are usually made on the sum of the parts rather than just one component which is why Canon enjoys a broader appeal. I used to be a Nikon shooter but left for my own reasons. No one makes a bad camera these days. There is only varying degrees of suitability for your particular goals.
Best 8 minutes I've ever spent on TH-cam. Thank you, Arthur. Your explaniation of a complex subject was easy to understand.
not only a great video for birders, but probably the best simple breakdown of histogram use for photography in general. completely descrambles the confusion of the histogram for those who are struggling with how to use it to get better exposures
I thank heaven for this tutorial. My rule, increasingly, is only to take instruction from people with gray hair who are wearing knit caps and heavy jackets and talking outdoors with camera mounted in a tripod in the field. (I'm 77 still very active.)
"Still very active". How about being 75 and riding a Kawasaki Ninja 400 sport motorcycle, among younger guys (every one of them in my club) who ride cushy cruisers?
I bought it at age 73 as my 74th birthday present to myself. Old is not dead. And, that's why I'm out there photographing BIF with my wonderful Canon 7D Mark II and Canon L series lenses.
This chap is very good. At last, straightforward, practical advice for real-world situations. Clear explanations, not too techy and without all the nonsense of some other photography channels. Images speak for themselves. Well done, more please!
Arthur Morris is one of the best bird photographers. I'd like to see a new book in digital photography by him soon.
Thank you, Art, this is absolutely an essential tutorial. Clear and concise with so many tips and hints. I learnt a lot from this. Best wishes
Thank you so much. For the first time in my life, I understand the histogram info. Brilliant explanation.
Thank you sir. When getting my long lens, I discovered you and also the Bosque. I was there 13 months ago and likely headed back this weekend. Your classroom videos are also quite helpful. My used 7D mark 2 comes tomorrow to replace my 7D from last trip. It was awesome to see the photographers lined up online and then become one of them within the year.
Art, you state your points so clearly. Most I've learned in a long time. Thank you.
Hello Eric Cohen, Glad you enjoyed the tutorial. Exposure compensation can help in the lighting situation that you describe. Adding exposure compensation will give a better exposure on the bird, but it will also lighten the sky. You might also experiment with spot metering or partial metering if your camera offers these options. These metering patterns will narrow the meter area and ignore much of the sky, especially in spot metering mode. We hope this is helpful.
I’m 6 years late to the video, but exactly what I need. Your explanation is easy to understand however it will take some practice to make it second nature.
Do you suggest shooting in Auto ISO or fully manual? Thanks. Very good video. Made real sense.
Hi Jonathan!
Whether to use auto or not is personal preference. Manually setting the parameters of exposure will give you greatest control of the image. In this video, the photographer wants full control over the three parameters of exposure; aperture, shutter speed and ISO. In this case he is manually setting each parameter. 2:38 This allows him to set the desired shutter speed and aperture and to adjust the exposure by changing the ISO.
There are times when auto is fine. Our camera support agents would be happy to review these with you. You can reach them at 1-800-652-2666 Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 9:00 pm ET, Saturday: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm ET, excluding holidays.
We hope this information helps.
Great video. Lots of useful info packed into a concise tutorial.
Folks are invited to learn more about the creation of the CLDC Bird Photography Series here: www.birdsasart-blog.com/2015/01/14/i-smiled-the-whole-timecanon-bird-photography-with-arthur-morris-video-1/comment-page-1/#comment-1709974
Very informative video. These principals can be applied to all genre's of photography.
Great video. Really good advices. Especially about manual mode. Very Usefull. This guy is far better than all those self-proclamed "photography gods" that swarm in TH-cam.
Thanks a lot. Right on the spot where I was in the dark and struggling to get right exposure pre-dawn situations.
NOT mentioned by bird master Arthur Morris, is that Exposure Compensation or Exposure Value (EV) (contrôle de luminosité in French) does NOT work in MANUAL mode. Exposure comp only works in Aperture Priority (A - Nikon & most cams, AV - Canon) and Shutter Priority (S - Nikon & most cams, TV - Canon). This may be confusing for some beginners because, he mentions in the video (3:53 in) to start in AV mode (A - Nikon), then says to select the shutter and aperture values and apply it in Manual Mode. This a good idea, however, those shutter or aperture values may be off, if you already had some Exposure Compensation applied, like +1 for dark skies, so don't forget to make that change in your Manual exposure settings.
As to purposely clipping the red channel a bit during sunsets, IMHO I disagree with this advice - in photo workshops I give, I have seen many images where red skies looked like they were going nuclear! If you want to preserve the varying tones and colour in a luscious red-orange sunset, pay attention to your histogram and the highlights feature (the blinkies!). Don't clip it!
Overall a very informative video.
Cheer from Montréal!
Exposure compensation isn't invisible. It must affect a setting within the exposure triangle. In Av mode exposure compensation changes your shutter speed. Copying the aperture and SS values to M would still give you an equivalent exposure (if there were no changes to ISO) even if compensation was applied in one of the semi-automatic modes. So he did NOT mention it because it is completely irrelevant. The exposure is the exposure as expressed by the shutter speed, aperture and ISO.
Also, you cannot rely on 'blinkies' to determine if you are blowing out the red channel. This highlight clipping warning will only alert when a luminance value of 255 is reached for ALL channels. You can still be blowing out one or even two channels and not get a highlight clipping warning. The warning is based on a 8 bit Jpeg preview so if you are shooting in RAW this may still be recoverable in post.
great info, mr. Morris. Q: is there some sort of guide or manual available that sums up situations with specific characteristics that 'create' what you call the lying histogram? That would IMHO help me to easier anticipate and make exposure adjustments when the histogram 'lies'.
Hi there! While we don't have a guide specifically outlining those situations, having a better understanding of histograms and how to read and use them will go a long way toward making it easy to identify those deceptive situations. We think you'll find our article at Canon.us/wysr to be a great help. Our team of experts is also standing by to provide advice and answers to any additional questions. Feel free to reach out to them at 1-800-OK-CANON (800-652-2666) weekdays between 8 AM and midnight, or on Saturdays between 10 AM and 8 PM ET. We hope this helps!
Arthur shot a photo in Av, and determined that the image was properly exposed. He then transferred the Av and shutter speed info into Manual mode.
Questions:
1. Is that because he wanted to keep the shutter speed constant over varying backgrounds, and if so, doesn't setting the shutter speed in Manual do the same thing?
2. If he needed to change the EV one way or another in the Av mode, for a proper exposure, he'd have to do the same for the Manual mode, am I correct?
3. Is he in auto ISO in both Av and Manual?
Thank you
Hello:
There are many ways to obtain the exposure for a given image. In this instance, the presenter is using Manual mode to maintain a proper exposure for the subject, the crane, even as is passes in front of different colored back grounds. If you were to use an auto exposure mode, like Av or Tv and Evaluative metering, the overall exposure would change from shot to shot as the back ground changed from sky, to grass to water. In that case the back ground may be exposed correctly but the bird may be too light or too dark.
The example of using exposure compensation in Av was for a different capture scenario. In that case, the bird’s size and movement was relatively constant. The background was also constant, so there was not a great change in exposure while following a flying subject. In that example, exposure compensation could be used in Av because the exposure was not changing drastically. Photographing the same subject in M mode, you could adjust either aperture, shutter speed or ISO to obtain correct exposure.
Different ISO modes are used in different parts of the video.
You may wish to discuss this in detail with our camera support agents. They are able to provide one- on - one technical support. For support you can log into your My Canon Account and register your product. Here is a link: Canon.us/mcahy
Once registered click on your product and then select [Product Support] in the Product Details window You can then choose your preferred method of support.
We hope this helps.
Thank you.
Since Arthur Morris no longer is a Canon "Explorer of Light", you're required to refer to him as a "presenter", rather than use his name in your response?
What does the camera do when you add exposure compensation? Is it increasing the ISO, or playing other sorts of games?
Exposure compensation will alter various settings depending on what mode you are in. Let's assume our starting exposure is set at 1/250th sec, F8.0 at ISO 200. In 'Aperture Priority' mode the camera will either change the shutter speed to say 1/400th sec if you dial minus value (darker) or maybe 1/125th sec if you use the + dial (brighter). The same principle applies in 'Shutter Prority 'mode except the camera will change the aperture for you. In 'Manual' mode you are in full control of aperture, shutter speed & ISO. The camera will simply take the shot regardless of whether it comes out too dark or light so you must try and at least get the bars/needle in the exposure level meter somewhere near the centre to give a good exposure. Of course (as in the video) you may need to adjust exposure according to the scene (e.g. bright skies, snow, beach, fog etc). Hope that helps.
Thanks!
Love the informative video but I am now more confused because although the exposure was correct how on earth did Arthur achieve a in focus image of birds in flight with a TV of 1/15?? Have I missed something here?
The more away subjects are the less blurr occurs - and you focus for so called "infinity"
Yes.
or you can use the sunny 16 rule for the above example; for f8 and 1/1000 use iso 200; that's it; and it matters no more if your bird is flying against blue sky or dark foliage
Hi,
At about 3.50 you talk about starting with AV mode, taking a shot, checking the histogram then changing to M and entering the same aperture and shutter speed settings. Why not just leave the camera in AV mode if it’s the same settings?
Hi Nigel. You could leave it in Av mode if you want. It really comes down to personal preference and what works best for you. The advantage of Arthur's method of exposing in Av first, then entering the settings in Manual mode is having a good starting point you can obtain fairly quickly, then being able to make quick adjustments to shutter, aperture and ISO speed in Manual as the need arises. We hope this helps.
nice video!! hopefully the part about exposure compensation will help me with an issue in my photos. i took some of owl in a wooded area and found i was having to increase the ISO to the point there was a lot of noise just to get a decent shutter speed. hopefully upping the exposure compensation will help keep the ISO down!!
Great videos. How do you decide between a in change ISO or opt for Exposure compensation, when trying to correct exposure/
Thanks
When using exposure compensation your settings will change when in av or tv mode. Adjusting iso settings remain same as your settings so speed or depth of field is preserved. Hear manual setting you would have to adjust for light values either shutter or aperture.
Someone else other than me who uses such technical terms like "blinkies"...I love it!
Ed, Fred, Tarek, and Meth2, thanks for you kind words. artie
ps: be sure to subscribe to the blog here:
www.birdsasart-blog.com/
Arthur Morris Will be subscribing this morning. I have to admit one area I have yet to get involved in is bird photography. Slowly moving into different areas and thats one subject as well as sports that I need to get more time with. I am not a "AUTO" or "P" person and not so much a "T" so I tend to stick with "A" and "M" and auto WB. But watching the series of videos you did the other day is giving me more confidence to go manual with a set WB, shutter and aperture,and maybe just let the camera go on auto ISO so the only thing left for me is to focus and shoot.
Ed Vele 🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯
thank you for the terrific video. i have one question what if a bird (hawk, eagle) is quite high up in the sky and side or back lit? do i use exposure compensate to brighter the wing pattern and colour? i didn't a few days ago and basically got a b&w image. the sky was white not very overcast; no blue sky except behind me.
In film days as in today's digital world. You can't get everything perfect in all situations. Sometimes you sacrifice one thing for another. Expose for what is important your subject or add light by adding reflectors or flash. Or wait for your subject to move into more manageable light. In the film days we opened up our exposure in the situation you described, the black birds would be black regardless.
If the dynamic range is more broad than your camera can cover, do you suggest clipping blacks or whites? I would clip blacks as I feel in real life one can often not see enough (in the dark), but short of looking at the sun would never see too much.
Jordan Lockhart Hi Jordan, The decision to clip highlights or shadows will depend on the tonal range of the scene and which is the most important to preserve. If the blacks or the shadow areas are the most important part of the scene, you would want to sacrifice the highlights. The reverse procedure will apply if you are attempting to keep the most detail in the highlight areas. We hope you find this helpful.
***** Ah okay, thank you for your input, very good advice to make the choice scene dependent rather that always blacks or always whites. And thank you for the quality of your videos, the information given is presented as if needing to be understood by a beginner, but with subject matter easing into the highly technical. I guess I could say your videos has a broad dynamic range themselves. Thank you!
@@jordanlockhart5667 In some cases you may be able to use HDR or exposure bracketing and image manipulation to extend the dynamic range. Even for moving subjects you may be able to take a photo of the background at one exposure and then merge with a photo of the moving subjects at a different exposure. It's a lot more work and requires a tripod but it avoids (or much reduces) clipping.
I have way too many blinkers on a white egret. There is way too much data in 5th box. I have decreased exp. But these shots are blown out. 8:30am sun out hitting egret. Data is way to the right clipping. Thanks. I will try again. I can’t shoot manual as one arm is paralyzed. I’m holding that camera on tripod for dear life. I’m unable to focus out so I use AV. I like to get this bird in flight. Thanks Arthur.
Very well explained! thanks Arthur for your input.
This is awesome, very helpful information... thanks!
Always a pleasure learning from your videos Thank you.
Very informative...I like your videos Arthur...Thank you
I am confused how an underexposed image has more noise. I thought the more light you let in, the more noise you introduce so it would logically follow that higher exposure = more noise. Am I missing something?
Hi nygreenguy, Noise is typically caused by two factors in camera. The use of high ISO settings will introduce overall image noise due to the gain sensitivity being raised. The amount of noise will vary depending on the camera being used, Canon's newer DSLR camera processors have the ability to handle higher ISO settings at reduced noise levels compared to earlier models.
Underexposure tends to create image noise, especially in the shadow areas of a photograph. When the shadows are underexposed, they tend to get muddy and noisy. When you work on them in post, it usually exaggerates the noise levels. Highlights are typically easier to recover in post than shadow areas which is why we would lean to over rather than under exposure. We hope this helps.
Any Sensor has _some_ noise from various sources. My Channel has some specialized Sensors that have so little noise that you can count Photons or make Videos in the dark. Consumer Cameras must strike a balance between cost and needs, to provide something affordable with features not only suited to PhotoGeeks.
With very little light the Sensor only has that bit of light and all the noise to capture. With more light the noise becomes harder to see but does not actually decrease. It is like dirt shows up on a white car easier than a black car, unless you work at a Flour Mill. then it's the other way around.
If the highlights are too bright the Sensor's 'Well' overflows, the noise is 'lost' because you have 'pinned' the Sensor. A value of 245 +/- 5 looks a lot less noisy than a value of 10 +/- 5, so more light means a lower percentage of noise.
Rule of Thumb: As long as you do not introduce clipping (that will be visible) it is always better to capture a bit more light and darken the Photo later than to capture 'less of a Photo' and try to get a Program to add in the missing details (and remove the more visible noise).
Lots of Low Light Stuff on my Channel, and we stay up to date with new (low light capable) Canon Products.
Think of it like listening to music - if the orchestra is playing loudly you won't notice people moving in their seats or coughing, but if the music is very quiet then you can pick up every extra sound in the room.
Art, first thank you so much for providing information. I'm a new photographer (8 months now), but learning so much from people like yourself and Denise and others. So, as a beginner, forgive me for my questions, but I learn by challenging information. You talk about using ISO/EC to get the "right exposure" and ETTR. As a new photographer who is shooting birds I have been trying to dissect this information one piece at a time (Happy 70th by the way). Here's my dilemma. ISO is not part of exposure, right? Only shutter speed and aperture determine how much light the sensor sees. At native ISO no additional gain/voltage is applied to the sensor. At "amplified" ISO noise begins to get introduced. I'm left to wondering why raise ISO (noise) to get better images. I do realize that if something is too dark, raising the exposure in LR/PS also introduces "simulated" noise. It would seem to me that you have to optimize sensor saturation simply by picking the best aperture and shutter speed you can for the situation. But raising ISO and introducing noise? Can you explain this to me? I trust your opinion, but I'm having trouble resolving this issue.
Hi there. Shutter speed, aperture and ISO speed all affect the "exposure" of an image. Even though shutter speed and aperture determine how much actual light is allowed to hit the sensor, there are times where it is difficult or impossible to properly expose the image by adjusting those two settings alone. It is good practice to use as little ISO as is needed, but increasing the ISO speed so you can achieve a shutter speed or aperture that works best for the image is sometimes unavoidable. One example is with action in photos. You could, in theory, expose the image properly by using a slower shutter speed. However, that will likely result in a blurry image because it wasn't fast enough to stop the action in the photo. If the aperture is already wide open, the only available solution is to increase the ISO speed to allow for a faster shutter speed.
We have another video series we believe will help you understand this better at Canon.us/l3r4 We hope this helps!
Thank you for your response. I did follow the link and watch the video. I found the video good for beginners, but a little too basic for the information I was looking for. Appreciate the effort though. I also understand your explanation for trying to photograph birds in flight in low light and the need for higher ISO as lowering shutter speed would blur imaging and lower f/stops either might not be possible or not the look/DOF one is looking for in the photography. So let me better phrase my question this way (again, appreciate you taking the time to answer): When utilizing ETTR to maximize sensor saturation (so that you can bring up the shadows/dark feathers) without blowing out highlights, did you (when first learning..it's obvious now you have lots of experience to draw from) take test shots with lowest ISO/widest aperture possible/anticipated shutter speed and set your ISO manually for what you wanted to shoot? Better said, to use ETTR "expose to the right" you have to use exposure settings (i.e. best aperture and shutter speed) possible under the circumstances at the lowest ISO possible for best DR. I'm just wondering how you determine that in the field when shooting (i.e. what is your procedure). Does that make sense? Again, thanks.
Hello again. We have a team of experts that are happy to share their advice with you for these situations. Please give them a call at 1-800-OK-CANON (800-652-2666) weekdays between 8 AM and midnight, or on Saturdays between 10 AM and 8 PM ET. We look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks. Will do.
I always shoot with spot metering for birds in flight, thinking it’s more important to get them correctly metered than anything else. This is especially so if I’m shooting birds with a lot of white in their plumage, like a bride in their wedding dress. I’m presuming I’ve always done it wrong?
Hi Mark. We don't think you've been doing it wrong all this time. Proper exposure can be achieved more than one way, and if you've found that Spot Metering works best for you in certain conditions, then you're on the right track.
CanonUSA Wow, I didn’t expect an answer so fast, thank you very much.
How can I see my histogram in my 7D Mark ii?
tomojulitaiga Hello tomojulitaiga, The histogram of your image can be viewed by cycling the Info button on the back of your camera. Additional information about the information display can be found in your EOS 7D Mark II instruction manual starting on page 354. We hope this is helpful.
Thank you Sir! the problem I have is that I work in Japan and bought my camera here son my manual is Japanese. I hope I can buy one in English somewhere. But thanks a lot!
+tomojulitaiga You can download a PDF of the English manual off of Canons web site under support.
Great explanation. Thanks
A very informative video for a learner like me. The only thing that is confusing me is how your camera achieved the shutter speed of 1/2000, in the Av mode with f/8 and ISO 400?Although I don't own a dslr, I was trying out this scenario with my canon SX50HS and I NEVER achieve such a high shutter speed in Av mode while trying to shoot a bird in flight in clear light conditions.
Sounds about right to me. I was shooting birds earlier today at about those values.
What are blinkies? Maybe you explained, but I missed it, then you kept mentioning "no blinkies."
Hi, Tom! "Blinkies" are an informal term for the highlight alert feature mentioned at 0:41. When you use this feature, overexposed areas of the image will blink on your LCD screen. Unless that's the specific look you're going for, you'll want to adjust your exposure and try taking your photo again.
Hope this helps!
@@CanonUSA Aha. Now I remember your explanation.
How to open histogram?
Hello Sukanya!
On most Canon DSLR and mirrorless cameras, you can press the Playback button to review your images you have taken. Once the image appears on the LCD, you can press the INFO button repeatedly to cycle through the different displays. One of the display screens will show the Histogram.
We hope this helps!
@@CanonUSA thank you so much, That’s help a lot.🥰
Loved your contain old buddy....live long stay sound love from nepal
Pure gold!
I am scared of manual mode because my eye sight is not good
Great tutorial ! Thanks!
thanks for sharing these useful tips
You're welcome! We're glad you enjoyed the video!
So he must be in manual mode
As the aperture & shutter speed never changed when he changed ISO from 400 to 800
Duh
That was a great video
Im not a canon user but this was still very valuable advice, thankyou.
Arthur hasn't been an "Explorer of Light" for Canon since they had a fallout. He's with Nikon now.
If the day is sunny use the "Sunny f16 rule", no metering. Exposure equivalent to 100iso, f16 at 1/100 sec.
That depends, if your subject is dark you will have to increase exposure even if sacrificing the sky!
And will you only shoot under that curcumstances?
At the end the zone system is the ultimate method to get YOUR best exposure cfor how YOU want to have this scene obtained!
Very helpful!
thank you so much Arthur!
Great tips... Thanks!
Great tips
Thanks for your very informative videos. Ignore any comments from the trolls.
tanks . it was so usefull
Thanks
brilliant
Why not let the computer in the camera (which is waaayyy smarter than me) do the hard work? That would get you close, then adjust from there.
Hi Tim:
In certain situations, you will want the control that Manual mode provides, to ensure your subject is properly exposed. While cameras are getting “smarter” they may not meter your subject the way you want in certain lighting. For example, a darker bird against a light sky or snow-covered field. In these cases, you may want to manually set the exposure. You can certainly use the automated modes, like Av, to obtain a base exposure for your M mode settings, as shown at 3:52 in the video.
If you need more information our camera agents can provide one-on-one support. You can reach them at 1-800-652-2666 Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 9:00 pm ET, Saturday: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm ET, excluding holidays.
We hope this helps.
I tried to "Like" this video twice but incidentally removed my first like. Guess what that means? I get to "Like" this video a third time.... :) Great Video
Thanks from Chicago
So he switched to Nikon because of Canon bad auto focus. google it
He gave an interview and stated Canon let him go. Wasn't keeping up on his Instagram or Twitter.
'Bad auto focus' is unfair and rather hyperbolic. AM has made varying accounts as to why he switched from Canon including autofocus. Others bird photographers have moved from Canon to Nikon for AF as well. Most notably Ari Hazeghi. His explanation is somewhat more grounded. He believes that Canon's AF system is excellent but Nikon has an advantage when isolating birds from complex backgrounds. By his account this advantage comes to play in about 5% of shots. Of course this advantage in no way means Canon's AF is completely incompetent. It performs in that scenario. Just not as well. Unless your goal is very specific choices are usually made on the sum of the parts rather than just one component which is why Canon enjoys a broader appeal. I used to be a Nikon shooter but left for my own reasons. No one makes a bad camera these days. There is only varying degrees of suitability for your particular goals.
Thanks