i found this incredibly helpful! Ive been pulling my hair ouit since shooting video with my new son A7iii - and have just started to learn about Slog and LUTs and this video was just what i needed. thank you!
That’s great Avelina! Luts, slog and all the other profiles and settings can be a bit of a mine field!! I’m pretty lazy when it comes to colour grading so I tend to use the Sony pro colour pack from Andrew Reid at www.eoshd.com (no affiliation, just like the ease of use). But I know once you learn how to use it properly, you can get an amazing picture from these cameras! I’m glad I could help!!😁👍
Wow, I was looking all over for a video to properly explain how to use Zebras. You did, what I couldn’t find. Thank you so much for taking the time to explain this, and explain it right!
No worries, I’m glad I could help!! I have loads more tutorials on my channel and a lot more to come so make sure you subscribe and turn on notifications so you don’t miss out on anything. 😁👍
Very very useful tutorial. Very clearly explained. I like the way you don't assume any prior knowledge. Never thought about zebras for stills before (I had thought they were only for video). I will now...when I buy the camera that is. Thank you.
Thanks so much Stephen! It really motivates me when I hear how my tutorials are helping! About 5 years ago I switched to using the Panasonic gh3 and then the gh4 cameras, as I was almost exclusively doing videography with a few big contracts, and I really saw the benefits of zebras in quickly getting a good exposure. After coming back to photography and then switching from dslrs to mirrorless cameras, it felt natural to use them for photography as well as videography. You’ll definitely see the benefit when you get your camera! 😁 Thanks for watching 👍
@@mikesphotography The only problem, having already worked out how I would customize the camera, is that I would want another button. Zebras are something I'd want to assign to a direct control. I think the A7 series bodies could do with some more controls. Like the A9 dials.
I know I’m late, but thanks for this! I also shoot on the A7III and this was valuable information for my uncertainty over when I’m overexposing highlights.
Thank you for explaining the zebras bcuz I couldn’t find a decent video about it and why my Sony A7iii kept under exposing my photos. I will try the settings 100 and 100+ to see what works best for me. Oh and by the way great job explaining them. You were very clear and to the point and showed examples loving your videos.
Excellent! I’m glad you got something from my tutorial Angel! Before making this I’d always end up under exposing because of what the zebras were telling me. I now have them on about 105+and it seems to do the job! 👍
Same here I only had the camera for about a week now and just couldn’t figure it out till now bcuz of your video thanks a lot. I hope to grow my channel with useful information such as urs.
Thanks so much! Yeah, I was as well, and sometimes even if I saw the slightest bit of a zebra, I’d get rid of it. I’m really learning the in’s and out’s of this camera through-and-through by doing these tests so I’m glad you’re getting value from these as well! 👍
@@mikesphotography I just have to be more bold and overexpose irrelevant parts of the image. Was taking some images of the fall colors in the woods in overcast conditions. In the dense forest that little of cloud left doesn't add anything to the image. For portrait, you probably want 80-90% Zebra right?
Thanks so much Dan! That was one of the reasons I started...so many channels talk for ages about random stuff before getting to the point which can be so frustrating, so I decided to do the opposite...get in, give all the info needed, nothing more nothing less and then get out...seems to be working! 👍 Thanks so much for the sub, really appreciate you joining the community!! 😁
I’ll add it to the ever expanding list! 😆 👍 there is a motocross track near me that I’d love to go and shoot at so it might be an excuse to head down there on race day!
Hi Nacho, I have that one on the to do list. I try and keep my videography and photography videos separate so if you're just a videographer or a photographer, you get the info you need, no more, no less. Thanks for watching. 😁👍
Can the zebra setting be used for night street photography? Like, a subtly lit dark alleyway? How should I read histograms/zebra's for night photography?
Yes they can be. I'd set it to 105+ when shooting RAW and then try to stop the zebras form appearing on the highlights. WIth the ISO invariance of this camera, you should be able to pull a lot of detail out of the shadows. 👍 Histograms are a little harder as it will usually be skewed to the left...I'd just use live view and the zebras to get the look I was going for.
Thanks so much! I have plenty more on everything photography so be sure to check out what else I have on my channel...and I have two new tutorials/videos every week. Thanks for watching. 👍
Dude! That Zebra explanation! Amazing thank you so much! My video were always way too underexposed and I couldnt figure out why that was when using zebras. Had it on Zebra 70 :D
Great to hear it has helped Sam! Yeah, with the zebras on 70%, it would definitely get you under exposing your shots. I much prefer having it on 100+ and then just bringing it back a little...really is a straight forward way to expose well 99% of the time. 😁 Thanks for watching 👍
Hi Mike. This was very helpful! I shoot with strobes for newborn studio photography. Do you have a tutorial for setting the exposure via histogram with strobes for the Sony a7iii?
I'm glad I could help. I don't at the moment but that could be a good one to do. I do have a video on shooting with strobes showing the way I do it. Check it out if you haven't already: th-cam.com/video/RrIfxPdL4qM/w-d-xo.html
Just wanted to ask you.i use the sae dispay mode like you.but when i move - + shhuter or appeture the numbers will get bigger and i have to wait 2 or 3 sec to be ittle again to see the hystogram again
Hi Dan, Thanks so much! Yes you’re right I’d have it at 100+ and then bring the exposure down so they are not showing in anything but shiney surfaces and the sun. Unless you’re intentionally blowing out the highlights that is... Thanks for watching. 👍
Can you please tell me, Sony a7iii creative style, did they have a good dynamic range? And do you prefer to use it in video shooting and not using the picture profile? Thank you in advance.
I use the pro colour pack from Andrew Reid at eosHD. It is a paid pack but it makes it really easy for me to produce videos every week without doing much if any colour grading at all. For the most dynamic range, you want to be shooting in either one of the s-log profiles or the hlg profile, but for s-log you need to know what you're doing to get a good looking image out of it. Also you need to know when to use slog and when not to...because when you use it in the wrong way, you can get really noisy horrible looking footage. Creative styles are OK and are the easiest way to get different looks to your video files but they don't give you the most dynamic range. I'm actually putting together a tutorial on picture profiles at the moment, so once I'm finished, I'll release it here on my TH-cam page. I hope that helps. 👍
Mike Smith You are a wonderful person and a master in the camera world, thank you for your time and infos, I will definitely waiting for your new videos, best of luck dear Mike.
Hi Simon, That is true, although when you do have it set to 85%, you'll end up with zebra patters all over the place. I've tried it for videos and interviews and it was quite distracting on the back of the camera. For Jpegs, I'd keep it to about 95% for the highlights. Thanks for watching. 😁👍
The zebras are a really good video function. I use them at 100+ all the time in videography. They are a little temperamental in some of the picture profiles, so it would be worth doing some test shots if you are going to be using them in the flatter profiles. Thanks for watching. 😁👍
That's a good question...i think it's getting the reading off the jpeg preview...because when you change the picture profiles or the creative styles, it changes the histogram...🤔
I like this. Thank you for explaining. It helped a lot. I think it’s important to point out that 100+ zebras isn’t universal, because it will depend on what PP you’re shooting in for film. You will find the baseline from the manufacturer or testers, I suppose. Not sure if that applies to photos.
Hi Justin, Thanks very much. You're right about 100+ zebras for film. Nowadays, when I am shooting video, I have it set to either 95 or 100 to be on the safe side. Whereas with photography, I crank it right up due to the greater scope with raw files. It is great that we have these features for both film and photography though. 😁👍
Thanks Craig. I think the highlight metering really brings the exposure down. If you have the zebras turned on and you crank up the exposure compensation, you should start to see the zebras....but I think the highlight metering is pretty aggressive in protecting the highlights. Does that make sense?
you have to test with your camera to be sure but technically you can set custom zebra lower limit 109+, when you shoot in RAW (Sony Camera). I use 107+ for both A7III & A7RIII and it works just fine. hope this helps ... even after 7 months ...
Thank you Mike for the video, this was very helpful! In my experience shooting (let's just call it landscape photography), the best method for myself is to expose use the histogram and as they say, expose to the right and ensure my exposure isn't clipping. I've always felt that the zebras are far too conservative even at 100+. My understanding with tonal values on sony camera is that exposing to the right preserves the highest tonal values. I dont know if that's correct but when I correctly execute ETTR and bring the photo in lightroom cc it appears that the color is well captured. I wish Sony would code for an ETTR and add it as a new metering option and allow us to dictate how much if any clipping is allowed. I also wish the histogram was available on the LCD/viewfinder as a much larger image or even possibly as a transparent display overlaid on the composition. Thanks again for the video 2 years later!
Great to hear I could help! Yes, the zebras are very conservative...That would be good to have a ETTR meter mode in camera, would speed up the process a little. It would be better to have more options with the histogram...it's very limiting to just have it on one page and then not be able to combine it with some of the other settings. Hopefully they will correct this in future updates. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Im a subscriber since u have less than 10k subscribers Now im on my second account and found your channel again and im so happy that u reached this number of subscribers 👍🏼
Great demonstration, thank you! How about the case when there are no highlights in your photo? For example, a dark room or a forest in the evening. You will be using a gray card, or Zebra2 for skin tone, or a light meter to set the exposure. As the result, on the histogram you will get a lot of space on the right without any lights. Should we increase the exposure to get more details from the shadows, and remember to decrease it during photo processing? Or just follow the right exposure? Thank you!
When there are no highlights in your photo, you definitely need to expose accordingly ... although without any highlights, the histogram would look very different. It's all about working with what you have in the frame to get as much detail as possible. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Most definitely. When the sun is in your shot or the dynamic range is huge. This is when you need to obracket your shots. As always thanks for watching 😁👍
Outstanding video as always Mike. Maybe you could have mentioned that the LCD histogram is based off the JPEG images embedded in a RAW file so that is why it had less dynamic range compared to when you review the histogram of the raw image in Lightroom!
Thanks Michael. That’s a great point. Yeah, I should have mentioned that. It would be interesting to see how soon the zebras come into play compared to the blinkies in a dslr. I always used to go by the blinkies and reshoot if necessary when I shot with the canon cameras about 5 years ago.
Hi Kim, If you’re using flash heads, there’s no real point in using zebras. They’ll only come in handy when you’re using natural light or constant lighting. If you do use natural light, set them to 105+ and then just make sure there are no zebras on the persons face. That seems to work ok for me. 👍
@@mikesphotography Hi Mike, I saw somewhere that for skin tone it's good to set zebras at 80%. The 105+ you are talking are about the highlights ? Thanks.
@@jyexe525 yes you can do that...but that's a technique used more for videography so you don't get anywhere near clipping any parts of the highlights on the face. The problem with setting your zebras to 70-80%, especially if it's a high key composition, is that you'll end up with a frame full of zebras which will be really distracting when shooting. If I'm doing interviews, I'll switch to 75% zebras to just check the face but then I'll switch it back to 105...as for photography, I'll make sure the highlights aren't clipped when photographing people, and as long as the subject is lit well, I'll then be able to really make the photo pop when editing. I hope that makes sense. 👍
Incredibly clear and helpful tutorial, thanks! For adjusting the overexposure in zebra line, I saw you adjusted the shutter speed to do so. Normally I adjust the overexposure by adjusting the EV. Is there any difference between the two? Which one would you prefer? Thanks
Thanks so much Ions! I think I just picked shutter speed to drop the exposure but you could change any of the three main settings; aperture, shutter speed or iso. And in the semi automatic modes you could just use the exposure compensation dial....it all depends on the shooting environment. In low pressured environments, I shoot in manual and would change one of the three main settings, in a high pressured environment, I’d be in aperture priority and use the exposure compensation dial. Does that make sense?
Great Video been trying to figure this out myself can you try something for me I think this may be better the settings are - PP10 , Dro/Hdr Off, Zebras Custom 90 Lower limit , Gamma Assist on , I would love your feed back on this , If I was to use your settings what Picture profile are you using and Dro on of off thanks again great Videos
Hi Darren, thanks for the comment. 👍 So are you shooting video or photography? And if photos are you shooting in jpeg or raw? Once I know exactly how you’re shooting, I can give you some grounded feedback. 👍 P.s. you’ve also just hatched another idea for a video so thanks! 😁👍
Ok cool. So I think certain settings affect raw and others don’t. I’m pretty sure the PP settings don’t but I’m going to test it. I only ever use the PP settings when filming as recording video bakes in so many settings. I’ve also got Andrew Reid’s Sony pro colour pack (www.EOSHD.com) so my PP settings are very different to the factory settings. I’ll test it when I get back home and let you know. 👍
Probably it is a little off since the histograms are based on jpeg information not raw, at least for the image file you get on your camera screen. I know of know camera that uses RAW files for histograms, that is my understanding. I could be wrong. I surmise that the image on the camera screen functions like a jpeg so what looked blown out on the screen was actually not blown out in the raw file. I assume the same flawed jpeg-like scenario is involved with the zebra patterns, so the results tend to be a bit conservative.
When i press "up" on the dial button, i don't get any histogram on my display when i'm in movie mode. I do get the histogram in the M mode all together with the function menu on the right, the leveling and all kind of other info, but not as shown like on your display,..just the image you want to shoot or film and the histogram only. How or where can you set this? Thanx
If you go to tab 2 menu 6/9, click on “DISP button” and then “monitor,” you’ll have all the different display options here. Make sure that histogram is ticked and then click on enter to save the new option. Then when you push up on your control dial, you should get the histogram displayed like mine. Let me know how you get on. 👍
Awesome!! Glad I could help out!! That’s definitely one of those menus that’s well hidden....took me a while to find it the first time I was looking for it!! Happy shooting dude! 👍
Hi I saw you have Dro off so thats that answered , what is the Best profile for Dynamic Range Nutural ??? Also in lightroom I use Camera matching and the profile set in the Camera do you find that accurate ? Thanks Mike
Hi Darren, I answered one of your other questions and must have missed this one. 🤦🏻♂️ I don’t really use any of the DRO settings or the camera matching in lightroom. I just go raw and then manually get the image to where I want it. Sorry I couldn’t help more with this.
Thank's! I have a question. Is it the same thing with human face? Will you put the zebra to 100% too? Will you drop it down a little bit to not burn the face? Thank's for the answer.
With a face, it all depends on their skin tones. As your pretty much looking at what will be the final image on the back of the screen, I’ll make sure it looks good...if there are any bright shiny parts catching the light, I’ll try to move or try dropping the exposure a little. What works really well with Caucasian skin tones is to drop the zebras to 70% and then just get the persons face with zebras on the highlights of the face...this should give great exposures. The best bet is to experiment with different settings and see what works best for you. I hope that helps. 👍
Mike I am using A7iii and the problem is histogram doesn’t meter as I turn the exposure compensation dial. Please help what should I do. It is making no difference what shooting mode I am in.
I didn’t pay attention before but recently I tried using this dial. Strange thing is dial changes the exposure value in screen and based on that value the picture taken is affected. The only issue is histogram. I am in the latest firmware 3.01. I am not sure if this is firmware issue or not. Hardware wise I can’t blame dial since it is changing the exposure number.
I'm not sure what is going on then. If you could film the back of your camera with your camera phone or another camera you might have showing exactly what you are doing, and upload it to youtube, (you can just put it as an unlisted video so only people with the link would be able to see it and send me the link), then I might be able to help. 👍
Thank you Mike for all the replies. I am happy to say that this is fixed now but I had to reset all the setting. I don’t know what was causing the issue though. I am banking towards some sort of setting in the menu. Thanks alot anyways 🙏
No worries. Good to hear you got it fixed!! Sometimes a factory reset does fix some of the software issues...a bit like hitting the off/on button on a PC. 😀👍
How did e ever get by before e relied in screen gimmicks? Sports, Weddings and Commercial all without looking at answers on the back? And this is progress?
The same as how we used to get on without mobile phones... Gimmicks tend to be things that don't really hold much merit whereas histograms and zebras are more of a tool to help people with their own exposure settings, and if it helps, I see it as a good thing. Thanks for watching. 👍
@@mikesphotography but we had to rely on skill didnt we? Slavishly pressing a button to call someone tends to end up mot knowing their number? Setting exposure by moving a graph left or tight does nothing for learning? Users would do better studying Ansel Adams etc. And understanding the limitations of reflected exposure estimates from a jpeg presentation, especially when using RAW?
Yes we did...and the learning curve was much slower and prolonged...but more rewarding. I was at a motocross event in Swindon in the mid nineties when it all finally clicked for me but that was after a long frustrating few years... With repetition, moving a graph left or right will help in the learning process and people will stop using it as a crutch as they get better and build on their experience. It is just a different way compared to how we learned. 👍
Hi Mike, Is exposing to right is either using shutter speed or ISO and adjusting the exposure compensation button on top of the camera works the same way. What if i expose correctly to the histogram and adjust the exposure compensation to 1 stop + or -.
Hi Rajesh, It all depends on what mode you are in...In manual mode with manual ISO, you can change your exposure with shutter speed, ISO or aperture. In shutter priority, aperture priority, program mode or manual mode with Auto ISO, you can use the exposure compensation dial. Does that make sense?
The zebra works with the jpg image, so when you are shooting in raw you have a little room. That's the reason why you could get detail from the highlights which where showing the žanra pattern.
That is true, and I've done a follow up video showing how when shooting in RAW you have more wiggle room because the zebras are looking at the jpeg preview. Thanks for watching. 👍
Hey Mike, wondering if you can answer something for me. I got the A7III and use both the zebra/histogram when taking photos. However, I can't seem to get the Zebras to show when in video mode. Am I missing something here? When in video mode, the zebra doesn't display at all, regardless of how overexposed it is. Thanks in advance mate!
Some camera operators like to have it at about 70% when doing interviews. Then they can get the image up on the monitor and know that if the zebras are just showing on the person's face, they know they have the exposure about right for that interview. 👍
ZEE-bra! ;) Thanks for the video! :) P.S. On many Sony cameras, including my A7s V1, you can push the exposure around one stop beyond the level where zebras at '100+%' start to occur before you truly saturate (255) or block any highlights. This may not render the best skin tones, but does work well for landscape, etc.
Thanks very much! Yep, the zebras look at the preview, so if you shoot in raw, you have a lot more latitude with those raw files. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Hi - i have setup my zebra at 100+. While taking one of the photo i observed that no matter what i do few zebra lines wouldn't disappear from the screen. My iso was auto, i tried it on manual iso as well. The f number was minimum at 4 as i use 24-105 lens. White balance was also auto. It was a cloudy day and sun was partially visible from behind the clouds. Only option i had to change the shutter. I was at 1/400 and i went upto 1/8000 but still those lines were there. What could be wrong?
What mode were you in? On the big dial on the top of the camera... Something must be in automatic or a semiautomatic mode and keeping the exposure high. Also if you have picture profiles on, that will change how the zebras look. On a sunny day make sure you’re in manual mode, with iso at 200, shutter speed at 1/200 and aperture at f16...White balance set to daylight. Then when you change the values, the zebras should change. 👍
Most definitely! I used to have magic lantern on one of my old Canon cameras and it was great! A lot of people are a little cautious of that though... Even though it just adds some great functions! 👍
I think i messed up the setting of my a7iii, zebra is on, and 100+ but its not showing on my display, only histogram, last time both are shown up, did i miss something
It seems to be a weird quirk...I find that when I use some picture profiles the zebras completely disappear...try pointing your camera at some overexposed highlights with the picture profile on and then with the picture profile off and see if it makes a difference.
That's a good test, but is only applicable to that camera - it is perhaps a bit more sensitive to detecting bright highlights. My Blackmagic camera is more accurate and 100% zebras means pure white, where nothing is recoverable.
Most definitely. The black magic has much better zebras for video. I was just interested to see if photographers could use zebras like videographers do as it’s a tool that is available in all modes on the Sony cameras. Thanks for watching Phil. 👍
Magic lantern definitely opens up lots of features on the canon cameras. Used to have that on my old 600D and it definitely helped. 👍 A lot of camera folk get scared about putting it on their cameras....I don’t know anyone who ever had a problem with it though. It’s a shame canon didn’t employ them to make it all part of the official software!
This is so confusing. Setting the zebras to 90% and correctly exposing for the highlights under exposes the image however having the zebras showing correctly exposed the sky. After you did the zebras at 100+ you only showed us 1 of the 2 images. Was that the image taken with no zebras or with some zebras because it looked over exposed in the sky.
No worries. The great thing with zebras is that you can set them up exactly how you want to... Its best to set them and then try them out so you know how far you can push the images afterwards. Thanks for watching. 👍
nailed it. clear, concise. way to go, mike. thanks a lot.
i found this incredibly helpful! Ive been pulling my hair ouit since shooting video with my new son A7iii - and have just started to learn about Slog and LUTs and this video was just what i needed. thank you!
That’s great Avelina! Luts, slog and all the other profiles and settings can be a bit of a mine field!!
I’m pretty lazy when it comes to colour grading so I tend to use the Sony pro colour pack from Andrew Reid at www.eoshd.com (no affiliation, just like the ease of use). But I know once you learn how to use it properly, you can get an amazing picture from these cameras!
I’m glad I could help!!😁👍
Too the point, clearly explained, detailed, backed up with experiments and evidence. Perfect!
Thanks so much! Keeping it as tight as possible! 👍
Please make the video about how to properly get the skin tones. How to expose and color grade them Thank you!
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll add it to my list of videos to do. 👍
For skin he best tool for exposing is the false colour.
Wow, I was looking all over for a video to properly explain how to use Zebras. You did, what I couldn’t find. Thank you so much for taking the time to explain this, and explain it right!
No worries, I’m glad I could help!! I have loads more tutorials on my channel and a lot more to come so make sure you subscribe and turn on notifications so you don’t miss out on anything. 😁👍
✅ DONE ✅
Thanks so much!! 😁👍
One of the first tut videos I've watched where the teacher doesn't faff about talking about nonsense.
Straight to the point mate, subbed. 👍
Thanks so much!
It's all about the lack of faff on my channel...i almost called it No Faff Photography!! 😁
Thanks for the sub, much appreciated. 👍👍
perfect explanation and demonstration. Very methodical.
Thanks very much Ashley! ... and thanks for watching 😁👍
Very very useful tutorial. Very clearly explained. I like the way you don't assume any prior knowledge. Never thought about zebras for stills before (I had thought they were only for video). I will now...when I buy the camera that is. Thank you.
Thanks so much Stephen! It really motivates me when I hear how my tutorials are helping!
About 5 years ago I switched to using the Panasonic gh3 and then the gh4 cameras, as I was almost exclusively doing videography with a few big contracts, and I really saw the benefits of zebras in quickly getting a good exposure.
After coming back to photography and then switching from dslrs to mirrorless cameras, it felt natural to use them for photography as well as videography.
You’ll definitely see the benefit when you get your camera! 😁
Thanks for watching 👍
@@mikesphotography The only problem, having already worked out how I would customize the camera, is that I would want another button. Zebras are something I'd want to assign to a direct control. I think the A7 series bodies could do with some more controls. Like the A9 dials.
Is your Fn menu full?...that's always a good place to store other functions you'd want to access quickly...more buttons are always a bonus! 👍
Sir: For me. De best tutorial in TH-cam. Thanks Sir your videos, as always, are pure gold for me
Thanks so much Daniel!! 😁👍
👏👏 Nice job! Easy to understand and to the point. Thanks
Thanks so much!! Glad you like it!! I only just about finished this one in time.....😁👍
This was the really easy to understand explanation.
Thanks so much Robbie, I hope it helped!! 😁👍
thank you i am going to play around with Zebras now! so nice to have a tool that will improve my photos directly in the camera!
Great to hear Harry! 😁👍
I know I’m late, but thanks for this! I also shoot on the A7III and this was valuable information for my uncertainty over when I’m overexposing highlights.
Better late than never!!
Great to hear you got something from it. Keep checking back as I’ve got loads more coming this year!! 👍
Thank you for explaining the zebras bcuz I couldn’t find a decent video about it and why my Sony A7iii kept under exposing my photos. I will try the settings 100 and 100+ to see what works best for me. Oh and by the way great job explaining them. You were very clear and to the point and showed examples loving your videos.
Excellent! I’m glad you got something from my tutorial Angel!
Before making this I’d always end up under exposing because of what the zebras were telling me. I now have them on about 105+and it seems to do the job! 👍
Same here I only had the camera for about a week now and just couldn’t figure it out till now bcuz of your video thanks a lot. I hope to grow my channel with useful information such as urs.
Fantastic video, great info. I was always afraid of "losing" detail in highlights if I didn't get the zebras off the screen.
Thanks so much!
Yeah, I was as well, and sometimes even if I saw the slightest bit of a zebra, I’d get rid of it. I’m really learning the in’s and out’s of this camera through-and-through by doing these tests so I’m glad you’re getting value from these as well! 👍
@@mikesphotography Panasonic line behaves similarly at Zebra 105% set. I'm experimenting with 95 to 105% now. Great feature of the mirrorless system.
Most definitely!! I use zebras all the time and it’s such a quick visual tool...👍
@@mikesphotography I just have to be more bold and overexpose irrelevant parts of the image. Was taking some images of the fall colors in the woods in overcast conditions. In the dense forest that little of cloud left doesn't add anything to the image. For portrait, you probably want 80-90% Zebra right?
👍 Useful video lesson. I’ll start with your recommendations and adjust to fit my style. Thank you.
Thanks so much Paul, I’m glad it has helped 😁👍
Mike is a fantastic teacher. Thanks 🤙
Thanks so much Nick! 😁👍
Thank you for explaining the two.
No worries, thanks for watching! 😁👍
Best explanation of an histogram! thanks
Thanks so much Neil! 😁👍
Thank you for all of these explanations :)
No worries, and thanks for watching 😁👍
You got good stuff mike. I am big fan. Thank you for getting straight to the point without wasting any time! SUBSCRIBEDDDDD
Thanks so much Dan!
That was one of the reasons I started...so many channels talk for ages about random stuff before getting to the point which can be so frustrating, so I decided to do the opposite...get in, give all the info needed, nothing more nothing less and then get out...seems to be working! 👍
Thanks so much for the sub, really appreciate you joining the community!! 😁
Great video, thanks. I wish I could do this in Photo mode on Nikon Z cameras.
Mike can you do Sports Photography Vid explaining Lock on Focus and what setting to use thanks
I’ll add it to the ever expanding list! 😆 👍 there is a motocross track near me that I’d love to go and shoot at so it might be an excuse to head down there on race day!
Exactly what I wanted to know delivered efficiently and easy to understand. Thank you very much indeed.
Thanks so much Richard, I'm glad I could help!👍
Would +100 be good in shooting raw for portraits?
Very good explanation. Would have been nice also if also you tested it for video to see if you can save the parts where the zebras appeared at 100+.
Hi Nacho, I have that one on the to do list. I try and keep my videography and photography videos separate so if you're just a videographer or a photographer, you get the info you need, no more, no less.
Thanks for watching. 😁👍
Can the zebra setting be used for night street photography? Like, a subtly lit dark alleyway? How should I read histograms/zebra's for night photography?
Yes they can be. I'd set it to 105+ when shooting RAW and then try to stop the zebras form appearing on the highlights. WIth the ISO invariance of this camera, you should be able to pull a lot of detail out of the shadows. 👍
Histograms are a little harder as it will usually be skewed to the left...I'd just use live view and the zebras to get the look I was going for.
confused. ended up buying a zoo.
Haha!! Best comment ever!! 😆
ha ha ha
Thanks. Now I know exactly how to use zebra on my sony 6400
Great to hear it has helped Scott.
Thanks for watching. 😁👍
landed here by chance , watched, excellent examples.
Thanks so much! I have plenty more on everything photography so be sure to check out what else I have on my channel...and I have two new tutorials/videos every week.
Thanks for watching. 👍
Dude! That Zebra explanation! Amazing thank you so much! My video were always way too underexposed and I couldnt figure out why that was when using zebras. Had it on Zebra 70 :D
Great to hear it has helped Sam! Yeah, with the zebras on 70%, it would definitely get you under exposing your shots. I much prefer having it on 100+ and then just bringing it back a little...really is a straight forward way to expose well 99% of the time. 😁
Thanks for watching 👍
Mike Smith yes you’re right! For my testing with the a6600 I found 95% perfect for video. No noise in darker spots anymore 🙌
Excellent!! It's always good to test out different levels to see what works best for your style of filming. 😁👍
Hi Mike. This was very helpful! I shoot with strobes for newborn studio photography. Do you have a tutorial for setting the exposure via histogram with strobes for the Sony a7iii?
I'm glad I could help. I don't at the moment but that could be a good one to do. I do have a video on shooting with strobes showing the way I do it.
Check it out if you haven't already: th-cam.com/video/RrIfxPdL4qM/w-d-xo.html
Mike thanks for the video, very informative and well made. love it. subscribed.
Thanks so much Sergei! And thanks for the sub, much appreciated! 👍
Just wanted to ask you.i use the sae dispay mode like you.but when i move - + shhuter or appeture the numbers will get bigger and i have to wait 2 or 3 sec to be ittle again to see the hystogram again
What does the Custom1 and Custom2 setting with Zebra mean?
These are where you can set your own figures within the setting, so basically customise the setting even more. 👍
Very clearly expressed, great tutorial.
Thanks so much Damon! 😁👍
Perfect explanation. Thank you.
Thanks Tom, I'm glad it was helpful! 😁👍
Great video. For video in daylight and inside what would you recommend Zebra be at? 100+?
Hi Dan,
Thanks so much!
Yes you’re right I’d have it at 100+ and then bring the exposure down so they are not showing in anything but shiney surfaces and the sun. Unless you’re intentionally blowing out the highlights that is...
Thanks for watching. 👍
after years of guessing I now understand. Thanks Mike
That's great to hear I could help!
Thanks for watching Teddy 😁👍
Can you please tell me, Sony a7iii creative style, did they have a good dynamic range? And do you prefer to use it in video shooting and not using the picture profile? Thank you in advance.
I use the pro colour pack from Andrew Reid at eosHD. It is a paid pack but it makes it really easy for me to produce videos every week without doing much if any colour grading at all.
For the most dynamic range, you want to be shooting in either one of the s-log profiles or the hlg profile, but for s-log you need to know what you're doing to get a good looking image out of it. Also you need to know when to use slog and when not to...because when you use it in the wrong way, you can get really noisy horrible looking footage.
Creative styles are OK and are the easiest way to get different looks to your video files but they don't give you the most dynamic range.
I'm actually putting together a tutorial on picture profiles at the moment, so once I'm finished, I'll release it here on my TH-cam page.
I hope that helps. 👍
Mike Smith You are a wonderful person and a master in the camera world, thank you for your time and infos, I will definitely waiting for your new videos, best of luck dear Mike.
Thanks so much for your kind words! ☺️
I just love taking photos, filming and teaching others to do the same. 😁👍
I've read 85 is a good setting for getting the correct skin tones ? If I shoot jpeg on my A7iii what % should I use ?
Hi Simon,
That is true, although when you do have it set to 85%, you'll end up with zebra patters all over the place. I've tried it for videos and interviews and it was quite distracting on the back of the camera.
For Jpegs, I'd keep it to about 95% for the highlights.
Thanks for watching. 😁👍
Such a useful video! Thanks!!
And thank you for watching. 😁👍
Will the 100+ work for video?
The zebras are a really good video function. I use them at 100+ all the time in videography. They are a little temperamental in some of the picture profiles, so it would be worth doing some test shots if you are going to be using them in the flatter profiles.
Thanks for watching. 😁👍
best Zebra tutorial out there, thanks
Thanks so much Malennachbruchzahlen! Much appreciated!! 👍
Second this comment 100%.
Thanks so much Angel Luis!! 😁👍
is it the histogram reading the jpeg preview on the camera or is it the actual raw? great video mate! thank you
That's a good question...i think it's getting the reading off the jpeg preview...because when you change the picture profiles or the creative styles, it changes the histogram...🤔
This works for video too?
Zebras is a function that has come from videography, so yes, it's a great way to help with your exposures.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
I like this. Thank you for explaining. It helped a lot. I think it’s important to point out that 100+ zebras isn’t universal, because it will depend on what PP you’re shooting in for film. You will find the baseline from the manufacturer or testers, I suppose. Not sure if that applies to photos.
Hi Justin,
Thanks very much. You're right about 100+ zebras for film. Nowadays, when I am shooting video, I have it set to either 95 or 100 to be on the safe side. Whereas with photography, I crank it right up due to the greater scope with raw files.
It is great that we have these features for both film and photography though. 😁👍
THANK YOU FOR EVERY SINGKE SECOND OF THIS VIDEO
I would put a polarizing filter on my lens. I have to try the histogram. Thanks again
No worries Don. Glad I could help.
Great video...Am I correct to assume that the Highlight metering mode will give a zebra indication on the brightest spots of the overall image? A7riii
Thanks Craig. I think the highlight metering really brings the exposure down. If you have the zebras turned on and you crank up the exposure compensation, you should start to see the zebras....but I think the highlight metering is pretty aggressive in protecting the highlights.
Does that make sense?
Thanks for this vid, it’s very informative.
And thanks for watching. 👍
thank you for giving information
No worries, I’m glad I could help. 👍
Hello sir I saw other videos he is using C2 lower limit so what is the advisable in using zebra level?
you have to test with your camera to be sure but technically you can set custom zebra lower limit 109+, when you shoot in RAW (Sony Camera). I use 107+ for both A7III & A7RIII and it works just fine. hope this helps ... even after 7 months ...
Thank you Mike for the video, this was very helpful! In my experience shooting (let's just call it landscape photography), the best method for myself is to expose use the histogram and as they say, expose to the right and ensure my exposure isn't clipping. I've always felt that the zebras are far too conservative even at 100+. My understanding with tonal values on sony camera is that exposing to the right preserves the highest tonal values. I dont know if that's correct but when I correctly execute ETTR and bring the photo in lightroom cc it appears that the color is well captured. I wish Sony would code for an ETTR and add it as a new metering option and allow us to dictate how much if any clipping is allowed. I also wish the histogram was available on the LCD/viewfinder as a much larger image or even possibly as a transparent display overlaid on the composition. Thanks again for the video 2 years later!
Great to hear I could help! Yes, the zebras are very conservative...That would be good to have a ETTR meter mode in camera, would speed up the process a little.
It would be better to have more options with the histogram...it's very limiting to just have it on one page and then not be able to combine it with some of the other settings. Hopefully they will correct this in future updates.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Im a subscriber since u have less than 10k subscribers
Now im on my second account and found your channel again and im so happy that u reached this number of subscribers 👍🏼
Thanks so much!! ... and great to hear you've found my account again!!
Lots more to come so the next goal is 100,000! 😁👍
Very good Video! Thanks a lot!!!
Thanks so much, I hope it helped!! 👍
awesome explanation!
Thanks very much Vee! 😁👍
Great demonstration, thank you!
How about the case when there are no highlights in your photo? For example, a dark room or a forest in the evening. You will be using a gray card, or Zebra2 for skin tone, or a light meter to set the exposure. As the result, on the histogram you will get a lot of space on the right without any lights. Should we increase the exposure to get more details from the shadows, and remember to decrease it during photo processing? Or just follow the right exposure? Thank you!
When there are no highlights in your photo, you definitely need to expose accordingly ... although without any highlights, the histogram would look very different. It's all about working with what you have in the frame to get as much detail as possible.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Thanks great explanation I was looking for
Well explained m8, Thanks a lot.
No worries, Thanks for watching!! 😁👍
Sunrise or sunset is a tricky one, cos you either get light blow out or dark fg,
Most definitely. When the sun is in your shot or the dynamic range is huge. This is when you need to obracket your shots.
As always thanks for watching 😁👍
Outstanding video as always Mike. Maybe you could have mentioned that the LCD histogram is based off the JPEG images embedded in a RAW file so that is why it had less dynamic range compared to when you review the histogram of the raw image in Lightroom!
Thanks Michael. That’s a great point.
Yeah, I should have mentioned that.
It would be interesting to see how soon the zebras come into play compared to the blinkies in a dslr. I always used to go by the blinkies and reshoot if necessary when I shot with the canon cameras about 5 years ago.
Great video. I just bought a A7iii :)
Awesome!! Welcome to the club!! 😁👍
I like the respect way you talking, thanks dear for the great infos, now i will use my sony a7 iii Zebras ;)
Thank you very much. I hope it helped! 😁👍
Hi Mike. Love your videos.
So I shoot portraits outside and and indoors. Is zebras relevant to me? Or is it just for landscape photographers?
Hi Kim,
If you’re using flash heads, there’s no real point in using zebras. They’ll only come in handy when you’re using natural light or constant lighting.
If you do use natural light, set them to 105+ and then just make sure there are no zebras on the persons face. That seems to work ok for me. 👍
@@mikesphotography Thanks Mike 🙂
I'm not using any flash, just natural light.
@@mikesphotography Hi Mike, I saw somewhere that for skin tone it's good to set zebras at 80%. The 105+ you are talking are about the highlights ?
Thanks.
@@jyexe525 yes you can do that...but that's a technique used more for videography so you don't get anywhere near clipping any parts of the highlights on the face. The problem with setting your zebras to 70-80%, especially if it's a high key composition, is that you'll end up with a frame full of zebras which will be really distracting when shooting.
If I'm doing interviews, I'll switch to 75% zebras to just check the face but then I'll switch it back to 105...as for photography, I'll make sure the highlights aren't clipped when photographing people, and as long as the subject is lit well, I'll then be able to really make the photo pop when editing.
I hope that makes sense. 👍
Incredibly clear and helpful tutorial, thanks!
For adjusting the overexposure in zebra line, I saw you adjusted the shutter speed to do so. Normally I adjust the overexposure by adjusting the EV.
Is there any difference between the two?
Which one would you prefer?
Thanks
Thanks so much Ions!
I think I just picked shutter speed to drop the exposure but you could change any of the three main settings; aperture, shutter speed or iso. And in the semi automatic modes you could just use the exposure compensation dial....it all depends on the shooting environment. In low pressured environments, I shoot in manual and would change one of the three main settings, in a high pressured environment, I’d be in aperture priority and use the exposure compensation dial.
Does that make sense?
Mike Smith Hi Mike, very clear and thank you for your sharing!
Great Video been trying to figure this out myself can you try something for me I think this may be better the settings are - PP10 , Dro/Hdr Off, Zebras Custom 90 Lower limit , Gamma Assist on , I would love your feed back on this , If I was to use your settings what Picture profile are you using and Dro on of off thanks again great Videos
Hi Darren, thanks for the comment. 👍 So are you shooting video or photography? And if photos are you shooting in jpeg or raw?
Once I know exactly how you’re shooting, I can give you some grounded feedback. 👍
P.s. you’ve also just hatched another idea for a video so thanks! 😁👍
Hi Mike Photography Stills for
Landscapes and always Raw
Ok cool. So I think certain settings affect raw and others don’t. I’m pretty sure the PP settings don’t but I’m going to test it.
I only ever use the PP settings when filming as recording video bakes in so many settings. I’ve also got Andrew Reid’s Sony pro colour pack (www.EOSHD.com) so my PP settings are very different to the factory settings.
I’ll test it when I get back home and let you know. 👍
Probably it is a little off since the histograms are based on jpeg information not raw, at least for the image file you get on your camera screen. I know of know camera that uses RAW files for histograms, that is my understanding. I could be wrong. I surmise that the image on the camera screen functions like a jpeg so what looked blown out on the screen was actually not blown out in the raw file. I assume the same flawed jpeg-like scenario is involved with the zebra patterns, so the results tend to be a bit conservative.
When i press "up" on the dial button, i don't get any histogram on my display when i'm in movie mode. I do get the histogram in the M mode all together with the function menu on the right, the leveling and all kind of other info, but not as shown like on your display,..just the image you want to shoot or film and the histogram only. How or where can you set this? Thanx
If you go to tab 2 menu 6/9, click on “DISP button” and then “monitor,” you’ll have all the different display options here. Make sure that histogram is ticked and then click on enter to save the new option. Then when you push up on your control dial, you should get the histogram displayed like mine.
Let me know how you get on. 👍
Histogram was ticked of, now its all good, thanx alot m8!!
Awesome!! Glad I could help out!!
That’s definitely one of those menus that’s well hidden....took me a while to find it the first time I was looking for it!!
Happy shooting dude! 👍
Hi I saw you have Dro off so thats that answered , what is the Best profile for Dynamic Range Nutural ??? Also in lightroom I use Camera matching and the profile set in the Camera do you find that accurate ? Thanks Mike
?
Hi Darren,
I answered one of your other questions and must have missed this one. 🤦🏻♂️
I don’t really use any of the DRO settings or the camera matching in lightroom. I just go raw and then manually get the image to where I want it.
Sorry I couldn’t help more with this.
Whats the zebra settings for hlg 2? I use 95
Hey Jackie,
I don't use HLG2 so I'm not sure. How do you get on with 95? Does it give you good results?
Thank's! I have a question. Is it the same thing with human face? Will you put the zebra to 100% too? Will you drop it down a little bit to not burn the face? Thank's for the answer.
With a face, it all depends on their skin tones. As your pretty much looking at what will be the final image on the back of the screen, I’ll make sure it looks good...if there are any bright shiny parts catching the light, I’ll try to move or try dropping the exposure a little.
What works really well with Caucasian skin tones is to drop the zebras to 70% and then just get the persons face with zebras on the highlights of the face...this should give great exposures. The best bet is to experiment with different settings and see what works best for you.
I hope that helps. 👍
Good job.
Thanks so much Paul! 👍
Mike I am using A7iii and the problem is histogram doesn’t meter as I turn the exposure compensation dial. Please help what should I do. It is making no difference what shooting mode I am in.
That is strange. Has it always done that or is it something that has started recently?
I didn’t pay attention before but recently I tried using this dial. Strange thing is dial changes the exposure value in screen and based on that value the picture taken is affected. The only issue is histogram. I am in the latest firmware 3.01. I am not sure if this is firmware issue or not. Hardware wise I can’t blame dial since it is changing the exposure number.
I'm not sure what is going on then. If you could film the back of your camera with your camera phone or another camera you might have showing exactly what you are doing, and upload it to youtube, (you can just put it as an unlisted video so only people with the link would be able to see it and send me the link), then I might be able to help. 👍
Thank you Mike for all the replies. I am happy to say that this is fixed now but I had to reset all the setting. I don’t know what was causing the issue though. I am banking towards some sort of setting in the menu. Thanks alot anyways 🙏
No worries. Good to hear you got it fixed!! Sometimes a factory reset does fix some of the software issues...a bit like hitting the off/on button on a PC. 😀👍
How did e ever get by before e relied in screen gimmicks? Sports, Weddings and Commercial all without looking at answers on the back? And this is progress?
The same as how we used to get on without mobile phones... Gimmicks tend to be things that don't really hold much merit whereas histograms and zebras are more of a tool to help people with their own exposure settings, and if it helps, I see it as a good thing.
Thanks for watching. 👍
@@mikesphotography but we had to rely on skill didnt we? Slavishly pressing a button to call someone tends to end up mot knowing their number? Setting exposure by moving a graph left or tight does nothing for learning? Users would do better studying Ansel Adams etc. And understanding the limitations of reflected exposure estimates from a jpeg presentation, especially when using RAW?
Yes we did...and the learning curve was much slower and prolonged...but more rewarding.
I was at a motocross event in Swindon in the mid nineties when it all finally clicked for me but that was after a long frustrating few years...
With repetition, moving a graph left or right will help in the learning process and people will stop using it as a crutch as they get better and build on their experience. It is just a different way compared to how we learned. 👍
Hi Mike, Is exposing to right is either using shutter speed or ISO and adjusting the exposure compensation button on top of the camera works the same way. What if i expose correctly to the histogram and adjust the exposure compensation to 1 stop + or -.
Hi Rajesh,
It all depends on what mode you are in...In manual mode with manual ISO, you can change your exposure with shutter speed, ISO or aperture. In shutter priority, aperture priority, program mode or manual mode with Auto ISO, you can use the exposure compensation dial.
Does that make sense?
Mike Smith thank you Mike
For this do you set the metering mode to highlight or multi meter
I keep it on multimetering so I know it stays constant. Once I get used to how this setting works for a given camera, I know what I can get away with.
The zebra works with the jpg image, so when you are shooting in raw you have a little room. That's the reason why you could get detail from the highlights which where showing the žanra pattern.
That is true, and I've done a follow up video showing how when shooting in RAW you have more wiggle room because the zebras are looking at the jpeg preview.
Thanks for watching. 👍
Hey Mike, wondering if you can answer something for me. I got the A7III and use both the zebra/histogram when taking photos. However, I can't seem to get the Zebras to show when in video mode. Am I missing something here? When in video mode, the zebra doesn't display at all, regardless of how overexposed it is. Thanks in advance mate!
Thanks for the video!!! as It does save up a lot of time!!!
No worries Steve, I’m glad I could help. 😁👍
Q: So what would be the point of putting zebras at less than 100%?
Some camera operators like to have it at about 70% when doing interviews. Then they can get the image up on the monitor and know that if the zebras are just showing on the person's face, they know they have the exposure about right for that interview. 👍
ZEE-bra! ;) Thanks for the video! :)
P.S. On many Sony cameras, including my A7s V1, you can push the exposure around one stop beyond the level where zebras at '100+%' start to occur before you truly saturate (255) or block any highlights. This may not render the best skin tones, but does work well for landscape, etc.
Thanks very much!
Yep, the zebras look at the preview, so if you shoot in raw, you have a lot more latitude with those raw files.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Hi - i have setup my zebra at 100+. While taking one of the photo i observed that no matter what i do few zebra lines wouldn't disappear from the screen. My iso was auto, i tried it on manual iso as well. The f number was minimum at 4 as i use 24-105 lens. White balance was also auto. It was a cloudy day and sun was partially visible from behind the clouds. Only option i had to change the shutter. I was at 1/400 and i went upto 1/8000 but still those lines were there. What could be wrong?
What mode were you in? On the big dial on the top of the camera...
Something must be in automatic or a semiautomatic mode and keeping the exposure high. Also if you have picture profiles on, that will change how the zebras look.
On a sunny day make sure you’re in manual mode, with iso at 200, shutter speed at 1/200 and aperture at f16...White balance set to daylight.
Then when you change the values, the zebras should change. 👍
@@mikesphotography Thanks. I was at M mode but yeah i should have changed the f.
I was waiting for this tutorial 😎
Excellent! I’m glad your patience finally paid off! 😁👍
Awesome.., Thank you!!
No worries, glad you liked it Donny! 👍
If your a canon user you can also just install Magic lantern to use the Zebra feature
Most definitely! I used to have magic lantern on one of my old Canon cameras and it was great! A lot of people are a little cautious of that though... Even though it just adds some great functions! 👍
@@mikesphotography I use three Canon cameras two crop and one full frame and I run Magic Lantern on all of them
Magic Lantern is the saviour of the canon cameras!! 😀👍
Jeez man, you're an amazing teacher!
Thanks so much Alex! These tutorials are a lot of fun to make!! 😁👍
I think i messed up the setting of my a7iii, zebra is on, and 100+ but its not showing on my display, only histogram, last time both are shown up, did i miss something
Do you have picture profiles on? Sometimes that changes the way zebras show up...
@@mikesphotography yes hlg3 and hlg2. My other hlg3 shows zebras but those other don't, why is that?
It seems to be a weird quirk...I find that when I use some picture profiles the zebras completely disappear...try pointing your camera at some overexposed highlights with the picture profile on and then with the picture profile off and see if it makes a difference.
PARABÉNS EXCELENTE !!!
Obrigado! 😁👍
i like your production videos very niceeee
Thanks so much Edgardo! Lots more to come so keep checking back. 👍
Very nice! Ty
Thank you!! 😁👍
thank you so much
No worries, thanks for watching. 😁👍
That's a good test, but is only applicable to that camera - it is perhaps a bit more sensitive to detecting bright highlights. My Blackmagic camera is more accurate and 100% zebras means pure white, where nothing is recoverable.
Most definitely. The black magic has much better zebras for video. I was just interested to see if photographers could use zebras like videographers do as it’s a tool that is available in all modes on the Sony cameras.
Thanks for watching Phil. 👍
On the 7R III I can set zebras to 109+ and still retain quite a lot of highlights as though it's going up to 120 something. Really insane :D
Magic Lantern FTW. I've been enjoying zebras for a bit now.
Magic lantern definitely opens up lots of features on the canon cameras.
Used to have that on my old 600D and it definitely helped. 👍
A lot of camera folk get scared about putting it on their cameras....I don’t know anyone who ever had a problem with it though. It’s a shame canon didn’t employ them to make it all part of the official software!
Awesome!
Thanks Mauricio!
I use both. Better to be safe than sorry!
Good idea!! They definitely compliment each other!!
Thank you. I had been having a hard time understanding why I was getting zebras when my ISO was at 1250. I had m zebras set to 70.
No worries, zebras are annoying if they’re not set correctly so I’m glad my tutorial helped.
Thanks for watching! 😁👍
This is so confusing. Setting the zebras to 90% and correctly exposing for the highlights under exposes the image however having the zebras showing correctly exposed the sky. After you did the zebras at 100+ you only showed us 1 of the 2 images. Was that the image taken with no zebras or with some zebras because it looked over exposed in the sky.
Vers informative
Thanks Georges! 😁👍
It seems that zebras should be set 100 and just have a bit of zebra showing I will try that thanks
No worries. The great thing with zebras is that you can set them up exactly how you want to... Its best to set them and then try them out so you know how far you can push the images afterwards.
Thanks for watching. 👍