I can't begin to tell you how many RUclips videos I've watched about digital photography (Fuji and other systems). But what I can tell you with certainty is that yours are the best for actually helping me to improve my technical skills within the Fuji world. Thanks so much!
This totally missed a vital and fundamental point. Fujifilm (like Olympus, Panasonic, and Pentax, and the handheld meters) still uses the classic "18% gray" target value for metering... except in Multi mode, where the whole point is for the camera to try to get an exposure that most people will like. When you switch to Spot metering, your Fuji will attempt to put that spot at 18% gray. As with the snow issue, you _must_ use the exposure compensation dial to tell the camera how bright that part of the subject is supposed to come out. Metering off of Cap's face, you should add about +1 Ev because caucasian skin runs somewhere around a stop brighter than 18%. Canon, Nikon, and Sony abandoned the 18% gray standard a long time ago. Images that average 18% gray work pretty well for a lot of black-and-white photography, but with color it generally looks dark and dingy. The Big 3 manufacturers now aim for somewhere around 35% gray even in the simple metering modes like Spot or Center-weighted. Consequently, spot-metering off of caucasian skin with a Canon will give fairly reasonable exposure without resorting to exposure compensation. Try this: set up a gray-card target. Take in-camera JPEGs of it (so as not to confuse issues during post-processing) with your Canon in both Evaluative and Spot metering modes. Do the same with your Fuji. You'll find that both of the Canon pictures and the Fuji multi-metered picture all come out somewhere around 35% gray. But the Fuji spot-metered picture will come out at about 18% gray. If you've got a handheld incident light meter, try a picture with each camera in M mode, set as directed by the light meter. The Fuji will reproduce your 18% gray card as about 18% gray, while the Canon will reproduce it as about 35% gray. However, for color scenes, most people would judge the Fuji image as being underexposed. In other words, if you shoot a color scene containing the 18% gray card in it, the scene will look underexposed if you adjust to get the gray card at 18% like it "should" be. [Because exposure control is limited to 1/3 stop increments, all percentages are necessarily approximate.]
@@michaelnikonfuji3539 I have no way of knowing the intent of camera makers, but I suspect it's more a matter of "not changing... yet." In the early digital era, there weren't any official standards but camera makers generally tried to make exposure results from their digital models match their film models. Canon seems to have been the first to abandon the 18% gray target value, sometime early in the digital era. In 2004, the Japanese camera manufacturer organization CIPA issued the DC-004 standard, which recognized both the classic 18% goal (codified as SOS, or Standard Output Sensitivity) and Canon's "pleasing exposure" goal (codified as REI, or Recommended Exposure Index). Canon, of course, stayed with the "pleasing" REI goal. Nikon initially stuck with the 18% SOS goal, but quietly switched to REI about ten years ago. Sony (as a DSLR brand) began life around 2006, and seems to have used REI the whole time. Fujifilm, Olympus, and Pentax haven't (yet) switched from the 18% SOS goal. The photographer should keep in mind that multi-zone metering -- whether called Evaluative, Matrix, ESP, Multi, or whatever -- is _always_ trying for a pleasing exposure. After all, that's the whole reason it exists. So the 18% figure has _never_ had any effect on multi-zone metering. And that's the point I was trying to emphasize -- on Fuji, the metering goal of Multi is different from the goals of the other photometry modes.
I guess Im asking randomly but does someone know of a method to log back into an instagram account? I stupidly lost my password. I would love any help you can give me
A small but occasionally important point about the "live histogram" on Fuji: it's not driven from the JPEG, it's driven from the _viewfinder_ (EVF or LCD) image. In most cases the difference isn't very important, but sometimes the viewfinder isn't showing you what the camera will capture. Big problem #1: if you have exceeded the capabilities in auto-exposure or auto-ISO. Usually this happens when you're using a fixed shutter speed, so that the camera is only able to adjust exposure using the relatively limited ranges of the aperture or auto-ISO. If the camera runs out of adjustment room, it will not darken (or, rarely, brighten) the viewfinder to show the resulting underexposure (or overexposure). Since the live histogram is driven from the viewfinder, the histogram will not show the underexposure (or overexposure). Big problem #2: if you're shooting in M mode with "Preview Exp. in M Mode" turned off. Since the viewfinder isn't showing an exposure preview, the live histogram is pretty much useless in this case. Since you'd normally be doing this when you're using flash, and the live histogram is useless for flash anyway, this normally isn't a big deal. But if you forgot... Annoyance: if you're using the DR feature, the effects of DR are not reflected in the viewfinder. You can't judge how the DR feature will affect the captured image -- not by the viewfinder image, and not by the live histogram. Quirk: if you have Preview Pic. Effect turned off, the viewfinder doesn't show the response curve effect of the chosen JPEG settings. Consequently, neither does the live histogram. Raw shooters might find this to be a _good_ thing, but JPEG shooters probably won't because the simulations based on slide films can be particularly hard on the shadows and the live histogram won't reflect that. If all else fails, take the picture and chimp. The histogram shown when you're reviewing an image is derived from the JPEG.
I like the way you explain the specs and complexities of shooting with FujiFilm: with some light tones and jokes, really upbeat, super happy with yr YT episodes Omar
There was a saying using film. Expose for the highlights, and let the shadows take care of themselves. For me it remains the same using digital. I like to underexpose generally. But there are occasions of extreme darkness or brightness when you have to take care of exposure yourself. Don't let this brilliant tool we all use for taking photo's, take full control. Know your scenes, situations and camera, and don't be worried about giving your camera a helping hand by taking more control over an exposure for some scenes.
Spot metering is same accurate compared to Sekonic light meter. So I use spot meter for the most of time, +1.5 or 2 on exposure compensation dial, find highlight part and lock exposure. I found my XT2 does get underexposed when I follow sunny 16 or using matrix metering🤔 But it really doesn’t matter in post processing.
I recently bought an X-E3. I thought there was something wrong with it because the exposures were so dark. I have an X-T3 and its exposures are very balanced. That was when I started to learn about the histogram. I think that is a life saver for both cameras. I have set the Exposure Compensation Button to “C” which allows you to use the front dial to change exposure compensation easily as you look through the EVF. As you turn the dial, you visually see the histogram change and you can see how many stops you are changing in the gauge on the left. Of course you can use the button but I think it’s easier to turn the front dial as you look through the EVF vs. turning the knob. Having said that, I still think the X-E3 leans to darker exposures. Of course the sensors and other things are different between the two cameras, so you wouldn’t expect that they would be exactly the same. I guess that’s the way it is. What I have found is that if you shoot in RAW format and are half-way good at using Lightroom or Capture One (better than LR IMHO), you can lighten up the darker images just fine. The shadow slider is your friend as is the highlights slider. When I was watching RUclips videos that explained how the histogram works, one presenter disagreed with your suggestion to underexpose. His advice was “Expose to the right”, i.e., a little over exposed, because he felt that it was easier to recover highlights than it was to brighten shadows. Something to think about. I think your overview of the metering function (which is what the X-T3 calls it; the X-E3 calls it “photometry” as you point out) is useful but my guess is that most people aren’t going to spend a lot of time fiddling around with focus areas, etc. What I do when I’m not sure which one will work the best is to shoot several images, one with each mode and then use the best one in post. Last thought: The histogram was kind of hard for me to grasp at first for some reason. I recommend searching RUclips for “histogram” and watching a few videos. One of them will sink in and then you’ll be able to use that feature to expose images as well as possible in the camera and then touch up in post.
Unrelated, but I thought I would share some fun stuff with the DR settings - just incase you haven't played ith this yet. Assume auto ISO. Setting DR to DR100 doesn't do anything. It's how most people think things work. But now set it to DR400 and take a photo. What you should notice is that the ISO floor is 2 stops above the base ISO (640 or 800 depending on the camera). What actually happens though is your camera takes a photo at a lower ISO and then boosts the exposure by two stops to make the JPEG (and since it boosts in "post", you keep all of the highlight detail). Now for the fun part. Turn off auto ISO (set it to ISO 640 or 800) and set DR back to DR100. Take a shot. Next bring the DR400 and the DR100 photo into Lightroom or Capture One. The exposures should look the same - but now set the exposure to -2.5 stops. What you should see is the DR100 photo has trash highlights, but the DR400 can recover them easily. All of that is because the RAW file is captured at base ISO, and the DR400 tells Lightroom and Capture One to boost the photo by 2 stops. I love doing this when I have high-dynamic range scenes. I expose for the shadows, keeping in mind I have about 3 stops of highlight recovery if I use DR400, and then take my shot.
I was going to mention this, as well. When I first started shooting Fujifilm all of my shots were oddly underexposed. I switched the DR from Auto to 100% (which counterintuitively was sort of the zero setting...that may have changed on newer menus!)
I had the same “surprise” when I moved from Canon to Fuji. My theory is that my Fuji tends to “protect the highlights” which has proved to be true the more I use it. Then, in video I tend to expose half a stop up. PLUS the beauty of an EVF is you can usually just shoot to what looks good to the eye.
Do you use the AF-E and AF-L button in factory setting mode? A lot of individuals reprogram these but haven't seen anyone explain how or when to use them. Thanks.
Fiji camera up to XH1 tends tend to underexposed in general. Use the histogram and adjust the EC accordingly. Usually you will get a better SOOC exposure if you up 1/3 to 2/3 in most cases. I lick my EC dial +1/3 and adjust it if I need to. But if you shoot raw, it’s not hard to adjust in PP. just move the sliders in your software a little to correct if you see any slightly or even moderately underexposed picture. Fuji’s raw files recover shadow details very well without suffering color shift.
Great video and these action figures are so rich of details, really nice models ;) One thing at 10:22 - I think the histogram doesn't indicate any over exposed areas. And isn't it always better to collect the maximum of light on the sensor but without overexpose areas? I mean you could always take down the exposure in post which would result into more details in the shadows compared to exposure less when the picture is taken (because more light means more information and therefore more gradations of tones). Just asking to get it right, this was at least always my paradigm when I was working with digital sensors considering the way they work.
Omar, your freaking awesome...You should be a teacher...YOUR explainative technique...(explainative as a word probably doesn't exist)...is awesome...Please continue what you do...We on Mars need all the help we can get...We landed here on you planet eons ago and can't figure out how to get back...Now if only i could find where i parked my saucer i would be on my way...Do you validate? As always, keep up the good work and keep em flying...
So when I use the histogram, if it peaks in the center it blows things out, if it peaks left it's too dark and if peaks right, it's too bright. Where's the sweet spot? One of the selling points of Fujifilm is the presumed outstanding jpegs out of camera. I am not often getting outstanding jpegs out of camera. I have to put everything in Lightroom to get good exposure, contrast and color.
Omar, I completely agree with the comments on the q button. On my X H1 I actually put a piece of Velcro tape over the button area. I still hit it by mistake, but not quite as often.
Hey Omar I NEED YOUR HELP. you are one of X-Trans experts as far as I know. Can you help me out and explain the Halo problem? When I put my nikon (50 mm which lives on my camera no matter what the camera is) with dumb adaptor, there is a halo on the high contrast edges. I am sure you know what i mean. Is this a thing for x-trans or my lens coating or the adaptor issue. There is no problems with 16-50. By the way I know my way arround the camera and I've tried everything shoot at f:16 with a tripod and its still there... I dont know if I bought a bad copy?
Hi Omar, I have a question regarding video recording on the XT30 : how do change shutter speed and aperture with the aperture ring on the lens and front/rear command dials ? When I turn the aperture ring of my lenses (23mm or 18-55mm) it doesn't do anything. Same for shutter speed, when I turn the front or rear command dial, nothing happened :( I have to change it manually through the set menu on the touchscreen (button on the right hand side under the AF) and it's super annoying. Am I missing something ?
wow. I thought I was crazy. or crappy. found I was ALWAYS bumping it up by a third or slightly more on the compy for the majority of my shots... glad I watched this.
Thanks. Newbie question: I look at the scene on my screen and just bump up the exposure -or down with the EC dial. Is this too crude? It always seem to tally with the histogram. In other words can I trust the screen (or view finder)? If it looks OK is it ok?
Each camera brand meters differently. I did testing, side by side with a Fuji XH1 and a Lumix G9 using same equivalent focal length. Fuji was about 1 to 2/3 stop below Lumix to get the exact same scene. For instance, iso 200 and 1/8sec SS in both cameras. Fuji’s aperture was f6.4 or even f5.6 while Lumix was f8. Similarly if I locked iso 200 and f8 in both cameras. Fuji would be 1/8sec while Lumix 1/15sec. And so on, in low light I fixed f at 2.0 and SS at 1/30s. Fuji iso was 6400 and Lumix 3200. Is this a disadvantage? Well, maybe, because loosing one stop for low-light hand-held shots forces Fuji users to raise iso in order to get a steady shot. But! On the other hand, when comparing images between these two cameras (sensors), specially those in low light, the IQ of Fuji is far superior, even with the stop disadvantage.
Hi Omar, I used to shoot under so that I never lost highlights, I am now shooting mostly two thirds over on the ExComp, but watching the histogram if not sure, my reason for doing this is to get as much light stuffed into the sensor as physically possible to maximise the signal to noise ratio. there are times when specular highlights look a bit nasty but that is a function of the APSc sensor and interpolation, in conditions of very high contrast, a problem not so great with a GFX camera!. There are circumstances when I will crank the Ex Comp. back a stop or more, this would be to get a reasonable shutter speed without booting up the Iso. The take-away for me is that these Fujifilm cameras have so much latitude and dynamic range that we can stretch the envelope quite a long way for all normal conditions, key for me is to establish a work-flow that allows me ease of use when shooting and minimal post-proccessing on the understanding that the more of what I want is on the sensor the better the result, although we can 'recover' a hell of a lot in post everything you turn down is ditching data space that could have had stuff you want. I still struggle a bit with taking things like the histogram seriously, the image that I 'see' on my screen is always meant to be what I 'saw' when I took the shot, if there is any doubt the eyes have it!. As the years roll by, I've been shooting Fujifilm X cameras for several years I do see that my style changes quite a lot, the older images look much darker in my catalogue!, this whole thing is so subjective!. Cheers, Richard.
Im looking to get into photo and cinematography. Im wondering what youd recommend for quality/usability for a beginner. Im considering the sony a6400 and fuji xt30/xt2 what would you recommend??
I noticed the exact same thing when i switched from Canon to my Fuji xt20. And like you, about 1/3 to 2/3 stop over with the exp como dial seems to be about right in most scenes. Once you understand it it's easy to work with. I also use the live histogram in the viewfinder
Josh Sporre always expose to the right (minimizing noise in the darks), and evaluate this by the histogram ... this will give you the best image to correctly so the final exposure adjustments in post processing
Went to the alps last year and snow under bright sunlight are VERY challenging. Spot meter & AE lock was my go to mode, eventhough it is very sensitive, however was easier to use (at that time) than the evaluative metering & exposure compensation.
Omar you should make a video on the highlight warning feature (blinkies) and how to use it to expose correctly. Apparently Pro-Neg Std with highlights and shadows at -2 give accurate representation for the highlight warning and histogram in RAW. Source: DPReview forums
I just meter with my image preview... working them knobs like a transistor radio till I can see what I want and how I want it perfectly. As for now my pupils are dilated from some eye exam I just had and can’ barely see anything.
Great video! Just got a X-t2 second hand and noticed this right away. Never really noticed it on my x100f but noticed it right away shooting with an 18-135mm indoors on the X-T2. Interesting.
Possibly there are settings like this on Fujifilm. On my Olympus there is exposure shift adjustments which adjust the meter's brightness. I bump my meter to a 1/3 brighter on the center weight and I find I do less exposure comp. I can actually adjust my meter as little as 1/6. Thought that was interesting. Also I set my Histogram meter value to show highlights up to 245 and shadows to 10. So when it shows that I am clipping after moving the exposure comp a 1/3, I know it still has atleast 1/3 to 1/2 stop left before actually being over or under exposed.
Another great explanation. You should do more of these instead of the reviews. Seems like everyone that owns a camera thinks they are a review expert. But you understand how to use the camera's your talking about. As much as I have a fairly good understanding I always learn something from your teaching videos. Please keep them coming. Have you consider creating cheat sheets and offer them as printables. I would pay for these. I'm sure others would also. Ric.
Another approach to the issue of proper exposure is to shoot in RAW and carefully watch your histogram to avoid clipping any highlights. Then in post it is easy to get the preferred exposure on the actual subject in the photo. This is a bit different from "get it right in camera;" it's more "get a good histogram in camera." Just a thought ... keep up the good work.
Very informative Omar. I tend to underexpose too. However, for events and with lots of photos to check, "get it done in camera" is better to save time editing. Would consider your share of thoughts in my settings before the actual event. Thank you as always.
Tonypet Montemayor For me I’d rather recover some of the shadows with a preset or syncing settings quickly than risk blowing out a white dress or skin.
Is it not the case that snow is under-exposed because it's white? In the old film days we talked about neutral grey (gray ;-)) being the normal exposure medium and that you'd have to over-expose to defeat the meter's grey tendency.
Hola gracias por tu video, pero, como consigues que el cuadrado del punto de enfoque esté siempre centrado? Si a mi se me mueve y lo tengo que centrar de forma manual.
in the second last pic comparison with cap, multi vs centre-weighted, the blacks on the boxes on your shelves on the right were darker in the centre-weighted :o think thats what effected the shutter speed.
Probably right...interesting though...that someone might say the camera over or underexposes...but it is so dependent on metering, lighting, and background. :)
Intertesting, Omar. I've found that my first X-T2 (shipped in the first release week of 2016) and a loaner early issue X-T3 read the scene with the camera's metering as darker than it actually was and thus tended to OVEREXPOSE about 1/3-1/2 a stop when using the Multi mode (Fuji changed the Multi mode metering algorithm between the X-T1 and X-T2, BTW). My X-H1, on the other hand, NAILS exposure every single time. GREAT camera, BTW; really hope Fuji releases an X-H2.
As far as I can see, the comments about the Fuji files being underexposed seem to be from Canon shooters. As a former Nikon D850 shooter I've found the images, in most cases, to be exactly what I would expect from my Nikon taken in the same circumstances. So is it that Canon overexposes by 1/3 of a stop compared to Nikon and Fuji - "Canon overexposes, no way ... way 😀" Nikons have their own look as do Sony and Canon.Not to mention the difference from one lens to the next. It doesn't necessarily mean that one is right and the others are wrong or that one is better, just what we prefer. If you want your images to be exactly the same as your Canon, Nikon or Sony then buy a Canon, Nikon or Sony. If you like the way Fuji images look, buy a Fuji.
I think underexposure problem is another with Fuji.. is not the camera metering underexposing your image usually and not the real problem for me about Fujifilm: it's the fact with same settings on another camera usually you can get in comparison 2/3 stops underexposed image on Fuji (because of different sensor pattern, different ISO scale, etc..i Don't know). The problem is simple, if at given ISO value you reach pretty good noise performance compared to a bigger sensor, then to compensate you need to slow your shutter speed but when you can't you need to increase the ISO. Example: 1/60 F4 ISO 3200 on both Fuji and a Fullframe.. Fuji can be underexposed, so you have to raise ISO to 5000 when you can't lower the shutter speed, and you lose some advantages in this case. Not considering the equivalent dof factor of course, and thinking about similar generation sensors. To me that's the only problem about "Fuji underexposes my images". About the video of course every camera metering sometimes can be tricked by the light and the scene, not everytime perfect, but this happens on most camera, while the problem mentioned above technically only on Fuji cameras occurs and this brings down the xtrans sensor noise advantages compared to the competition, a lot of discussions about it on the Net. :)
If you forget about metering for one second. The digital view finding might just be slightly overexposing compared to what the sensor is actually recoring.
I never really thought about all that, but when using my Canon gear several years ago i use to underexpose by 1/3 to 1/2 stop on 4 different cameras, always. I was using Aperture exposure at the time. Now I use full manual and what I see is what I got and obviously what I like. Never really do I look as to weather my exposure is + or _.
Yikes. Just one man's opinion here, but this can of worms(tricky lighting conditions) could best be remedied by shooting in full manual mode. Where one is in full control of ISO, SS, and f-stop. Auto is great for most normal lighting situations. But in super tricky ones, manual still works best.
This sounds more like not fully understanding how a camera meters than Fujifilm cameras under-exposing. In either of the semi-auto modes: Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority, or in full auto, the camera will always try to give you a tonality equal to 18% grey. If you're metering off something that is brighter than 18% grey, then you will get an under-exposed image, if you're metering off something darker than 18% grey, then you will get an over-exposed image. This is one of the reasons that I only ever use Manual mode and almost always use spot metering. If I'm metering off something brighter than 18% grey, I want to see the meter in the viewfinder showing me a value higher than 18% grey. If the brightest thing in the viewfinder is an area of snow that is illuminated by the sun, I want my meter to be reading about 2 1/3 - 2 2/3 above the zero point when I spot meter off that sunlit patch of snow, then the whole scene will be correctly exposed.
I noticed that you referred to “expose to make it look close to what it does in real life”. When shooting JPEG OK, when shooting RAW, absolutely not! Then you have to expose to the right, ettr, capturing maximum detail and less noise, while not blowing out the highlights. The difficult noise will always be in the shadows of the spectrum, therefore ettr is the correct method. Adjust your RAW images afterwards in post production, to look as you please, maybe as it appeared... it’s much easier than it sounds...
I have my exposer compensation every time on C ( SS in A for a mor or less ok exposer ) , so I can go up and down 5 stops with the back real button and expose to the histogram. ISO and aperture I have always in manual.
Hey Omar... there is a lot actually going on here. 1) Your camera (and just about every other digital camera system out there) does under expose. This is done to protect the highlights. In digital (like slide film) once you blow the highlights that info is one. This is okay when you are shooting JPEG. In JPEG though, you should "expose to the right" (ETTR) somewhere before you blow out highlights. If you are using your histogram as a tool this means most of your data in the histogram should be somewhere in the right part. What this does is your camera will them get as much details in your mid tones and shadow areas that you can without losing details in the highlights. In post you can then lower the exposure to your liking. The problem with getting the exposure in camera (or exposure you are going for) is that you then get under exposed shadow details. You can always bring exposure up in post but you lose quality. 2) I see you are shooting both RAW + JPEG but you are editing the JPEG files in LightRoom... why? If you want to take advantage of your cameras full capabilities you should be working off those RAW files. Your raw files can handle way more info than JPEG. In fact you can expose your RAW files a lot more than you would JPEG files giving you a wider dynamic range. An alternate workflow would be to capture as much data in camera in the sense of RAW files, and make your exposure in post. 3) There is a free light meter course on Udemy that does an amazing job at explaining light meters and what is actually going on when your camera is giving you numbers. My favorite metering mode is spot and I will use that to expose based on the brightest spot of my frame.
Wow..I remember the sony a99 and a99II..got hammered because 1/3 of the light didn't get to the sensor!!??...now we learning that alot if not all camera companies under exposes automatically!!!!????..HUH???...
I mostly use my Fuji for days out / holidays where I don't really have the time to experiment or play with too many settings so the exposure dial is my most used dial! My camera is mostly left on P and I click the dial a few clicks is the picture is too light /dark
Is there a way to lock exposure while using the back button focus? Coz I always have a middle focus point and just recompose but if I do that the exposure changes.
I think you can set up one of the buttons to be exposure lock. And you can set it to toggle. So when you press it, it locks exposure. Press it again to start getting new readings.
@@fremzter Have you tried half pressing it lightly? You'll see the little EL blue indicator on the bottom. If not, you might have to set that in button dial settings.
Great video and advice. Sorry if I rambled in my other comment. Videos like this make me think of my settings and how to improve or adjust, even if I have a stinking Olympus 😝😁
Great explanation sir omar but if you ask me, everyone has a different Eyes. Eyes who decide, others like a little darker while others like brighter, exposure or under expose. lOoking forward for your next video. PS: I'm still using XT-10 😅 #Poor
Fuji does not cheat ! They use the ISO interpretation called SOS... the bias between SOS and REI (used by Nikon, canon etc), is 0.72... so Fuji ISO 200=(200*0.72) on Nikon etc...
Yes! I was about to say this, but you nailed it with more details that I was going to. We have two ISO standards - Fuji and Olympus chose one, Sony and Nikon and Canon chose another. But of course that's if you're just comparing the exposure readings between systems.
I'm a little confused, now. Another well-respected Fujifilm RUclipsr says to stay away from "pegging against the right side," but that the histogram should trend right. I'm off to find tutorials on histograms. I'm thinking that it's like most other things in photography .... personal preference?
Do Fujifilm camera underexpose? No Way. There appears to be some confusion with auto modes and the JPEGs appearing darker. A quick manual test with my Fuji cameras (X100S, X-Pro 1, XT1) an 18% Grey Card and my Sekonic meter and I can confirm that all cameras meter 100% correctly. Part of the issue I believe is when people place their camera into one of the Auto modes and expect it to produce perfect results every time. The Fuji software engineers appear to be concerned about 'blowing out the highlights' and as a result tend to be a little cautious and tells the camera that the 'best exposure' is with the histogram slightly to the left. Typically I tend to shoot in aperture priority mode, have the histogram displayed in both the OVF and EVF, and use the expsoure compensation dial to push to the right whilst protecting the highlights. It is not unusual to have the exposure compensation dial set to +1/3, but you do need to watch the histogram carefully, as it is easy to recover dark shadows but not blown highlights.
Those super-hero statues that you have, are rather incredible for test shots. I will need to pick one or two of them up myself. If only for that purpose.
Snow is a known thing in any camera (maybe you already made this point, sorry if so). Camera always wants to balance the histogram, so if everything's white, it'll try to make it grey, cause that's most of the photo and it'll make it to be at a half way through the histogram. It's just like you were using a grey card.
The issue I have with my fuji's , is that my x-e3 is underexposed vs my x70 wiht exactly the same settings using spot metering. Actually this morning I had both cameras wiht me and just wanted to see what the differences are so I know how to optimize them and I realized the x-e3 underexposure. Maybe I am missing some setting that creates this discrepancy. The example I used was photographing from inside a room outside the window while trying to keep as much as possible the highlighnts and the rest of the room is much darker than the x70
Gaby Nehme it seems to be brighter and the xe3 is sharper and you can put a lot of detail out of the files. I am so happy with the x70 small powerful enough with a character !!
It just struck me why. Actually I think the reason is that because of the 14 vs 25 megapixels the x70 has bigger pixels and it takes more light. In astrophotography they recommend to use cameras with less megapixels
When I import my fuji-raws to Capture One - they are underexposed by "linear-response" (or "clean" raw). Until I tell Capture One to apply a Fujifilm simulation. Then the Raw-file comes alive - by stretching the dynamical range into place. (Everyone must remember that the histogram is based on a JPG interpretation of the light - not on the "RAF") So tell Capture One to import in "AUTO" - which will mean that it will import the image with the film simulation you used when you took the image (Capture one will then show the image as you took it with "Arca or Velvia or Classic Chrome" - and expose it for that). Remember - we are still in RAW - so this is non-destructive (just go back to "base characteristics" and you are again in "underexposed linear response RAW" mode. If one use some other software, I bet the same is true. She is importing in linear raw. Which shows the image "flat and dark" and nothing like the vivid Arca or Velvia simulation one see on the back LCD. This does not mean that the camera took an under-exposed image. Because the blacks lift perfectly well with tons of information from being shown as "flat linear". The darkness is not under-exposed at all - because there are crazy levels of information in the shadows. If the camera took an underexposed image - all that perceived darkness would return the raw data of "zero-zero-zero" (when all is lost - just like nothing can be retrieved when the sensor returns 256-256-256 and is completely blown out).
The meter thinks white is light and black is shadow regardless of the light. In the same way that it thinks foliage is a bad white balance so you end with purple tree bark. Really, you will still have to outsmart the machine on many occasions. Exposure compensation helps a lot. I always end up at +0.3ev minimum at the end of the edit. All of my custom presets have that as default. Check your histogram, and don't trust the LCD/EVF brightness entirely if you're shooting all in-camera.
Now guys, Professor Omar saved your collective butts once again, so go and get to know your cameras for God sakes and do NOT buy another camera until you know to apply EVERYTHING about the one you have!
My biggest hesitation before using a Fuji is that everyone using them seemed to have such dark photos with crushed shadows. I do find that I need to brighten most shots, especially for viewing on phones. All this photometry stuff makes me want to just set everything completely manually and just readjust until it looks good. Sometimes you won’t realize that a shot might look really good overexposed a bit unless it happens by accident!
I can't begin to tell you how many RUclips videos I've watched about digital photography (Fuji and other systems). But what I can tell you with certainty is that yours are the best for actually helping me to improve my technical skills within the Fuji world. Thanks so much!
This totally missed a vital and fundamental point. Fujifilm (like Olympus, Panasonic, and Pentax, and the handheld meters) still uses the classic "18% gray" target value for metering... except in Multi mode, where the whole point is for the camera to try to get an exposure that most people will like. When you switch to Spot metering, your Fuji will attempt to put that spot at 18% gray. As with the snow issue, you _must_ use the exposure compensation dial to tell the camera how bright that part of the subject is supposed to come out. Metering off of Cap's face, you should add about +1 Ev because caucasian skin runs somewhere around a stop brighter than 18%.
Canon, Nikon, and Sony abandoned the 18% gray standard a long time ago. Images that average 18% gray work pretty well for a lot of black-and-white photography, but with color it generally looks dark and dingy. The Big 3 manufacturers now aim for somewhere around 35% gray even in the simple metering modes like Spot or Center-weighted. Consequently, spot-metering off of caucasian skin with a Canon will give fairly reasonable exposure without resorting to exposure compensation.
Try this: set up a gray-card target. Take in-camera JPEGs of it (so as not to confuse issues during post-processing) with your Canon in both Evaluative and Spot metering modes. Do the same with your Fuji. You'll find that both of the Canon pictures and the Fuji multi-metered picture all come out somewhere around 35% gray. But the Fuji spot-metered picture will come out at about 18% gray.
If you've got a handheld incident light meter, try a picture with each camera in M mode, set as directed by the light meter. The Fuji will reproduce your 18% gray card as about 18% gray, while the Canon will reproduce it as about 35% gray. However, for color scenes, most people would judge the Fuji image as being underexposed. In other words, if you shoot a color scene containing the 18% gray card in it, the scene will look underexposed if you adjust to get the gray card at 18% like it "should" be.
[Because exposure control is limited to 1/3 stop increments, all percentages are necessarily approximate.]
That's super interesting...did NOT know that. Will dive deeper. Thanks for the insight. :)
Do you think this is a deliberate move to match the retro feel with. Older style retro look image
@@michaelnikonfuji3539 I have no way of knowing the intent of camera makers, but I suspect it's more a matter of "not changing... yet." In the early digital era, there weren't any official standards but camera makers generally tried to make exposure results from their digital models match their film models. Canon seems to have been the first to abandon the 18% gray target value, sometime early in the digital era. In 2004, the Japanese camera manufacturer organization CIPA issued the DC-004 standard, which recognized both the classic 18% goal (codified as SOS, or Standard Output Sensitivity) and Canon's "pleasing exposure" goal (codified as REI, or Recommended Exposure Index).
Canon, of course, stayed with the "pleasing" REI goal. Nikon initially stuck with the 18% SOS goal, but quietly switched to REI about ten years ago. Sony (as a DSLR brand) began life around 2006, and seems to have used REI the whole time. Fujifilm, Olympus, and Pentax haven't (yet) switched from the 18% SOS goal.
The photographer should keep in mind that multi-zone metering -- whether called Evaluative, Matrix, ESP, Multi, or whatever -- is _always_ trying for a pleasing exposure. After all, that's the whole reason it exists. So the 18% figure has _never_ had any effect on multi-zone metering. And that's the point I was trying to emphasize -- on Fuji, the metering goal of Multi is different from the goals of the other photometry modes.
Wow...I love to hear a knowledge like this.
I guess Im asking randomly but does someone know of a method to log back into an instagram account?
I stupidly lost my password. I would love any help you can give me
I prefer underexposing since it's easier to lift the shadows especially in capture one. Highlight recovery is always a pain
better to not have highlights then have noise when lifting shadows.
@@SayWhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat id have to strongly disagree
A small but occasionally important point about the "live histogram" on Fuji: it's not driven from the JPEG, it's driven from the _viewfinder_ (EVF or LCD) image. In most cases the difference isn't very important, but sometimes the viewfinder isn't showing you what the camera will capture.
Big problem #1: if you have exceeded the capabilities in auto-exposure or auto-ISO. Usually this happens when you're using a fixed shutter speed, so that the camera is only able to adjust exposure using the relatively limited ranges of the aperture or auto-ISO. If the camera runs out of adjustment room, it will not darken (or, rarely, brighten) the viewfinder to show the resulting underexposure (or overexposure). Since the live histogram is driven from the viewfinder, the histogram will not show the underexposure (or overexposure).
Big problem #2: if you're shooting in M mode with "Preview Exp. in M Mode" turned off. Since the viewfinder isn't showing an exposure preview, the live histogram is pretty much useless in this case. Since you'd normally be doing this when you're using flash, and the live histogram is useless for flash anyway, this normally isn't a big deal. But if you forgot...
Annoyance: if you're using the DR feature, the effects of DR are not reflected in the viewfinder. You can't judge how the DR feature will affect the captured image -- not by the viewfinder image, and not by the live histogram.
Quirk: if you have Preview Pic. Effect turned off, the viewfinder doesn't show the response curve effect of the chosen JPEG settings. Consequently, neither does the live histogram. Raw shooters might find this to be a _good_ thing, but JPEG shooters probably won't because the simulations based on slide films can be particularly hard on the shadows and the live histogram won't reflect that.
If all else fails, take the picture and chimp. The histogram shown when you're reviewing an image is derived from the JPEG.
When using dr200 or dr400 the histogram will only show dr100. This might lead you to think you have over exposed the image.
Your channel is one of the few (maybe the only) I watch regardless whether the title is of any interest to me.
I like the way you explain the specs and complexities of shooting with FujiFilm: with some light tones and jokes, really upbeat, super happy with yr YT episodes Omar
There was a saying using film. Expose for the highlights, and let the shadows take care of themselves. For me it remains the same using digital. I like to underexpose generally. But there are occasions of extreme darkness or brightness when you have to take care of exposure yourself. Don't let this brilliant tool we all use for taking photo's, take full control. Know your scenes, situations and camera, and don't be worried about giving your camera a helping hand by taking more control over an exposure for some scenes.
well said!
Spot metering is same accurate compared to Sekonic light meter. So I use spot meter for the most of time, +1.5 or 2 on exposure compensation dial, find highlight part and lock exposure. I found my XT2 does get underexposed when I follow sunny 16 or using matrix metering🤔 But it really doesn’t matter in post processing.
I found my Sekonic didn't exactly align. I may need to check that again.
I recently bought an X-E3. I thought there was something wrong with it because the exposures were so dark. I have an X-T3 and its exposures are very balanced. That was when I started to learn about the histogram. I think that is a life saver for both cameras. I have set the Exposure Compensation Button to “C” which allows you to use the front dial to change exposure compensation easily as you look through the EVF. As you turn the dial, you visually see the histogram change and you can see how many stops you are changing in the gauge on the left. Of course you can use the button but I think it’s easier to turn the front dial as you look through the EVF vs. turning the knob.
Having said that, I still think the X-E3 leans to darker exposures. Of course the sensors and other things are different between the two cameras, so you wouldn’t expect that they would be exactly the same. I guess that’s the way it is. What I have found is that if you shoot in RAW format and are half-way good at using Lightroom or Capture One (better than LR IMHO), you can lighten up the darker images just fine. The shadow slider is your friend as is the highlights slider.
When I was watching RUclips videos that explained how the histogram works, one presenter disagreed with your suggestion to underexpose. His advice was “Expose to the right”, i.e., a little over exposed, because he felt that it was easier to recover highlights than it was to brighten shadows. Something to think about.
I think your overview of the metering function (which is what the X-T3 calls it; the X-E3 calls it “photometry” as you point out) is useful but my guess is that most people aren’t going to spend a lot of time fiddling around with focus areas, etc. What I do when I’m not sure which one will work the best is to shoot several images, one with each mode and then use the best one in post.
Last thought: The histogram was kind of hard for me to grasp at first for some reason. I recommend searching RUclips for “histogram” and watching a few videos. One of them will sink in and then you’ll be able to use that feature to expose images as well as possible in the camera and then touch up in post.
Don't forget that enabling face detection disables spot metering!
Yes, but it meters for the face when the face is found!
👍🏼👍🏼
@@shifteleven How to disable this "facemetering" but i want to use face detection.
@@agen7_smith I don't know if you can. The photometry menu is greyed out when face detect is active
@@agen7_smith manual?
I actually quite like the way my X-T2 exposes most things. I dig the underexposure. To be honest, I do it intentionally, in addition.
Unrelated, but I thought I would share some fun stuff with the DR settings - just incase you haven't played ith this yet.
Assume auto ISO. Setting DR to DR100 doesn't do anything. It's how most people think things work. But now set it to DR400 and take a photo. What you should notice is that the ISO floor is 2 stops above the base ISO (640 or 800 depending on the camera). What actually happens though is your camera takes a photo at a lower ISO and then boosts the exposure by two stops to make the JPEG (and since it boosts in "post", you keep all of the highlight detail).
Now for the fun part. Turn off auto ISO (set it to ISO 640 or 800) and set DR back to DR100. Take a shot. Next bring the DR400 and the DR100 photo into Lightroom or Capture One. The exposures should look the same - but now set the exposure to -2.5 stops. What you should see is the DR100 photo has trash highlights, but the DR400 can recover them easily. All of that is because the RAW file is captured at base ISO, and the DR400 tells Lightroom and Capture One to boost the photo by 2 stops.
I love doing this when I have high-dynamic range scenes. I expose for the shadows, keeping in mind I have about 3 stops of highlight recovery if I use DR400, and then take my shot.
K. Adam Christensen very cool!! Have to try this!
It definitely works. It is because gain is done in the software used and not in the camera if it is a raw file.
@@IanKnight40 yes. I think you put it more succinctly than I did 😁
@@shifteleven thank you. 👍
I think people should also take note of what dynamic range mode they have their camera set to. That can automatically underexpose the shot
I was going to mention this, as well. When I first started shooting Fujifilm all of my shots were oddly underexposed. I switched the DR from Auto to 100% (which counterintuitively was sort of the zero setting...that may have changed on newer menus!)
I had the same “surprise” when I moved from Canon to Fuji. My theory is that my Fuji tends to “protect the highlights” which has proved to be true the more I use it. Then, in video I tend to expose half a stop up. PLUS the beauty of an EVF is you can usually just shoot to what looks good to the eye.
Do you use the AF-E and AF-L button in factory setting mode? A lot of individuals reprogram these but haven't seen anyone explain how or when to use them. Thanks.
Congratulations on yet another best of RUclips video. Super useful and informative.
Nicely done video for us Fuji folks...and hats off to the best imaging models. Cap did a great job.
For camera / lens testing, those silly and juvenile super-hero statues are awesome. I need to get one myself.
Fiji camera up to XH1 tends tend to underexposed in general. Use the histogram and adjust the EC accordingly. Usually you will get a better SOOC exposure if you up 1/3 to 2/3 in most cases. I lick my EC dial +1/3 and adjust it if I need to. But if you shoot raw, it’s not hard to adjust in PP. just move the sliders in your software a little to correct if you see any slightly or even moderately underexposed picture. Fuji’s raw files recover shadow details very well without suffering color shift.
Great video and these action figures are so rich of details, really nice models ;)
One thing at 10:22 - I think the histogram doesn't indicate any over exposed areas. And isn't it always better to collect the maximum of light on the sensor but without overexpose areas? I mean you could always take down the exposure in post which would result into more details in the shadows compared to exposure less when the picture is taken (because more light means more information and therefore more gradations of tones).
Just asking to get it right, this was at least always my paradigm when I was working with digital sensors considering the way they work.
Omar, your freaking awesome...You should be a teacher...YOUR explainative technique...(explainative as a word probably doesn't exist)...is awesome...Please continue what you do...We on Mars need all the help we can get...We landed here on you planet eons ago and can't figure out how to get back...Now if only i could find where i parked my saucer i would be on my way...Do you validate?
As always, keep up the good work and keep em flying...
I love this guy! Yes I took some shots with both Canon and Fuji, and Fuji was darker and warmer, This is good to know.
Omar, advise which camera is better to buy for a photo, X-t30 or X-T2?
So when I use the histogram, if it peaks in the center it blows things out, if it peaks left it's too dark and if peaks right, it's too bright. Where's the sweet spot? One of the selling points of Fujifilm is the presumed outstanding jpegs out of camera. I am not often getting outstanding jpegs out of camera. I have to put everything in Lightroom to get good exposure, contrast and color.
Omar, I completely agree with the comments on the q button. On my X H1 I actually put a piece of Velcro tape over the button area. I still hit it by mistake, but not quite as often.
Hey Omar I NEED YOUR HELP. you are one of X-Trans experts as far as I know. Can you help me out and explain the Halo problem? When I put my nikon (50 mm which lives on my camera no matter what the camera is) with dumb adaptor, there is a halo on the high contrast edges. I am sure you know what i mean. Is this a thing for x-trans or my lens coating or the adaptor issue. There is no problems with 16-50. By the way I know my way arround the camera and I've tried everything shoot at f:16 with a tripod and its still there... I dont know if I bought a bad copy?
Hi Omar, I have a question regarding video recording on the XT30 : how do change shutter speed and aperture with the aperture ring on the lens and front/rear command dials ?
When I turn the aperture ring of my lenses (23mm or 18-55mm) it doesn't do anything. Same for shutter speed, when I turn the front or rear command dial, nothing happened :(
I have to change it manually through the set menu on the touchscreen (button on the right hand side under the AF) and it's super annoying. Am I missing something ?
wow. I thought I was crazy. or crappy. found I was ALWAYS bumping it up by a third or slightly more on the compy for the majority of my shots... glad I watched this.
Thanks. Newbie question: I look at the scene on my screen and just bump up the exposure -or down with the EC dial. Is this too crude? It always seem to tally with the histogram. In other words can I trust the screen (or view finder)? If it looks OK is it ok?
Each camera brand meters differently. I did testing, side by side with a Fuji XH1 and a Lumix G9 using same equivalent focal length. Fuji was about 1 to 2/3 stop below Lumix to get the exact same scene. For instance, iso 200 and 1/8sec SS in both cameras. Fuji’s aperture was f6.4 or even f5.6 while Lumix was f8. Similarly if I locked iso 200 and f8 in both cameras. Fuji would be 1/8sec while Lumix 1/15sec. And so on, in low light I fixed f at 2.0 and SS at 1/30s. Fuji iso was 6400 and Lumix 3200. Is this a disadvantage? Well, maybe, because loosing one stop for low-light hand-held shots forces Fuji users to raise iso in order to get a steady shot. But! On the other hand, when comparing images between these two cameras (sensors), specially those in low light, the IQ of Fuji is far superior, even with the stop disadvantage.
Hi Omar, I used to shoot under so that I never lost highlights, I am now shooting mostly two thirds over on the ExComp, but watching the histogram if not sure, my reason for doing this is to get as much light stuffed into the sensor as physically possible to maximise the signal to noise ratio. there are times when specular highlights look a bit nasty but that is a function of the APSc sensor and interpolation, in conditions of very high contrast, a problem not so great with a GFX camera!.
There are circumstances when I will crank the Ex Comp. back a stop or more, this would be to get a reasonable shutter speed without booting up the Iso.
The take-away for me is that these Fujifilm cameras have so much latitude and dynamic range that we can stretch the envelope quite a long way for all normal conditions, key for me is to establish a work-flow that allows me ease of use when shooting and minimal post-proccessing on the understanding that the more of what I want is on the sensor the better the result, although we can 'recover' a hell of a lot in post everything you turn down is ditching data space that could have had stuff you want. I still struggle a bit with taking things like the histogram seriously, the image that I 'see' on my screen is always meant to be what I 'saw' when I took the shot, if there is any doubt the eyes have it!.
As the years roll by, I've been shooting Fujifilm X cameras for several years I do see that my style changes quite a lot, the older images look much darker in my catalogue!, this whole thing is so subjective!. Cheers, Richard.
Im looking to get into photo and cinematography. Im wondering what youd recommend for quality/usability for a beginner. Im considering the sony a6400 and fuji xt30/xt2 what would you recommend??
Well, there's your next series.... 'What Does This Thingy Do?" Great explanation.
Spot and manual mode is my way to go, so I never have to worry about locking things and I am much faster when the light or scene doesn't change much.
‘Centred weighted, spot, and the useless one .....’ 😂😂😂😂😂
I noticed the exact same thing when i switched from Canon to my Fuji xt20. And like you, about 1/3 to 2/3 stop over with the exp como dial seems to be about right in most scenes. Once you understand it it's easy to work with. I also use the live histogram in the viewfinder
Josh Sporre always expose to the right (minimizing noise in the darks), and evaluate this by the histogram ... this will give you the best image to correctly so the final exposure adjustments in post processing
Went to the alps last year and snow under bright sunlight are VERY challenging. Spot meter & AE lock was my go to mode, eventhough it is very sensitive, however was easier to use (at that time) than the evaluative metering & exposure compensation.
You explain things very well. Thank you!!
This paired with your focus videos = Excellent Instruction! Thanks -
Thank you for all of these useful videos, Omar. I do love my XT20, and you've been most helpful to my learning its little ways.
Omar you should make a video on the highlight warning feature (blinkies) and how to use it to expose correctly. Apparently Pro-Neg Std with highlights and shadows at -2 give accurate representation for the highlight warning and histogram in RAW. Source: DPReview forums
Wow! Excellent video...your explanations are spot on...you have gained a faithful follower
Once again helping me figure out my XT3. Thank you, sir!
I just meter with my image preview... working them knobs like a transistor radio till I can see what I want and how I want it perfectly. As for now my pupils are dilated from some eye exam I just had and can’ barely see anything.
Great video! Just got a X-t2 second hand and noticed this right away. Never really noticed it on my x100f but noticed it right away shooting with an 18-135mm indoors on the X-T2. Interesting.
Possibly there are settings like this on Fujifilm. On my Olympus there is exposure shift adjustments which adjust the meter's brightness. I bump my meter to a 1/3 brighter on the center weight and I find I do less exposure comp. I can actually adjust my meter as little as 1/6. Thought that was interesting.
Also I set my Histogram meter value to show highlights up to 245 and shadows to 10. So when it shows that I am clipping after moving the exposure comp a 1/3, I know it still has atleast 1/3 to 1/2 stop left before actually being over or under exposed.
Awesome...thanks for sharing. Good advice!
Another great explanation. You should do more of these instead of the reviews. Seems like everyone that owns a camera thinks they are a review expert. But you understand how to use the camera's your talking about. As much as I have a fairly good understanding I always learn something from your teaching videos. Please keep them coming. Have you consider creating cheat sheets and offer them as printables. I would pay for these. I'm sure others would also. Ric.
Another approach to the issue of proper exposure is to shoot in RAW and carefully watch your histogram to avoid clipping any highlights. Then in post it is easy to get the preferred exposure on the actual subject in the photo. This is a bit different from "get it right in camera;" it's more "get a good histogram in camera." Just a thought ... keep up the good work.
Very informative Omar. I tend to underexpose too. However, for events and with lots of photos to check, "get it done in camera" is better to save time editing. Would consider your share of thoughts in my settings before the actual event. Thank you as always.
Tonypet Montemayor For me I’d rather recover some of the shadows with a preset or syncing settings quickly than risk blowing out a white dress or skin.
Is it not the case that snow is under-exposed because it's white? In the old film days we talked about neutral grey (gray ;-)) being the normal exposure medium and that you'd have to over-expose to defeat the meter's grey tendency.
Hola gracias por tu video, pero, como consigues que el cuadrado del punto de enfoque esté siempre centrado? Si a mi se me mueve y lo tengo que centrar de forma manual.
in the second last pic comparison with cap, multi vs centre-weighted, the blacks on the boxes on your shelves on the right were darker in the centre-weighted :o think thats what effected the shutter speed.
Probably right...interesting though...that someone might say the camera over or underexposes...but it is so dependent on metering, lighting, and background. :)
I shoot full manually. With strobes the image on camera is brighter than the actual photo.(jpg) any ideas why?
Intertesting, Omar. I've found that my first X-T2 (shipped in the first release week of 2016) and a loaner early issue X-T3 read the scene with the camera's metering as darker than it actually was and thus tended to OVEREXPOSE about 1/3-1/2 a stop when using the Multi mode (Fuji changed the Multi mode metering algorithm between the X-T1 and X-T2, BTW). My X-H1, on the other hand, NAILS exposure every single time. GREAT camera, BTW; really hope Fuji releases an X-H2.
Nice video , but expose for proper window exposure and use speedlights for fill or some kind of lighting on Cappy
Hey omar, nice video :D btw would you recommend converting the Fuji Raw files to DNG files?
As far as I can see, the comments about the Fuji files being underexposed seem to be from Canon shooters. As a former Nikon D850 shooter I've found the images, in most cases, to be exactly what I would expect from my Nikon taken in the same circumstances. So is it that Canon overexposes by 1/3 of a stop compared to Nikon and Fuji - "Canon overexposes, no way ... way 😀" Nikons have their own look as do Sony and Canon.Not to mention the difference from one lens to the next. It doesn't necessarily mean that one is right and the others are wrong or that one is better, just what we prefer. If you want your images to be exactly the same as your Canon, Nikon or Sony then buy a Canon, Nikon or Sony. If you like the way Fuji images look, buy a Fuji.
My takeaway...every camera system is different. We must learn our gear. Cheers.
I think underexposure problem is another with Fuji.. is not the camera metering underexposing your image usually and not the real problem for me about Fujifilm: it's the fact with same settings on another camera usually you can get in comparison 2/3 stops underexposed image on Fuji (because of different sensor pattern, different ISO scale, etc..i Don't know). The problem is simple, if at given ISO value you reach pretty good noise performance compared to a bigger sensor, then to compensate you need to slow your shutter speed but when you can't you need to increase the ISO.
Example: 1/60 F4 ISO 3200 on both Fuji and a Fullframe.. Fuji can be underexposed, so you have to raise ISO to 5000 when you can't lower the shutter speed, and you lose some advantages in this case. Not considering the equivalent dof factor of course, and thinking about similar generation sensors. To me that's the only problem about "Fuji underexposes my images".
About the video of course every camera metering sometimes can be tricked by the light and the scene, not everytime perfect, but this happens on most camera, while the problem mentioned above technically only on Fuji cameras occurs and this brings down the xtrans sensor noise advantages compared to the competition, a lot of discussions about it on the Net. :)
If you forget about metering for one second. The digital view finding might just be slightly overexposing compared to what the sensor is actually recoring.
I never really thought about all that, but when using my Canon gear several years ago i use to underexpose by 1/3 to 1/2 stop on 4 different cameras, always. I was using Aperture exposure at the time. Now I use full manual and what I see is what I got and obviously what I like. Never really do I look as to weather my exposure is + or _.
Good video, I subscribe.
by the way great album the Born and raised, you have good taste 😁
Yikes. Just one man's opinion here, but this can of worms(tricky lighting conditions) could best be remedied by shooting in full manual mode. Where one is in full control of ISO, SS, and f-stop. Auto is great for most normal lighting situations. But in super tricky ones, manual still works best.
so many people haven't heard of ETTR, SNR and sensor saturation. "I prefer underexposure" = "I prefer more noise". well...
OMG this video made up my brain bro. Thank you so much ❤❤❤
This was very helpful. Thank you!
This sounds more like not fully understanding how a camera meters than Fujifilm cameras under-exposing.
In either of the semi-auto modes: Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority, or in full auto, the camera will always try to give you a tonality equal to 18% grey. If you're metering off something that is brighter than 18% grey, then you will get an under-exposed image, if you're metering off something darker than 18% grey, then you will get an over-exposed image.
This is one of the reasons that I only ever use Manual mode and almost always use spot metering. If I'm metering off something brighter than 18% grey, I want to see the meter in the viewfinder showing me a value higher than 18% grey. If the brightest thing in the viewfinder is an area of snow that is illuminated by the sun, I want my meter to be reading about 2 1/3 - 2 2/3 above the zero point when I spot meter off that sunlit patch of snow, then the whole scene will be correctly exposed.
I noticed that you referred to “expose to make it look close to what it does in real life”. When shooting JPEG OK, when shooting RAW, absolutely not! Then you have to expose to the right, ettr, capturing maximum detail and less noise, while not blowing out the highlights. The difficult noise will always be in the shadows of the spectrum, therefore ettr is the correct method. Adjust your RAW images afterwards in post production, to look as you please, maybe as it appeared... it’s much easier than it sounds...
I have my exposer compensation every time on C ( SS in A for a mor or less ok exposer ) , so I can go up and down 5 stops with the back real button and expose to the histogram. ISO and aperture I have always in manual.
Hey Omar... there is a lot actually going on here. 1) Your camera (and just about every other digital camera system out there) does under expose. This is done to protect the highlights. In digital (like slide film) once you blow the highlights that info is one. This is okay when you are shooting JPEG. In JPEG though, you should "expose to the right" (ETTR) somewhere before you blow out highlights. If you are using your histogram as a tool this means most of your data in the histogram should be somewhere in the right part. What this does is your camera will them get as much details in your mid tones and shadow areas that you can without losing details in the highlights. In post you can then lower the exposure to your liking. The problem with getting the exposure in camera (or exposure you are going for) is that you then get under exposed shadow details. You can always bring exposure up in post but you lose quality. 2) I see you are shooting both RAW + JPEG but you are editing the JPEG files in LightRoom... why? If you want to take advantage of your cameras full capabilities you should be working off those RAW files. Your raw files can handle way more info than JPEG. In fact you can expose your RAW files a lot more than you would JPEG files giving you a wider dynamic range. An alternate workflow would be to capture as much data in camera in the sense of RAW files, and make your exposure in post. 3) There is a free light meter course on Udemy that does an amazing job at explaining light meters and what is actually going on when your camera is giving you numbers. My favorite metering mode is spot and I will use that to expose based on the brightest spot of my frame.
good information..i have to work on this on my camera when the lighting keeps changing outside..
Wow..I remember the sony a99 and a99II..got hammered because 1/3 of the light didn't get to the sensor!!??...now we learning that alot if not all camera companies under exposes automatically!!!!????..HUH???...
I mostly use my Fuji for days out / holidays where I don't really have the time to experiment or play with too many settings so the exposure dial is my most used dial! My camera is mostly left on P and I click the dial a few clicks is the picture is too light /dark
Beautiful...same but Aperture priority here.
Thanks Omar great explanation, as Brian(below) said maybe Fuji decided to play safe and go underexpose.
Is there a way to lock exposure while using the back button focus? Coz I always have a middle focus point and just recompose but if I do that the exposure changes.
I think you can set up one of the buttons to be exposure lock. And you can set it to toggle. So when you press it, it locks exposure. Press it again to start getting new readings.
Yes. Half holding shutter can lock exposure.
@@ogonzilla my shutter is only one pressed to shoot coz I wanted the back button to focus.
@@fremzter Have you tried half pressing it lightly? You'll see the little EL blue indicator on the bottom. If not, you might have to set that in button dial settings.
Great video and advice. Sorry if I rambled in my other comment. Videos like this make me think of my settings and how to improve or adjust, even if I have a stinking Olympus 😝😁
Glad to help. Ramble ON!! (good song)
Great explanation sir omar but if you ask me, everyone has a different Eyes. Eyes who decide, others like a little darker while others like brighter, exposure or under expose. lOoking forward for your next video.
PS: I'm still using XT-10 😅 #Poor
Great tutorial. I love your videos. Thank you.
Fuji does not cheat ! They use the ISO interpretation called SOS... the bias between SOS and REI (used by Nikon, canon etc), is 0.72... so Fuji ISO 200=(200*0.72) on Nikon etc...
Yes! I was about to say this, but you nailed it with more details that I was going to. We have two ISO standards - Fuji and Olympus chose one, Sony and Nikon and Canon chose another.
But of course that's if you're just comparing the exposure readings between systems.
Yeah...I didn’t want to get all Tony Northrup into it. Lol
Excellent video Thanks. Ps where did you get the characters from.
Hot Toys at Sideshow collectibles. Totally overpriced... lol
@@ogonzilla I see what you mean lol. Thanks
Wow you are fast! You read our comments and got in there in a day.
I read comments. :) . And sometimes reply!!!
@@ogonzilla 😂😂
I'm a little confused, now. Another well-respected Fujifilm RUclipsr says to stay away from "pegging against the right side," but that the histogram should trend right. I'm off to find tutorials on histograms. I'm thinking that it's like most other things in photography .... personal preference?
Do Fujifilm camera underexpose? No Way. There appears to be some confusion with auto modes and the JPEGs appearing darker. A quick manual test with my Fuji cameras (X100S, X-Pro 1, XT1) an 18% Grey Card and my Sekonic meter and I can confirm that all cameras meter 100% correctly. Part of the issue I believe is when people place their camera into one of the Auto modes and expect it to produce perfect results every time. The Fuji software engineers appear to be concerned about 'blowing out the highlights' and as a result tend to be a little cautious and tells the camera that the 'best exposure' is with the histogram slightly to the left. Typically I tend to shoot in aperture priority mode, have the histogram displayed in both the OVF and EVF, and use the expsoure compensation dial to push to the right whilst protecting the highlights. It is not unusual to have the exposure compensation dial set to +1/3, but you do need to watch the histogram carefully, as it is easy to recover dark shadows but not blown highlights.
Honestly I haven't really had any issues just using center-weighted.
Does fuji have anything like sony's real time zebra highlight for stills?
Yes, it does but like Non said, its distracting, but does do its job.
For more precise exposure, change the evf brightens from auto to 0.
Those super-hero statues that you have, are rather incredible for test shots. I will need to pick one or two of them up myself. If only for that purpose.
Snow is a known thing in any camera (maybe you already made this point, sorry if so). Camera always wants to balance the histogram, so if everything's white, it'll try to make it grey, cause that's most of the photo and it'll make it to be at a half way through the histogram. It's just like you were using a grey card.
Yup thanks! Made that point and demoed in the video. Big aha moment for me when I was learning.
Very helpful. Thanks
I always underexpose when shooting - nothing wrong with that : )
agreed.
everything is wrong with that, actually. but it's your call...
The issue I have with my fuji's , is that my x-e3 is underexposed vs my x70 wiht exactly the same settings using spot metering. Actually this morning I had both cameras wiht me and just wanted to see what the differences are so I know how to optimize them and I realized the x-e3 underexposure. Maybe I am missing some setting that creates this discrepancy. The example I used was photographing from inside a room outside the window while trying to keep as much as possible the highlighnts and the rest of the room is much darker than the x70
Djk0t interesting.
It's could be due to the difference in light transmission of each lens. fixed lens of X-70 is probably better.
Gaby Nehme it seems to be brighter and the xe3 is sharper and you can put a lot of detail out of the files. I am so happy with the x70 small powerful enough with a character !!
It just struck me why. Actually I think the reason is that because of the 14 vs 25 megapixels the x70 has bigger pixels and it takes more light. In astrophotography they recommend to use cameras with less megapixels
Hey dude, greetings from Indonesia. ✋
Excellent lesson
Great video as usual :) thanks Omar
When I import my fuji-raws to Capture One - they are underexposed by "linear-response" (or "clean" raw). Until I tell Capture One to apply a Fujifilm simulation. Then the Raw-file comes alive - by stretching the dynamical range into place.
(Everyone must remember that the histogram is based on a JPG interpretation of the light - not on the "RAF")
So tell Capture One to import in "AUTO" - which will mean that it will import the image with the film simulation you used when you took the image (Capture one will then show the image as you took it with "Arca or Velvia or Classic Chrome" - and expose it for that).
Remember - we are still in RAW - so this is non-destructive (just go back to "base characteristics" and you are again in "underexposed linear response RAW" mode.
If one use some other software, I bet the same is true. She is importing in linear raw. Which shows the image "flat and dark" and nothing like the vivid Arca or Velvia simulation one see on the back LCD. This does not mean that the camera took an under-exposed image. Because the blacks lift perfectly well with tons of information from being shown as "flat linear". The darkness is not under-exposed at all - because there are crazy levels of information in the shadows. If the camera took an underexposed image - all that perceived darkness would return the raw data of "zero-zero-zero" (when all is lost - just like nothing can be retrieved when the sensor returns 256-256-256 and is completely blown out).
glacier activity thanks for passing along your knowledge !
Very informative Mr. Gonzalez
The meter thinks white is light and black is shadow regardless of the light. In the same way that it thinks foliage is a bad white balance so you end with purple tree bark. Really, you will still have to outsmart the machine on many occasions. Exposure compensation helps a lot. I always end up at +0.3ev minimum at the end of the edit. All of my custom presets have that as default. Check your histogram, and don't trust the LCD/EVF brightness entirely if you're shooting all in-camera.
good advice! thanks!
I love your videos. You are hilarious. Thank you for making photography fun and not pretentious and stuffy.
appreciate that...life's too short. :)
Now guys, Professor Omar saved your collective butts once again, so go and get to know your cameras for God sakes and do NOT buy another camera until you know to apply EVERYTHING about the one you have!
and LR add auto recovery in the background when you import any RAW file it started in LR4! 🤨🤔😡
Sometimes photometry is available sometimes it doesn't appear why is it so
My biggest hesitation before using a Fuji is that everyone using them seemed to have such dark photos with crushed shadows. I do find that I need to brighten most shots, especially for viewing on phones. All this photometry stuff makes me want to just set everything completely manually and just readjust until it looks good. Sometimes you won’t realize that a shot might look really good overexposed a bit unless it happens by accident!