Under-exposure with "Sunny 16" rule

Dartmoor Dave · 09-15-2021, 01:14 AM - **4 Likes**

In real world use (which is the only use that counts) Sunny 16 has got a lot in common with the zone system. For example, in this one from last year the directly sunlit areas of grass fell within my usual "Sunny 16" of f/11 at 1/125 at ISO 100, but using that exposure would have drastically underexposed the shaded areas. I knew that with the GX-10 (K10D) that I was using I could overexpose the sunlit areas by two stops and still have usable detail in the raw file -- in other words put them in Zone VII -- so that's what I did by exposing at f/8 at 1/60 at ISO 100. It still left the shaded areas underexposed but within the range that I could recover in Camera Raw, and it meant that there would be some unimportant small patches blown to white, but it was the best compromise to get a workable raw file.

So in terms of practical application, using Sunny 16 is very similar to using the zone system, but doing it by eye rather than with a spot meter.

**GUB** · 09-15-2021, 03:51 AM

Originally posted by stevebrot

Pity that with Pentax the live view histogram as well as that for playback are based on output from the JPEG engine and don't represent metering per se.

Yes I know that is commonly stated but why do I rarely get any unpleasant surprises when I open my images in Darktable.
Note - I consistently have the jpeg settings at reset with the dynamic range settings turned off.

**BigMackCam** · 09-15-2021, 05:19 AM - **2 Likes**

Even with the limitations of the JPEG engine, the histogram's still useful. If you expose to either end of the range, you know there's some room either side for recovery - so it's a safe / pessimistic representation, which isn't such a bad thing overall...

stevebrot · 09-15-2021, 12:48 PM

Originally posted by GUB

Yes I know that is commonly stated

Not only is it commonly stated, but it is quite true. Usually it should not be a huge problem, despite a contrast bump with the default "Bright" setting, unless something like lens correction for vignette is done or a digital filter active or accidental use of "Muted", "Cross-processed", or "Radiant" custom settings (all three are fairly common in troubleshooting requests).

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09-15-2021, 01:14 AM - 4 Likes	#76
Dartmoor Dave Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Dartmoor, UK Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,882	In real world use (which is the only use that counts) Sunny 16 has got a lot in common with the zone system. For example, in this one from last year the directly sunlit areas of grass fell within my usual "Sunny 16" of f/11 at 1/125 at ISO 100, but using that exposure would have drastically underexposed the shaded areas. I knew that with the GX-10 (K10D) that I was using I could overexpose the sunlit areas by two stops and still have usable detail in the raw file -- in other words put them in Zone VII -- so that's what I did by exposing at f/8 at 1/60 at ISO 100. It still left the shaded areas underexposed but within the range that I could recover in Camera Raw, and it meant that there would be some unimportant small patches blown to white, but it was the best compromise to get a workable raw file. So in terms of practical application, using Sunny 16 is very similar to using the zone system, but doing it by eye rather than with a spot meter.

09-15-2021, 03:51 AM	#77
GUB Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Wanganui Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,760	Originally posted by stevebrot Pity that with Pentax the live view histogram as well as that for playback are based on output from the JPEG engine and don't represent metering per se. Yes I know that is commonly stated but why do I rarely get any unpleasant surprises when I open my images in Darktable. Note - I consistently have the jpeg settings at reset with the dynamic range settings turned off.

09-15-2021, 05:19 AM - 2 Likes	#78
BigMackCam Digitiser of Film Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North East of England Posts: 20,670 Original Poster	Even with the limitations of the JPEG engine, the histogram's still useful. If you expose to either end of the range, you know there's some room either side for recovery - so it's a safe / pessimistic representation, which isn't such a bad thing overall...

09-15-2021, 12:48 PM	#79
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by GUB Yes I know that is commonly stated Not only is it commonly stated, but it is quite true. Usually it should not be a huge problem, despite a contrast bump with the default "Bright" setting, unless something like lens correction for vignette is done or a digital filter active or accidental use of "Muted", "Cross-processed", or "Radiant" custom settings (all three are fairly common in troubleshooting requests).