My camera doesn't show Exposure Compensation

FinCanPhoto · 05-17-2008, 10:13 AM

Hi all,
I hope this is in the right forum. I did read the information but I'm a bit new to this. Anyway, I have 2 problems:

1st - I can't get Adobe PS to open my RAW (pef) files from my Pentax K100D super. I thought that I had the Adobe Raw plug-in but perhaps it is out of date so I'm trying to upload the newest (the site is down

)

2nd - I have been studying and practicing the zone metering system and using it to get the right exposure for my photos. I've been happy with the results and I have been looking at the photos in the Pentax Photo Browser and in PhotoME as well as on my LCD and none of these 3 sources show any Exposure Compensation info even though I have adjusted the Exposure up or down by adjusting the shutter speed in Manual mode. I was hoping I could keep a diary of my photos and what I did and what worked and what didn't since the LCD doesn't give a clear image and I have to put the pics on the computer to really see if I got the desired effect. The question - what do I need to do to get that Exposure info showing up?

3rd - I am taking photos in RAW mode and yet I took a photo today and it had clear banding - it was of a tree on an overcast day and the sky showed clear signs of banding. Did I do something wrong?

Thanks for any help out there.

FinCanPhoto

alohadave · 05-17-2008, 08:01 PM

1st - I can't get Adobe PS to open my RAW (pef) files from my Pentax K100D super. I thought that I had the Adobe Raw plug-in but perhaps it is out of date so I'm trying to upload the newest (the site is down )

What version of PhotoShop? You need CS3 to open K100D Super RAW files.

Groundloop · 05-17-2008, 09:57 PM

Snip -

Originally posted by FinCanPhoto

2nd - I have been studying and practicing the zone metering system and using it to get the right exposure for my photos. I've been happy with the results and I have been looking at the photos in the Pentax Photo Browser and in PhotoME as well as on my LCD and none of these 3 sources show any Exposure Compensation info even though I have adjusted the Exposure up or down by adjusting the shutter speed in Manual mode. I was hoping I could keep a diary of my photos and what I did and what worked and what didn't since the LCD doesn't give a clear image and I have to put the pics on the computer to really see if I got the desired effect. The question - what do I need to do to get that Exposure info showing up?FinCanPhoto

If you change shutter speed or aperture in Manual (M), exposure mode, you're adjusting the exposure, not applying Exposure Compensation, which is adjusting the exposure by another name. The only way that I'm aware of that you'll see EV compensation values in the EXIF data are if you use one of the "Automatic" exposure modes, such as TAv, Av, Tv, Sv or P. So, if you shoot in M mode, when you look at your EXIF data, if you see ISO, shutter speed and aperture, you have all the exposure information you need for your diary.

OniFactor · 05-17-2008, 10:42 PM

Originally posted by Groundloop

Snip -

If you change shutter speed or aperture in Manual (M), exposure mode, you're adjusting the exposure, not applying Exposure Compensation, which is adjusting the exposure by another name. The only way that I'm aware of that you'll see EV compensation values in the EXIF data are if you use one of the "Automatic" exposure modes, such as TAv, Av, Tv, Sv or P. So, if you shoot in M mode, when you look at your EXIF data, if you see ISO, shutter speed and aperture, you have all the exposure information you need for your diary.

i think he wants to know how much above or below what the camera tells him correct exposure, he is setting the camera to..

i think, to do that, you need to look at the lumens part of the exif, and use big math to figure it out. i think.

FinCanPhoto · 05-17-2008, 11:32 PM

I have CS3 and I expected it to update the adobe raw plug-in but nothing happens when I try to update and when I have tried for the last 2 days to get the plug-in from their downloads site I get the message that teh site is under maintenance.

FinCanPhoto · 05-17-2008, 11:37 PM

Thanks Groundloop for the answer on the exposure question. You were right that I can only get the + or - value for the exposure in other modes other than M. I find that strange because I've been trying to apply Tim Cooper's lessons (from Photoshop cafe) on Zone Metering and he says we ought to use Manual mode. OniFactor is correct when he says that I want to know how much above or below what the camera says is correct exposure, with the meter zeroed out.

FinCanPhoto · 05-17-2008, 11:43 PM

3rd - I am taking photos in RAW mode and yet I took a photo today and it had clear banding - it was of a tree on an overcast day and the sky showed clear signs of banding. Did I do something wrong?

Thanks for any help out there.

FinCanPhoto[/QUOTE]

I noticed that noone commented on the banding issue and that is the one that really troubles me so I decided to include a photo here to illustrate my point. Also I have included the camera settings. The banding is in the upper right corner and is really obvious. The camera settings for this image (taken from PhotoME) are:

[PhotoME]
PhotoME version: 0.79 (Build 818)

[Overview]
File name: C:\Users\Teacher\Desktop\Raw170508\IMGP0189.PEF
File type: Pentax Camera RAW
File size: 11*476,9*KB
Creation date: 17.5.2008 16:23
Last modification: 17.5.2008 16:23
Make: PENTAX Corporation (PENTAX)
Camera: PENTAX K100D Super
Lens: smc PENTAX-DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL
Software: K100D Super Ver 1.00
Dimension: 3040 x 2024*px*(6.2 MP, 3:2)
Focal length: 43*mm*(equiv. 64*mm)
Aperture: F7.1
Exposure time: 1/160"
ISO speed rating: 200/24°
Program: Manual
Metering Mode: Spot
White Balance: User-Selected
Focus Mode: AF-S
Image Stabilizer: stabilized
Noise Reduction: Off
Flash: Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode

Attached Images

View Picture EXIF

Groundloop · 05-18-2008, 09:54 AM

Originally posted by FinCanPhoto

Thanks Groundloop for the answer on the exposure question. You were right that I can only get the + or - value for the exposure in other modes other than M. I find that strange because I've been trying to apply Tim Cooper's lessons (from Photoshop cafe) on Zone Metering and he says we ought to use Manual mode. OniFactor is correct when he says that I want to know how much above or below what the camera says is correct exposure, with the meter zeroed out.

Sorry for the misunderstanding, and thanks to Onifactor for straightening me out. The low tech way would be to carry a notebook or PDA with you to take scene & exposure notes as you shoot, and you could do the first shot of every scene at the metered exposure as a baseline, then start adjusting.

As for the banding issue, I can't really see any in the pic you attached. Is it possible to post a link to a larger version? The only issue I'm able to see is some vignetting on the right edge of the frame.

FinCanPhoto · 05-18-2008, 12:23 PM

The original file is over 17 MB in size and so I saved it as a DNG and opened it in PS but no matter what I try I can't get it below 1 MB in size without it ending up really small. Any advice? The banding is in the upper right corner and goes from top to bottom vertically on my screen. An idea - I noticed that I see this even in the desktop image on this computer (Windows Vista). Do you think the problem might not be in the photo but in the way this Windows Vista renders images? Just an idea, maybe it has to do with the color profile/setup/graphics card ... Thanks for the help. BTW, saving the file as a DNG causes PS to open the image in ACR and thus my first problem above is solved. Yippeee!

alohadave · 05-18-2008, 05:11 PM

Originally posted by FinCanPhoto

The original file is over 17 MB in size and so I saved it as a DNG and opened it in PS but no matter what I try I can't get it below 1 MB in size without it ending up really small. Any advice? The banding is in the upper right corner and goes from top to bottom vertically on my screen. An idea - I noticed that I see this even in the desktop image on this computer (Windows Vista). Do you think the problem might not be in the photo but in the way this Windows Vista renders images? Just an idea, maybe it has to do with the color profile/setup/graphics card ... Thanks for the help. BTW, saving the file as a DNG causes PS to open the image in ACR and thus my first problem above is solved. Yippeee!

It could be with the color depth of your display. If you have a display that can only display 65k colors, compared to 6.7M (16bit compared to 24bit), you may see this type of 'banding'.

**Canada_Rockies** · 05-18-2008, 07:55 PM

Originally posted by FinCanPhoto

Thanks Groundloop for the answer on the exposure question. You were right that I can only get the + or - value for the exposure in other modes other than M. I find that strange because I've been trying to apply Tim Cooper's lessons (from Photoshop cafe) on Zone Metering and he says we ought to use Manual mode. OniFactor is correct when he says that I want to know how much above or below what the camera says is correct exposure, with the meter zeroed out.

Your camera should show you this scale in M mode. Mine does. With M lenses, A lenses and DA lenses. If you set the camera to M on the mode dial, and press the green button, the camera will pick its "ideal" exposure. Moving either the shutter or aperture edial will show the amount + or - from the indicated exposure.

You might be confused, because you need to wake the camera up to see this scale in the viewfinder, or on the top LCD. If the camera is in standby mode, the scale will not be visible. Touch the shutter button lightly.

If you find the indicators don't stay on long enough, you can set the meter time in the Custom menu.

jdg · 05-18-2008, 08:27 PM

Originally posted by Canada_Rockies

Your camera should show you this scale in M mode. Mine does. With M lenses, A lenses and DA lenses. If you set the camera to M on the mode dial, and press the green button, the camera will pick its "ideal" exposure. Moving either the shutter or aperture edial will show the amount + or - from the indicated exposure.

You might be confused, because you need to wake the camera up to see this scale in the viewfinder, or on the top LCD. If the camera is in standby mode, the scale will not be visible. Touch the shutter button lightly.

If you find the indicators don't stay on long enough, you can set the meter time in the Custom menu.

The k100d super doesn't have the green button and don't have EV compensation when set to M mode but instead if you push the AE-L button the camera automatically picks a correct exposure and shows an EV scale(+/-) when in M mode.

OniFactor · 05-18-2008, 08:36 PM

Albert, does it store that information in the exif for after the fact?

FinCanPhoto · 05-18-2008, 09:24 PM

In response to Onifactor, no it doesn't show the info in the exif after the fact - at least I haven't found it and I have searched thoroughly.

FinCanPhoto · 05-18-2008, 09:29 PM

Thanks alohadave! I simply went into the Vista settings (I'm knew to Vista) and changed the monitor setup from 16bit to 32bit and the banding seemed to disappear. I didn't have a chance to take a look at all my photos (I'm heading out the door for work) but it definitely looked better. Thanks alot for the help!

05-17-2008, 10:13 AM	#1
FinCanPhoto New Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Finland / Canada Posts: 13	My camera doesn't show Exposure Compensation Hi all, I hope this is in the right forum. I did read the information but I'm a bit new to this. Anyway, I have 2 problems: 1st - I can't get Adobe PS to open my RAW (pef) files from my Pentax K100D super. I thought that I had the Adobe Raw plug-in but perhaps it is out of date so I'm trying to upload the newest (the site is down ) 2nd - I have been studying and practicing the zone metering system and using it to get the right exposure for my photos. I've been happy with the results and I have been looking at the photos in the Pentax Photo Browser and in PhotoME as well as on my LCD and none of these 3 sources show any Exposure Compensation info even though I have adjusted the Exposure up or down by adjusting the shutter speed in Manual mode. I was hoping I could keep a diary of my photos and what I did and what worked and what didn't since the LCD doesn't give a clear image and I have to put the pics on the computer to really see if I got the desired effect. The question - what do I need to do to get that Exposure info showing up? 3rd - I am taking photos in RAW mode and yet I took a photo today and it had clear banding - it was of a tree on an overcast day and the sky showed clear signs of banding. Did I do something wrong? Thanks for any help out there. FinCanPhoto

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05-17-2008, 08:01 PM	#2
alohadave Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Quincy, MA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,024	1st - I can't get Adobe PS to open my RAW (pef) files from my Pentax K100D super. I thought that I had the Adobe Raw plug-in but perhaps it is out of date so I'm trying to upload the newest (the site is down ) What version of PhotoShop? You need CS3 to open K100D Super RAW files.

05-17-2008, 09:57 PM	#3
Groundloop Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Toronto, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 236	Snip - Originally posted by FinCanPhoto 2nd - I have been studying and practicing the zone metering system and using it to get the right exposure for my photos. I've been happy with the results and I have been looking at the photos in the Pentax Photo Browser and in PhotoME as well as on my LCD and none of these 3 sources show any Exposure Compensation info even though I have adjusted the Exposure up or down by adjusting the shutter speed in Manual mode. I was hoping I could keep a diary of my photos and what I did and what worked and what didn't since the LCD doesn't give a clear image and I have to put the pics on the computer to really see if I got the desired effect. The question - what do I need to do to get that Exposure info showing up?FinCanPhoto If you change shutter speed or aperture in Manual (M), exposure mode, you're adjusting the exposure, not applying Exposure Compensation, which is adjusting the exposure by another name. The only way that I'm aware of that you'll see EV compensation values in the EXIF data are if you use one of the "Automatic" exposure modes, such as TAv, Av, Tv, Sv or P. So, if you shoot in M mode, when you look at your EXIF data, if you see ISO, shutter speed and aperture, you have all the exposure information you need for your diary.

05-17-2008, 10:42 PM	#4
OniFactor Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Binghamton, NY, USA Posts: 643	Originally posted by Groundloop Snip - If you change shutter speed or aperture in Manual (M), exposure mode, you're adjusting the exposure, not applying Exposure Compensation, which is adjusting the exposure by another name. The only way that I'm aware of that you'll see EV compensation values in the EXIF data are if you use one of the "Automatic" exposure modes, such as TAv, Av, Tv, Sv or P. So, if you shoot in M mode, when you look at your EXIF data, if you see ISO, shutter speed and aperture, you have all the exposure information you need for your diary. i think he wants to know how much above or below what the camera tells him correct exposure, he is setting the camera to.. i think, to do that, you need to look at the lumens part of the exif, and use big math to figure it out. i think.

05-17-2008, 11:32 PM	#5
FinCanPhoto New Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Finland / Canada Posts: 13 Original Poster	I have CS3 and I expected it to update the adobe raw plug-in but nothing happens when I try to update and when I have tried for the last 2 days to get the plug-in from their downloads site I get the message that teh site is under maintenance.

05-17-2008, 11:37 PM	#6
FinCanPhoto New Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Finland / Canada Posts: 13 Original Poster	Thanks Groundloop for the answer on the exposure question. You were right that I can only get the + or - value for the exposure in other modes other than M. I find that strange because I've been trying to apply Tim Cooper's lessons (from Photoshop cafe) on Zone Metering and he says we ought to use Manual mode. OniFactor is correct when he says that I want to know how much above or below what the camera says is correct exposure, with the meter zeroed out.

05-18-2008, 09:54 AM	#8
Groundloop Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Toronto, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 236	Originally posted by FinCanPhoto Thanks Groundloop for the answer on the exposure question. You were right that I can only get the + or - value for the exposure in other modes other than M. I find that strange because I've been trying to apply Tim Cooper's lessons (from Photoshop cafe) on Zone Metering and he says we ought to use Manual mode. OniFactor is correct when he says that I want to know how much above or below what the camera says is correct exposure, with the meter zeroed out. Sorry for the misunderstanding, and thanks to Onifactor for straightening me out. The low tech way would be to carry a notebook or PDA with you to take scene & exposure notes as you shoot, and you could do the first shot of every scene at the metered exposure as a baseline, then start adjusting. As for the banding issue, I can't really see any in the pic you attached. Is it possible to post a link to a larger version? The only issue I'm able to see is some vignetting on the right edge of the frame.

05-18-2008, 12:23 PM	#9
FinCanPhoto New Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Finland / Canada Posts: 13 Original Poster	The original file is over 17 MB in size and so I saved it as a DNG and opened it in PS but no matter what I try I can't get it below 1 MB in size without it ending up really small. Any advice? The banding is in the upper right corner and goes from top to bottom vertically on my screen. An idea - I noticed that I see this even in the desktop image on this computer (Windows Vista). Do you think the problem might not be in the photo but in the way this Windows Vista renders images? Just an idea, maybe it has to do with the color profile/setup/graphics card ... Thanks for the help. BTW, saving the file as a DNG causes PS to open the image in ACR and thus my first problem above is solved. Yippeee!

05-18-2008, 05:11 PM	#10
alohadave Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Quincy, MA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,024	Originally posted by FinCanPhoto The original file is over 17 MB in size and so I saved it as a DNG and opened it in PS but no matter what I try I can't get it below 1 MB in size without it ending up really small. Any advice? The banding is in the upper right corner and goes from top to bottom vertically on my screen. An idea - I noticed that I see this even in the desktop image on this computer (Windows Vista). Do you think the problem might not be in the photo but in the way this Windows Vista renders images? Just an idea, maybe it has to do with the color profile/setup/graphics card ... Thanks for the help. BTW, saving the file as a DNG causes PS to open the image in ACR and thus my first problem above is solved. Yippeee! It could be with the color depth of your display. If you have a display that can only display 65k colors, compared to 6.7M (16bit compared to 24bit), you may see this type of 'banding'.

05-18-2008, 07:55 PM	#11
Canada_Rockies Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Sparwood, BC, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,385	Originally posted by FinCanPhoto Thanks Groundloop for the answer on the exposure question. You were right that I can only get the + or - value for the exposure in other modes other than M. I find that strange because I've been trying to apply Tim Cooper's lessons (from Photoshop cafe) on Zone Metering and he says we ought to use Manual mode. OniFactor is correct when he says that I want to know how much above or below what the camera says is correct exposure, with the meter zeroed out. Your camera should show you this scale in M mode. Mine does. With M lenses, A lenses and DA lenses. If you set the camera to M on the mode dial, and press the green button, the camera will pick its "ideal" exposure. Moving either the shutter or aperture edial will show the amount + or - from the indicated exposure. You might be confused, because you need to wake the camera up to see this scale in the viewfinder, or on the top LCD. If the camera is in standby mode, the scale will not be visible. Touch the shutter button lightly. If you find the indicators don't stay on long enough, you can set the meter time in the Custom menu.

05-18-2008, 08:27 PM	#12
jdg Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Cavite, Philippines Posts: 85	Originally posted by Canada_Rockies Your camera should show you this scale in M mode. Mine does. With M lenses, A lenses and DA lenses. If you set the camera to M on the mode dial, and press the green button, the camera will pick its "ideal" exposure. Moving either the shutter or aperture edial will show the amount + or - from the indicated exposure. You might be confused, because you need to wake the camera up to see this scale in the viewfinder, or on the top LCD. If the camera is in standby mode, the scale will not be visible. Touch the shutter button lightly. If you find the indicators don't stay on long enough, you can set the meter time in the Custom menu. The k100d super doesn't have the green button and don't have EV compensation when set to M mode but instead if you push the AE-L button the camera automatically picks a correct exposure and shows an EV scale(+/-) when in M mode.

05-18-2008, 08:36 PM	#13
OniFactor Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Binghamton, NY, USA Posts: 643	Albert, does it store that information in the exif for after the fact?

05-18-2008, 09:24 PM	#14
FinCanPhoto New Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Finland / Canada Posts: 13 Original Poster	In response to Onifactor, no it doesn't show the info in the exif after the fact - at least I haven't found it and I have searched thoroughly.

05-18-2008, 09:29 PM	#15
FinCanPhoto New Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Finland / Canada Posts: 13 Original Poster	Thanks alohadave! I simply went into the Vista settings (I'm knew to Vista) and changed the monitor setup from 16bit to 32bit and the banding seemed to disappear. I didn't have a chance to take a look at all my photos (I'm heading out the door for work) but it definitely looked better. Thanks alot for the help!