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Raw Digger and my M240 files pushed to the wall

bab

bab

Active member
This program opened my eyes up to how underexposed my M is in spot mode shooting a gray card and shooting a scene.
I shot the first experiment at +1/3 ex comp not even close to the ETTR wall at 4 stops more time.
My second test was of a wall with a white plastic thermostat having a gray digital panel inside the camera meter was showing the red dot at 1/15 of a sec CAMERA WAS set at +1EV. On the 5th image at 1/4 sec (1/15, 1/12, 1/8, 1/6, 1/4) the Leica histogram shows the wall (ETTR) two more CLICKS down (1/3, 1/2) at 1/2 SEC I'm just starting to see the red overexposure in Raw Digger IMAGE AND THE histogram showing in the +3-4 stop over range.

The file just before that at 1/3 second has just the slightest edge of red on the top of the plastic cover of the thermostat because of the overhead lighting.
What blows my mind is how the meter in camera would show me at 1/15th of a sec I'm at the red dot (perfect exposure) but even with +1EV but yet I still have room for 5 shutter click stops lower. Knowing the White plastic should be overexposed by 2-21/2 stops to be white RAW DIGGER is showing me I can push my images further than I ever expected.
Seriously what is my +1 EV doing? Does it even work?

I have to try this outside tomorrow with some shadows and highlights, but for sure my cameras meter (or should I say my cameras histogram) can be pushed PAST THE WALL AND STILL GET A GREAT PICTURE.

HAS ANYBODY TRIED THIS SOFTWARE AND GOTTEN SIMILAR RESULTS?
 
bab

bab

Active member
Here are the results from my test that the raw digger software shows me. It shows I have a full two stops before I hit the wall ETTR over exposure. amazing I will try the outdoor shots tomorrow. I'm just curious to see what my Leica meter is really showing me. This is based on a 400 x 400 pixel area of a Whibal card.
log[2](11623/2870);
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2.0179
 
glenerrolrd

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
I have not used raw digger ..but I have noticed that the M exposures are darker than my M9 or the Nikon D800e . When I looked at the individual tones on a color checker ...I think they have it right . The highlights are actually slightly brighter and have far better separation than the M9 ( M is linear ,M9 is "S" shaped ). The midtones are darker than an M9 in some cases by a full EV ...yet the darks are nicely spaced in the tone curve .

I found with the right adjustment to the tone curve I could pull up the midtones without changing the overall exposure .

I understand you can add an EV to the exposure and pull back the highlights to avoid losing them ...but then don t you compress the tones in the lights ? On an M I don t worry about the shadows anymore ..its the highlights and midtones that I want separation .

Just a thought .
 
bab

bab

Active member
I agree with you I'm just tired of inconsistent exposures, but I'm getting closer to a shooting solution!
Today I made some more tests with RawDigger and fooled around with the classic metering system in the M240 at thus point I don't think spot works. Selecting center weighted shooting in overcast light with a patly cloudy sky in the distance.
1. Manually set white balance (this changes the exposure meter) once you meter a scene, then set the Whitebal your meter will not show the red dot centered the exposure will change, at least on my M. SEE IF YOURS DOSES ALSO?
2. My M has a two stop headroom but metering properly with red dot centered my exposures are typically one stop under. I had taken some advise from posts and set the M +1/3 EV not even close to right for my M. RawDigger shows the green channel in most cases has two full stops of headroom with many having three. That's messed up.

My goal is to find the best possible EV adjustment so the M will be +or- a 1/2 - 3/4 stop of a good exposure. What raw digger has shown me so far is if your showing the full rgb histo on your M and the green channel is in the middle your underexposed AND you can move the green spike to the wall on the right and still recover your highlights. Your images will have bright colors exposure will be right and then you can back off the exposure slider appx 1/3 stop in LR without stretching the middle!
I also shot an indoor science of a 2yr old today under mixed lighting 640 ISO 50mm at F2.84 set camera to +1 1/3 EV pinned the green spike to the right. Images on back of camera look so much better and color on the LCD looks spot on I will have to see tomorrow in LR.
I'm sure I don't have it figured out yet but I feel I'm getting closer. By the way my sekonic light meter and the M240 do not agree w/ either spot or reflected reading.
When I'm shooting in the street and I take a reading pointing the camera down from the bright sky so as to get the right exposure for skin tones I'm usually still under exposed which is nice but I want it to be my choice not the cameras.
 
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