Home Forums Gear Photography Just playing with exposure settings...

...or 'bracketing' as I read about in a digital photography book. These pictures were just for experimenting. They aren't nice, or pretty, although I was trying to get the moon (white orb over middle of rig, hard to tell apart from the other lights), but that didn't work either.

Here's the underexposed one...


exif info
File size: 22574 bytes
File date: 2006:01:14 22:46:04
Camera make: Canon
Camera model: Canon PowerShot S70
Date/Time: 2006:01:13 14:56:12
Resolution: 800 x 600
Flash used: No
Focal length: 5.8mm (35mm equivalent: 111mm)
CCD width: 1.88mm
Exposure time: 0.050 s (1/20)
Aperture: f/8.0
Exposure bias: -2.00
Whitebalance: Auto
Metering Mode: matrix
Exposure Mode: Auto bracketing

normal (auto mode) version...


File size: 27912 bytes
File date: 2006:01:14 22:46:03
Camera make: Canon
Camera model: Canon PowerShot S70
Date/Time: 2006:01:13 14:56:01
Resolution: 800 x 600
Flash used: No
Focal length: 5.8mm (35mm equivalent: 111mm)
CCD width: 1.88mm
Exposure time: 0.200 s (1/5)
Aperture: f/8.0
Whitebalance: Auto
Metering Mode: matrix


over-exposed version...


File date: 2006:01:14 22:46:05
Camera make: Canon
Camera model: Canon PowerShot S70
Date/Time: 2006:01:13 14:56:25
Resolution: 800 x 600
Flash used: No
Focal length: 5.8mm (35mm equivalent: 111mm)
CCD width: 1.88mm
Exposure time: 0.800 s
Aperture: f/8.0
Exposure bias: 2.00
Whitebalance: Auto
Metering Mode: matrix
Exposure Mode: Auto bracketing

I took all three pictures one right after the other. Not having played with the exposure settings before, I was suprised at the difference it can make.

Say, why the differences in shutter speed? That was done by the camera.

The second one looks very nice. Good job.

Note that the aperature is f8 for all three. It's controlling exposure by shutter speed.
Changing the f-stop will change the depth of field. A higher number, like f8, will bring objects into focus over a wide distance, like you have here. A low number will focus over a short field, like a snapshot with the background blurry. Both have uses for different purposes.
With a fixed f-stop and ISO, the only way the camera can vary exposure is to change the shutter speed.

Dick

I agree. However, you are so far away from the subject, if you used a larger f stop of say 2.8, everything would still have been in focus. That would have given you a faster shutter speed, maybe even enough to negate the shake.

Well maybe I should leave the exposure settings to the camera, and mess with the f stop next time. The middle picture was full auto, and of course it came out the nicest.

Thanks for the help!