# I feel dumb....



## duhast (Apr 7, 2013)

...but here goes.

I don't know my T3i well enough yet to figure this out. On the main shooting screen, ISO shows the number as well as "D+". What's the D+ mean and where's the setting?

EDIT: Forgot to mention I also have Magic Lantern...


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## Ballistics (Apr 7, 2013)

What does your manual say?

Edit: Quick google search shows that D+ means highlight priority. Shut that off.


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## tegeltka (Apr 7, 2013)

You must have turned it on somehow since its default value is off. Also, with highlight tone priority you can't use ISO below 200 and it increases shadow noise. Best leave it off unless you really wish to bring out detail in very bright photos (I guess it can be useful when, for example, photographing a bride in a white gown on a bright summer day?). I'm sure there are workarounds even then. I'm a newbie but really don't see the purpose of this thing in casual shooting.

What I understand it actually underexposes the photo using lower ISO (to bring out the highlights, also that's why you can't use ISO below 200) and then uses a custom curve to make the image appear "normal".

On your t3i you can disable/enable it from Custom Functions in the Menu.


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## mishele (Apr 7, 2013)




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## duhast (Apr 7, 2013)

mishele said:


>


Are they watching me to see If I can figure it out? Nosy bastages....


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## mishele (Apr 7, 2013)

lol They're creepy as hell! 
Btw...actually listen to this each time I post it!! Love it!!


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## duhast (Apr 7, 2013)

mishele said:


> lol They're creepy as hell!
> Btw...actually listen to this each time I post it!! Love it!!


Creepy? You want creepy?

Rammstein Faces Wallpaper


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## pgriz (Apr 7, 2013)

I've set the spotmeter function in Magic Lantern to show values from 0-255.  I then find the highlight spot I want detail in, and adjust the exposure until that highlight reads in the 200-240 area.  This allows me to capture the maximum amount of detail without resorting to the "highlight Priority" feature.  I have also set the zebra stripes to show by colour channel, which warns me which channel will/may be clipped.  Once I've got the basic exposure worked out in this manner, I can shoot without using live-view until the light conditions change, or the tonality of the scene changes.


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## duhast (Apr 7, 2013)

pgriz said:


> I've set the spotmeter function in Magic Lantern to show values from 0-255.  I then find the highlight spot I want detail in, and adjust the exposure until that highlight reads in the 200-240 area.  This allows me to capture the maximum amount of detail without resorting to the "highlight Priority" feature.  I have also set the zebra stripes to show by colour channel, which warns me which channel will/may be clipped.  Once I've got the basic exposure worked out in this manner, I can shoot without using live-view until the light conditions change, or the tonality of the scene changes.



pgriz, I think you told me earlier about some of the tonality ranges for digital. What are they again, the upper and lower limits of detail? I'm understanding your point her about using 0-255.


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## pgriz (Apr 7, 2013)

Each of the channels (RGB - Red/Green/Blue) has a value range of 0 to 255.  A value of 0,0,0 is black.  255, 255, 255 is white.  In my own testing, a value of 10 is almost indistinguishable from black, and a value of 245 is almost indistinguishable from white.  So I try to get my highlight detail in the 200-240 area (ie, very bright, not not completely white).  However, what we are seeing is the jpg rendering of the RAW, and in doing the conversion from raw to Jpg, the camera has been programmed to apply an s-shaped curve which compresses the top and bottom of the dynamic range to favour the mid-tones.  Therefore, the RAW still hold more detail than the JPG reveals, but we need post-processing tools to extract this detail.  However, IF I ensure that on the displayed JPG, the highlights are in the 200-240 range, then I know I have adequate dynamic range on the RAW to pull an image with very good detail.  Am I making it as "clear as mud"?


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## duhast (Apr 8, 2013)

I understand completely. It was the numbers I needed. What is the limit you use on the dark tones? The first area I am going to be exploring, at least as far as photography other than snapshots, is monochrome, and yes, I'm shooting RAW.


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## pgriz (Apr 8, 2013)

In digital, the dark tones take care of themselves, if you look after the highlights.  The "official" dynamic range of the T1i is a little over 11 stops, but in practical situations, I am looking at maybe 3 stops at the high end, and four stops on the low end.  I know there are tools that extract more out of the RAW, but I am not familiar with them (yet), so I can't give you much advice on that part.  I would suggest you PM one of the TPF members who do conversion and see what steps they take.


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