CONSISTENT UNDEREXPOSURE WITH THE Z9

[John Woodworth]

Paul - lots of good advice from community members.

I shoot sports mainly with backgrounds constantly changing e.g. electronic advertising boards around the field at night. In day time the players would be in full sun with the stands often in shadows as a backdrop. I have calibrated my Z9 sensor to my Sekonic L758DR light meter to allow for sensor vagaries - a small simple light meter could also be used. I meter the light and set my camera to it (everything manual - SS, f, ISO) - the Z9 often shows -1 stop underexposure, but they're spot on in LR.

I realise when shooting wildlife it might not be as simple, however the recall shooting buttons cater for the scenario of subjects moving from sunlight to shadows - set the camera to the light where the subject is most of the time and adjust the recall shooting settings for the opposite. If guys have time to look at histograms then they also have time to take a light meter out the pocket and take a reading - I don't like editing

I'm not sure if LR has fixed the issue of shooting RAW when Active D-Lighting was ON in camera. Adobe didn't have a way to interpret the files whereas Nikon software could.

Maybe you can give me some advice. Are you shooting jpegs?

If so, how did you arrive at your picture control settings?

I am shooting exclusively in raw because of the dynamic range of light at the musical events I photograph. But the lighting is usually pretty consistent so I am wondering if there are settings that would get me useable jpegs I could use SOC a large fraction of the time.

I don’t like editing, either.

 

[Calson]

Try using different lenses and see where the problem is most evident. With past cameras a wide angle lens with its very wide angle of view was least consistant for the exposure metering while the super telephoto and macro with their much more limited view angle were most consistant in exposures.

In most situations setting the exposure manually is not a problem and then the meter is out of the equation. It also means selecting an ISO value and not using Auto ISO.

 

[agrumpyoldsod]

Hello again -- I have recently updated my settings spreadsheet for Z9 with V3.0 and made amendments following discussions with Steve and others and my own recent experience. It is accessible via this drop box link.

We each come at this our own way and from different starting points -- mine was two decades of shooting DSLRs and I only "really" converted when I received my first Z9. I have roughly and somewhat RANTILY described my approach to AF and to the buttons I use while shooting -- look here but do strap in.

In regard to Lightroom and the Z9 - I have to repeat that I hate how LRC treats RAW files from the Z9 -- demonstrably better results are seen when Lossless RAW Z9 files are developed using DxO Pure RAW 2 Deep Prime process outputting as a linear DNG, Capture One 23 and obviously when NX Studio is used as a RAW converter.

I use LRC a lot - but currently all the Z9 files I want to use are passed through DxO PR2.
However, had I just wanted to use LRC then one MUST use one of the Camera Profiles and NOT Adobe Profiles - as part of the import/develop I advise building a preset that ZERO out all the random settings that may be brought in from the camera -- Set WB to As Shot, Middle all Tone and presence sliders, set the tone curve to a straight line. leave HSL and Color grading as default and in the Detail panel set sharpening to 0, Luminance NR=0, Colour NR=10-25, Apply automatic lens corrections (CA and profile corrections set to auto) and then all other settings should be saved at the default ZERO/Middle settings - I created this as a basic import preset and it works great at overwriting any "as shot" or "as applied" settings that were made in camera. [BTW I also have a host of other presets I have built and use that fit a particular lo0k or style, but I tend to apply these later down the line.]

 

[EricBowles]

Hi Paul

Glad to hear you have things sorted now. Just a few comments.

The histogram is a measurement of the entire image. All parts of the image are considered equally important - the background as well as the subject. The camera does not meter like that, and different metering modes emphasize different priorities. With Matrix Metering, you have exposure and focus based on scene recognition and applying a scene database. If the scene is recognized as a landscape, the priorities are different than the scene being recognized as a portrait. Extra emphasis in the weighting is given to the location of your AF point, and just a small difference in your AF point location can mean a third stop or more. Using Dynamic, Wide, 3D or Area AF modes can move the AF point used in unexpected locations resulting in small variations. Center weighted metering does away with the emphasis on scene recognition, and places more emphasis on the area near your AF point.

Your choice of Picture Control can also make a difference. Contrast, Brightness and Saturations are elements of the Picture Control. If you are using default Adobe settings, Adobe uses their camera profile such as Adobe Standard, but if you choose to Apply Camera Settings, it will use their interpretation of the Picture Control using the embedded XMP file in the NEF, Nikon's values, and Adobes interpretation of those values. They are close - but not the same.

There are other settings that can matter like ADL. ADL can create adjustments to the Exposure as well as applying adjustments to highlights and shadows. Normally those adjustments in LR use a light touch and are not the same as Nikon's embedded version. ADL can be useful - even set to Low where the is no exposure adjustment.

 

[John Navitsky]

Maybe you can give me some advice. Are you shooting jpegs?

If so, how did you arrive at your picture control settings?

I am shooting exclusively in raw because of the dynamic range of light at the musical events I photograph. But the lighting is usually pretty consistent so I am wondering if there are settings that would get me useable jpegs I could use SOC a large fraction of the time.

I don’t like editing, either.

i should probably be quiet because i don't use them, but afaik, they were just settings that controlled things like highlights, shadows, NR, sharpness and you just need to shoot, adjust and get them where you like them. theoretically each of the setting descriptions should give a reasonable idea of what it does.

 

[Ken Miracle]

Hello again -- I have recently updated my settings spreadsheet for Z9 with V3.0 and made amendments following discussions with Steve and others and my own recent experience. It is accessible via this drop box link.

We each come at this our own way and from different starting points -- mine was two decades of shooting DSLRs and I only "really" converted when I received my first Z9. I have roughly and somewhat RANTILY described my approach to AF and to the buttons I use while shooting -- look here but do strap in.

In regard to Lightroom and the Z9 - I have to repeat that I hate how LRC treats RAW files from the Z9 -- demonstrably better results are seen when Lossless RAW Z9 files are developed using DxO Pure RAW 2 Deep Prime process outputting as a linear DNG, Capture One 23 and obviously when NX Studio is used as a RAW converter.

I use LRC a lot - but currently all the Z9 files I want to use are passed through DxO PR2.
However, had I just wanted to use LRC then one MUST use one of the Camera Profiles and NOT Adobe Profiles - as part of the import/develop I advise building a preset that ZERO out all the random settings that may be brought in from the camera -- Set WB to As Shot, Middle all Tone and presence sliders, set the tone curve to a straight line. leave HSL and Color grading as default and in the Detail panel set sharpening to 0, Luminance NR=0, Colour NR=10-25, Apply automatic lens corrections (CA and profile corrections set to auto) and then all other settings should be saved at the default ZERO/Middle settings - I created this as a basic import preset and it works great at overwriting any "as shot" or "as applied" settings that were made in camera. [BTW I also have a host of other presets I have built and use that fit a particular lo0k or style, but I tend to apply these later down the line.]

Using the method I mentioned you are not creating any import presets. This is fairly new for LRC and I discovered it in a string on Nikonians. And from what I have been told by a Canon shooter who did more research it is limited to Z9 and some Sony's. Here is a screen shot from my mac of the place in LRC where this change to camera settings is made. I do not like editing and this makes thing a whole lot easier for me. The wood duck was in early morning heavy shade so ISO 7,200 and I did nothing in LRC or in any other editor but crop the image and export it with the preset @Steve had on here for posting to this forum.

 

[EricBowles]

Using the method I mentioned you are not creating any import presets. This is fairly new for LRC and I discovered it in a string on Nikonians. And from what I have been told by a Canon shooter who did more research it is limited to Z9 and some Sony's. Here is a screen shot from my mac of the place in LRC where this change to camera settings is made. I do not like editing and this makes thing a whole lot easier for me. The wood duck was in early morning heavy shade so ISO 7,200 and I did nothing in LRC or in any other editor but crop the image and export it with the preset @Steve had on here for posting to this forum.
View attachment 50277

Actually this has been in LR for a while. The Camera settings are slightly different across cameras, so the options when you apply camera settings may be a little different. But this gets as close as you can to having LR automatically mirror camera settings. It's particularly good for settings like Active D-Lighting, Lens Distortion Correction, Sharpening, Noise Reduction, etc.

On the other hand, some of the camera settings fed into LR are not what I like to use. Sharpening is too low and normally includes no adjustment for Masking. Noise reduction is based on ISO, so it is pretty good but may not match your personal preferences. I only consider the camera settings as a starting point.

I set up my D600 and D200 which had been converted to IR so that they would use a custom Profile with a custom WB based on UniWB. This approach let me use a custom profile on import rather than having to manually apply that profile. You can do the same type thing with ISO and create Noise Reduction settings that are specific to the ISO level and interpolated between values.

 

[agrumpyoldsod]

Using the method I mentioned you are not creating any import presets.

I do and have for a long time

 

[Ken Miracle]

Actually this has been in LR for a while. The Camera settings are slightly different across cameras, so the options when you apply camera settings may be a little different. But this gets as close as you can to having LR automatically mirror camera settings. It's particularly good for settings like Active D-Lighting, Lens Distortion Correction, Sharpening, Noise Reduction, etc.

On the other hand, some of the camera settings fed into LR are not what I like to use. Sharpening is too low and normally includes no adjustment for Masking. Noise reduction is based on ISO, so it is pretty good but may not match your personal preferences. I only consider the camera settings as a starting point.

I set up my D600 and D200 which had been converted to IR so that they would use a custom Profile with a custom WB based on UniWB. This approach let me use a custom profile on import rather than having to manually apply that profile. You can do the same type thing with ISO and create Noise Reduction settings that are specific to the ISO level and interpolated between values.

I just discovered it from the Nikonian's post from Nancy Elwood and the article on it she linked. A guy in Idaho Falls who contacted me about it after I shared the wood duck on a Perfect Light facebook page is a Canon shooter but asked for the article link and joined Nikonian's just so he could read it. He started with that article and did a lot of research and said that for that full level of settings he found out that it only applied to the Z9 and some Sony cameras and no Canon. I had used my own import presets in the past with DSLR's but never changed that global setting before. When I do that it pretty much looks identical to what I see when I open the raw file in NX Studio. I have not used my Z6II for a while so do not know how it works with that. The first thing I noticed instantly was the big difference in the high ISO images. If I change sharpening in my camera picture control that is reflected on LRC and if I want to or need to I can use the sharpening masking slider with no other sharpening adjustments in that panel and that works well. Again that is all on a Z9.

 

[Johan Schmidt]

Maybe you can give me some advice. Are you shooting jpegs?

If so, how did you arrive at your picture control settings?

I am shooting exclusively in raw because of the dynamic range of light at the musical events I photograph. But the lighting is usually pretty consistent so I am wondering if there are settings that would get me useable jpegs I could use SOC a large fraction of the time.

I don’t like editing, either.

Hi John,
For most sports I shoot JPEG. I use manual mostly, simply because I use a light meter and I know I'm getting the correct exposure. Cluttered backgrounds is the one thing I think that spoils too many otherwise solid shots. So I position myself to shoot into the best background that is available at a venue - then meter the light. If I change position, I'll meter the light again.

I find JPEG's don't have much latitude especially when they're over exposed. On a cloudy day where the sun is in and out behind clouds, I'd set my camera for the sun, but turn on Auto ISO when the sun goes behind a cloud.

I do use RAW when needed in a more dynamic environment, light changing, shooting people etc.

I use the standard "SD" picture control (Nikon), the largest and best resolution JPG file setting and always have my WB set to Cloudy in the day - just gives the images a warmer feel.

Hope this helps.

 

[Ken Miracle]

I do and have for a long time

I am probably confused I thought you were saying and describing the presets that can be developed and selected in the Apply During import panel. Or your own presets constructed for the Global raw defaults instead of using camera settings in the Global raw defaults.

I used to use both in earlier versions of LRC all the way back to my D4S days before the Z9.

With the Z9 I have switched to just using the Global at Camera settings. The main reason is that I also was not happy with how LRC left noise high ISO images when I used adobe defaults. That made me have to take more steps in post whether in LRC or in Topaz and before that DXO.

Now the same image opened in LRC or NX Studio look pretty much the same instead of radically different.

 

[Ken Miracle]

Hi John,
For most sports I shoot JPEG. I use manual mostly, simply because I use a light meter and I know I'm getting the correct exposure. Cluttered backgrounds is the one thing I think that spoils too many otherwise solid shots. So I position myself to shoot into the best background that is available at a venue - then meter the light. If I change position, I'll meter the light again.

I find JPEG's don't have much latitude especially when they're over exposed. On a cloudy day where the sun is in and out behind clouds, I'd set my camera for the sun, but turn on Auto ISO when the sun goes behind a cloud.

I do use RAW when needed in a more dynamic environment, light changing, shooting people etc.

I use the standard "SD" picture control (Nikon), the largest and best resolution JPG file setting and always have my WB set to Cloudy in the day - just gives the images a warmer feel.

Hope this helps.

When I was shooting sporting events (just grand kids and team mates nothing more sophisticated) and shooting mammals in the wildlife arena with my D300S and my D4S how you shoot jpgs including Cloudy WB was what I did and it worked great.

 

[agrumpyoldsod]

I am probably confused I thought you were saying and describing the presets that can be developed and selected in the Apply During import panel. Or your own presets constructed for the Global raw defaults instead of using camera settings in the Global raw defaults.

Ken - like you I apply camera settings as a global profile, but also like other I have created a series of standard presets that, amongst other things, set all develop parameters to the values I wish applied to all RAW import files from each of my cameras - as can be seen from the image below all images I import directly into LRC have a preset I names "General +0.0EV, no NR or S" applied -- this simply sets WB to As shot, all basic tone and presence sliders to their default 0/middle position, applies a flat tone curve (a straight line), Shaperning = o, Noise Reduction = 0 (luma) and 9 (colour), applies Lens Corrections etc....

I find this effectively zeros out whatever in camera picture control or other settings I had applied when the image was taken. As noted I have other presets that move this to a range of other starting points but the one I described is my way of dealing with Adobe

 

[Ken Miracle]

Ken - like you I apply camera settings as a global profile, but also like other I have created a series of standard presets that, amongst other things, set all develop parameters to the values I wish applied to all RAW import files from each of my cameras - as can be seen from the image below all images I import directly into LRC have a preset I names "General +0.0EV, no NR or S" applied -- this simply sets WB to As shot, all basic tone and presence sliders to their default 0/middle position, applies a flat tone curve (a straight line), Shaperning = o, Noise Reduction = 0 (luma) and 9 (colour), applies Lens Corrections etc....

I find this effectively zeros out whatever in camera picture control or other settings I had applied when the image was taken. As noted I have other presets that move this to a range of other starting points but the one I described is my way of dealing with Adobe

View attachment 50375

Thank you! Now I am no longer confused

I used to do that in the days of having multiple DSLR's and finding what parts of photography I wanted to focus on.

The layout used to be a bit different in LRC but worked well.

At this point in my photo journey, that started back in 2013, with how well LRC is doing with applying the settings I dial into the Z9 I have not done that.

I also do 90% bird photography now after trying everything from BIF to a large format 4x5 film camera for Landscape etc.. I have a lot of lighting back drops, pocket wizards etc. for portraits that I did one year for our church sitting in my closet or dry cabinet and seldom used.

If my wife ever let's me use the Z6II again or I get another body either another Z9 or a next generation Zbody then I may well do that. My photography is significantly narrower in scope than yours at this time in my life.

As I told the attendees in the class I taught on bird photography last night there is such an amazing array of gear to fit individual needs right now and post processing applications and methods that each person can find what fits their needs and budget. I had those who could easily hand hold a Z9 and Z800 like I do and others who are like my wife who can not. For them I had mono pod and tripod options to show them as options and my wife discussed options and equipment after class with a couple of them while I talked to those more interested in the Z9 and Z800.

 

[ButlerKid]

FWIW - I have never used camera picture settings for other than previewing an image in camera.

However, for years I have created custom camera defaults in Photoshop, which are also then available for use in LR. These include a custom camera color profile, applying geometric (lens) corrections, approximate sharpening settings, CA correction. The most important of these is the custom camera color profile I created using the Color Checker Passport for each camera body I use.

Upon opening a raw image, the defaults are applied - but totally editable. They are simply my rough starting point for editing. I can then set black and white points, tweak exposure, etc.

 

[Ken Miracle]

FWIW - I have never used camera picture settings for other than previewing an image in camera.

However, for years I have created custom camera defaults in Photoshop, which are also then available for use in LR. These include a custom camera color profile, applying geometric (lens) corrections, approximate sharpening settings, CA correction. The most important of these is the custom camera color profile I created using the Color Checker Passport for each camera body I use.

Upon opening a raw image, the defaults are applied - but totally editable. They are simply my rough starting point for editing. I can then set black and white points, tweak exposure, etc.

Being a bird photographer 95% of the time when I changed the global settings in LRC to camera settings ... processing got 90% simpler as seen in the high ISO wood duck shot I posted above. Of course that setting brings in much more than the picture control and the adjustments to picture control I use in camera. 95 % of the time I use Standard with my adjustments. However I do not use photo shop so do not know anything about that.

 

[John Woodworth]

FWIW - I have never used camera picture settings for other than previewing an image in camera.

However, for years I have created custom camera defaults in Photoshop, which are also then available for use in LR. These include a custom camera color profile, applying geometric (lens) corrections, approximate sharpening settings, CA correction. The most important of these is the custom camera color profile I created using the Color Checker Passport for each camera body I use.

Upon opening a raw image, the defaults are applied - but totally editable. They are simply my rough starting point for editing. I can then set black and white points, tweak exposure, etc.

This seems like the way out of my post-processing hell. Since a lot of my photos come from a venue with fixed lighting, the best possibility would be to find a picture setting which produces consistently good jpegs soc. Barring that, I should be developing presets that do the same thing, only on the raw file, which can then be tweaked. Sound right?

 

[John Woodworth]

Hi John,
For most sports I shoot JPEG. I use manual mostly, simply because I use a light meter and I know I'm getting the correct exposure. Cluttered backgrounds is the one thing I think that spoils too many otherwise solid shots. So I position myself to shoot into the best background that is available at a venue - then meter the light. If I change position, I'll meter the light again.

I find JPEG's don't have much latitude especially when they're over exposed. On a cloudy day where the sun is in and out behind clouds, I'd set my camera for the sun, but turn on Auto ISO when the sun goes behind a cloud.

I do use RAW when needed in a more dynamic environment, light changing, shooting people etc.

I use the standard "SD" picture control (Nikon), the largest and best resolution JPG file setting and always have my WB set to Cloudy in the day - just gives the images a warmer feel.

Hope this helps.

Thank you. Very valuable advice. I shoot mostly manual also. I am going to experiment with the picture settings to see if I can develop something that produces good jpegs for some of my venues where the (artificial) lighting is consistent. Foolishly, I haven't tried this is the past and am wasting time developing each image in raw from scratch. The results are great, everyone loves them, but in I am overwhelmed with the work.

 

[Muddy Valley]

I may have missed this and it was already covered, but are you metering with spot or matrix?

 

[Johan Schmidt]

Thank you. Very valuable advice. I shoot mostly manual also. I am going to experiment with the picture settings to see if I can develop something that produces good jpegs for some of my venues where the (artificial) lighting is consistent. Foolishly, I haven't tried this is the past and am wasting time developing each image in raw from scratch. The results are great, everyone loves them, but in I am overwhelmed with the work.

John, when shooting at these indoor venues, be sure to set the WB correctly - I use a simple Expodisc to set the WB (which can also be used to set the correct exposure if you don't have a light meter) , although the Z9's Auto WB is pretty good or you can set the WB by simply looking through the viewfinder.

For Jpegs - correct expose and WB saves a LOT of time.
On the thread the guys are also mentioning LR import presets - I also do that to set a bit of sharpening, contrast and texture to all the images, which also saves time - a few seconds per image x many images is time saved.

 

[Johan Schmidt]

Thank you. Very valuable advice. I shoot mostly manual also. I am going to experiment with the picture settings to see if I can develop something that produces good jpegs for some of my venues where the (artificial) lighting is consistent. Foolishly, I haven't tried this is the past and am wasting time developing each image in raw from scratch. The results are great, everyone loves them, but in I am overwhelmed with the work.

John, do you use PhotoMechanic for culling? I use PM to cull, then only edit the good shots in LR.
So even if you shoot RAW, you can also save a lot of editing the RAW files simply by culling in PM before editing only the selected few in LR / PS

 

[John Navitsky]

I haven't tried this is the past and am wasting time developing each image in raw from scratch. The results are great, everyone loves them, but in I am overwhelmed with the work.

processing event work is hard. if jpgs are sufficient will somewhat depend on what your image objectives are.

personally i always shoot raw, and process every image, but that's based on what types of images i want to produce. i do highlight, shadow, crop for composition and level every image. even if the shadows and highlights were prefect, i've rarely met an image that couldn't be improved by cropping for composition. ymmv.

some random, unsolicited tips:

don't cull/process when you're tired. it's easy to figure you'll work on it at the end of the day after you've done everything else. but you move very slow when you're tired and it becomes soul crushing. do it during the day when you are rested and you're faster, and it's easier.

in event work, culling is super hard, so create yourself a good process that works for you. create a procedure to help you avoid analysis paralysis. for example, one thing i do is i have a goal to provide 3-5 good images of a given dog during an event. so if i have ten images under consideration, i can just say "which are the best five of these". or if i have two images, i can say, of those other images, what is the next best one. in my case, i've set a personal situation where i'd rather deliver less, but better images.

lots of folks use photo mechanic to do an initial cull because it is fast because it uses the built in preview jpg and so doesn't have to render the raw. personally i don't do this since adding another step to the workflow is a trade-off and maybe if i did more event work i might consider it. i do however use a Loupedeck CT device, and i have a custom set of buttons set up for rating that i use in LR, which helps.

 

[dabhand16]

I haven't tried this is the past and am wasting time developing each image in raw from scratch. The results are great, everyone loves them, but in I am overwhelmed with the work.

I also always shoot RAW. I shoot the home games for my local rugby club. I cull them with 3 to 5 passes originally using the Faststone Image Viewer but now in the develop module of Lightroom. In LR I can quickly apply a tweak or two to see if the image has any potential or not. Once I have the images I'm going to process, LR allows me to C&P adjustments to every other image that has the same light conditions. In the UK rugby is a Winter game so the light falls thoughout the match and my ISO creeps up, often hitting 12800 before the match ends. At each step up of ISO I up the LR noise reduction and tweak the adjustments so can stll use my batch processing. When I'm done I do a final slower run through and tweak those needing it. I then export them as jpgs.

I often have 700-1000 images at the start and usually send the club between 180 - 350 jpg images within 24 hous of the kick off.

 

[John Woodworth]

processing event work is hard. if jpgs are sufficient will somewhat depend on what your image objectives are.

personally i always shoot raw, and process every image, but that's based on what types of images i want to produce. i do highlight, shadow, crop for composition and level every image. even if the shadows and highlights were prefect, i've rarely met an image that couldn't be improved by cropping for composition. ymmv.

some random, unsolicited tips:

don't cull/process when you're tired. it's easy to figure you'll work on it at the end of the day after you've done everything else. but you move very slow when you're tired and it becomes soul crushing. do it during the day when you are rested and you're faster, and it's easier.

in event work, culling is super hard, so create yourself a good process that works for you. create a procedure to help you avoid analysis paralysis. for example, one thing i do is i have a goal to provide 3-5 good images of a given dog during an event. so if i have ten images under consideration, i can just say "which are the best five of these". or if i have two images, i can say, of those other images, what is the next best one. in my case, i've set a personal situation where i'd rather deliver less, but better images.

lots of folks use photo mechanic to do an initial cull because it is fast because it uses the built in preview jpg and so doesn't have to render the raw. personally i don't do this since adding another step to the workflow is a trade-off and maybe if i did more event work i might consider it. i do however use a Loupedeck CT device, and i have a custom set of buttons set up for rating that i use in LR, which helps.

I also always shoot RAW. I shoot the home games for my local rugby club. I cull them with 3 to 5 passes originally using the Faststone Image Viewer but now in the develop module of Lightroom. In LR I can quickly apply a tweak or two to see if the image has any potential or not. Once I have the images I'm going to process, LR allows me to C&P adjustments to every other image that has the same light conditions. In the UK rugby is a Winter game so the light falls thoughout the match and my ISO creeps up, often hitting 12800 before the match ends. At each step up of ISO I up the LR noise reduction and tweak the adjustments so can stll use my batch processing. When I'm done I do a final slower run through and tweak those needing it. I then export them as jpgs.

I often have 700-1000 images at the start and usually send the club between 180 - 350 jpg images within 24 hous of the kick off.

Thanks to those sharing their advice. I agree with most of it.

My problem is partly that I have not experimented with the settings on my camera because I am on the hook to deliver. However, to produce images to my standards, it is taking a lot of time...I start from scratch each time and yet, because I am often shooting in the same venue with the same light, I am hoping there is a better way.

I'll try to describe a typical problem, which briefly put, is the scenes' dynamic range. For example, I was a photographer at a 5-day bluegrass festival last June 2022 and there were many famous stars there. I had full access and, of course, was expected to deliver. The main outdoor stage (at night) was rather poorly lit, with overhead spots which the musicians moved in and out of. No footlights.

One of the big stars, Peter Rowen, wore a huge (10 gallon?) cowboy hat which was almost pure white and he was my assignment the night. Shooting full manual at ISO 6400, his face was completely lost in the hat's shadow with no recovery even in post...It was downright spooky. All the other photogs had the same problem. So, I started lowering my ISO, and of course the shutter speed...From memory, down to 1/30th or 1/15th s. Handholding with a Z70-200 f/2.8S. I timed my shots to match the motion of his bobbing and weaving to the beat of the music. But wait...That's not all. He's also singing and so his facial movements sometimes produced weird, sometimes subtly so, facial expressions. All I could do was fire away, hoping to get lucky.

I tried to cull these images in PhotoMechanic, but it was impossible because the jpegs wouldn't show critical detail in his face in the shadows. And that's typical of why I cull in Lightroom...So I can quickly raise the exposure and examine detail in the shadows. I think I was the only one who got useable shots that night. I owe this trick of lowering ISO and blasting away to Steve and this forum. It has served me well.

I think imagining that I can get jpegs SOC in this situation is not possible. But many other situations are not so extreme, and I am hoping to experiment in the next few weeks to find a more efficient way.

 

[John Navitsky]

Thanks to those sharing their advice. I agree with most of it.

My problem is partly that I have not experimented with the settings on my camera because I am on the hook to deliver. However, to produce images to my standards, it is taking a lot of time...I start from scratch each time and yet, because I am often shooting in the same venue with the same light, I am hoping there is a better way.

I'll try to describe a typical problem, which briefly put, is the scenes' dynamic range. For example, I was a photographer at a 5-day bluegrass festival last June 2022 and there were many famous stars there. I had full access and, of course, was expected to deliver. The main outdoor stage (at night) was rather poorly lit, with overhead spots which the musicians moved in and out of. No footlights.

One of the big stars, Peter Rowen, wore a huge (10 gallon?) cowboy hat which was almost pure white and he was my assignment the night. Shooting full manual at ISO 6400, his face was completely lost in the hat's shadow with no recovery even in post...It was downright spooky. All the other photogs had the same problem. So, I started lowering my ISO, and of course the shutter speed...From memory, down to 1/30th or 1/15th s. Handholding with a Z70-200 f/2.8S. I timed my shots to match the motion of his bobbing and weaving to the beat of the music. But wait...That's not all. He's also singing and so his facial movements sometimes produced weird, sometimes subtly so, facial expressions. All I could do was fire away, hoping to get lucky.

I tried to cull these images in PhotoMechanic, but it was impossible because the jpegs wouldn't show critical detail in his face in the shadows. And that's typical of why I cull in Lightroom...So I can quickly raise the exposure and examine detail in the shadows. I think I was the only one who got useable shots that night. I owe this trick of lowering ISO and blasting away to Steve and this forum. It has served me well.

I think imagining that I can get jpegs SOC in this situation is not possible. But many other situations are not so extreme, and I am hoping to experiment in the next few weeks to find a more efficient way.

given your description of the context, i think you are stuck doing a fair amount of editing and i think jpgs would work _against_ you, even with dlighting tweaks, because you'll have less image to adjust.

i would set up the live histogram in my evf to help you get the best feel for the exposure.

you may need to push the exposure harder if you want to pull out some detail from the dark shadows.

depending on your focal lengths, the upcoming 135 1.8 and/or 85 1.2 might be of interest.