D5 Exp Comp ?

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Jbear

Jbear

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Hey Experienced D5-ers. I am curious...do any of you folks dial in any permanent + exp. comp? I'm finding things are just the slightest bit dark (compared to other bodies). Additionally, Thom mentions in his D5 review to consider dialing in a hard +0.3, but in his book he says he doesn't recommend doing that. I know I can just do it and see how it goes, but...I'm a "researcher" so I'm curious. Shooting 100% RAW BTW.
So far I am totally diggin' this camera! It is so comprehensively tight (to use a music term). Surprised me that it's actually a smaller profile that a gripped D850. Not sure what the dig was on low ISO quality, but...I'm not having any...not with critter shots anyway. We'll find out about landscapes as we drive from GA to Alberta and back this summer for the month of June:cool:.
 
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Jbear said:
Hey Experienced D5-ers. I am curious...do any of you folks dial in any permanent + exp. comp? I'm finding things are just the slightest bit dark (compared to other bodies). Additionally, Thom mentions in his D5 review to consider dialing in a hard +0.3, but in his book he says he doesn't recommend doing that. I know I can just do it and see how it goes, but...I'm a "researcher" so I'm curious. Shooting 100% RAW BTW.
So far I am totally diggin' this camera! It is so comprehensively tight (to use a music term). Surprised me that it's actually a smaller profile that a gripped D850. Not sure what the dig was on low ISO quality, but...I'm not having any...not with critter shots anyway. We'll find out about landscapes as we drive from GA to Alberta and back this summer for the month of June:cool:.
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I didn't dial in a default exposure fine tuning adjustment for my D5 but I shot with a couple of photographers that did just that so I'd say it's a personal thing. If you do, you could just use the exposure comp dial but you can also go into the menus and make an exposure fine tuning and leave the camera set up that way which basically redefines what zero means on the meter and with it what zero exposure comp means.

The dig on low ISO settings on the D5 was comparatively low Dynamic Range if you compare to many other flagship cameras of similar sensor evolution but I never found that a problem in actual practice. If you need 10 plus stops of DR then that says a lot about the light you're shooting in and the scene you're trying to shoot. Sure more DR gives you options to capture and then salvage extreme photos in post but personally I try hard to avoid shooting in light like that.

In typical five to eight stops of scene/lighting DR the D5 has more than enough, but in extreme situations in ample light where ISO will be low there are higher DR cameras out there. The flip side of the coin is the amazing high ISO dynamic range the D5 delivers due to its dual gain architecture. IOW, they made a choice to improve DR across the high ISO range but it wasn't up to some top end cameras of the same era near base ISO. If you're buying it primarily for its high ISO capabilities it's pretty amazing, if your shooting style and subjects demand ultimate dynamic range in bright light then there may be better options.

Also FWIW, the D5 is still one of the best choices for fast indoor sports like Hockey looking at your avatar :)
 
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Hey Jbear…. I’ve not owned or used a D5 but have used the D850 extensively. I have found an easy way to deal with exp/comp on some Z lenses that may (or may not) be available to you. If any of your lenses have a “control ring” they can be programmed for exp/comp. It’s simple to rotate the ring to get what you want while viewing.
 
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Thanks Peeps! That's helpful stuff. I may just dial it in as needed for now, as I don't think I have enough time behind it to evaluate bumping the baseline yet.
I feel fortunate to be able to use a D850 for high DR stuff and this camera for low light subjects. It's a reminder for me that regardless of what any data or reviews say...I have to see it under my application to really know. I've been shooting the other bodies for so long now that I don't have to really "think" about stuff like that. This one is still new to me. Thanks again!
 
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Here's another...if you're game...
Thom also says shoot at 800, as it's the base ISO for the camera, and furthermore to only use specific ISO's (disregarding some intermediates that I can't recall just now) . What exactly is he saying in practical application and usage in say, landscape and macro? Normally (or often) I'm on a tripod with slow shutter and low ISO. From what he's saying...well...what is he saying🤔🤷‍♂️🤣?
 
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imo, ignore that advice.

optimally you should have an idea of the effect of shutter speed and aperture (and focal length) on what you are trying to achieve so set those accordingly, then set iso what it needs to be to get a good exposure.

basically, don't overthink it.
 
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I've never dialed in a permanent exp bias. I just use the comp dial as needed. I've had mine serviced a couple of times for various things and the meter hasn't changed, so it's at factory specs. If I shot the same exp comp all the time I might consider it but I have a second exp comp on my RSF.
 
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Thank you. I only have a few days on it in and I noticed that in shady/dark locations it seemed a bit under, but...nowhere near enough experience to say that's a "thing." I ask because Thom made mention and he's generally a good place to start (or has been in the past for me).
 
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Jbear said:
Thank you. I only have a few days on it in and I noticed that in shady/dark locations it seemed a bit under, but...nowhere near enough experience to say that's a "thing." I ask because Thom made mention and he's generally a good place to start (or has been in the past for me).
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i think Steve has a ebook on nikon exposure. basically what you are seeing is a result of the meter and meter modes. they often don’t work exactly the way we might imagine.

practically speaking you’ll start to get a feel for how you might want to adjust the exposure for a given scene

generally speaking, it isn’t unusual to be able to dial a +.3, but i wouldn’t say “permanently” because there are scenes where that will result in over exposure, indeed there are cases you may need to dial a negative value to avoid clipping highlights
 
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As posted above I never used the Fine Tune Optimal Exposure option (menu item b6) on my D5 but FWIW it does allow you to dial in a specific exposure offset by metering mode in 1/6 stop increments. So if you do want to use it you can move it by half the smallest exposure comp adjustment (1/3 stop) and you can apply it to one metering mode like Matrix but not other modes like Spot or Center Weighted metering if desired.
 
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I am really grateful for all the responses to this thread. For some reason...not a ton out there about the D5, at least compared to other comparable bodies. Any information from experienced users is valuable to me and I do appreciate all of you taking the time! I like to read, research, and learn on my own, and all of this helps tremendously. I do like the Thom guides, but they can be a bit "learn to build a carburetor" when sometime I just want to know "where the wiper switch is." His stuff is valuable no doubt, but I do turn to Steve's guidance for practical application stuff. So...if you're out there Steve...thanks to you as well!
 
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