[muscle750]

Took the thing to London thursday seems many shots are slightly overexposed, first real outing its had, got some nice panos by the millinum bridge just been sat here playing in CS3.

[VinnyP]

It's a common complaint usually it's because it exposes to the right it's not overexposed unless significant highlights end up getting blown, just a displays a bit bright. It's only in matrix metering where it attempts to do this, centre weighted and spot still aim for the old 18% grey exposure.

[JMitchell]

Many users report just always having -1EV of exposure comp on, to stop this, because it's easier to lighten than to get highlights back. As I said in another thread, I do this, and don't tend to have a problem.

[silkstone]

The 'expose right' theory doesn't work so well with digital - blowing the highlights is very easy and digital sensors seem more prone to this than film. And it's not just Nikon - when shooting auto I use -1/3EV as a starting point.

[VinnyP]

Expose to the right ONLY works with digital it was never an issue with film because it was analog so as much informatuion was available in the first stop of DR as the last stop. It's taught by a lot of very respected digital togs including the Nikon NPS seminars. It's also taught by David Hemings who used to deliver the EOS lectures for Canon UK. It's easy enough to avoid blowing highlights and it's better to blow a small amount than not push to the edge. You effectively lose half the sensor information and a whole stop of DR by doing that. This is not film, a bright image is not overexposed many users are dialling in -1 on brightness if you don't like how the in camera settings render the image, but dropping the exposure on digital is losing data that will not be available in post.

[JMitchell]

Isn't it expose for the right, not to the right?

[VinnyP]

Originally Posted by JMitchell

Isn't it expose for the right, not to the right?

I am not sure; I have always heard it called expose to the right Often shortened to ETTR although Expose for the right would make more sense; it does seem like "to" has stuck. Good test here

[JMitchell]

Having read the Lum. Lan. explanation it seems it is to the right, but by the same token, it should also be "expose for the right" to avoid highlights.

So basically, I think the most catchy slogan is:
"Expose to the right to retain shadow detail, but make sure you expose for the right as well, so only expose to the right enough to keep shadow detail, but not to blow the highlights"

[muscle750]

Planted the thing in the bedroom on a tripod and had a play it seems to behave itself indoors without any sign of overexposing................and no nobody else was exposing either......sadly
Although it had the 17 55 on it today where as thurs it hd a sigma 10 20 and a 18 200vr on it.

[JMitchell]

I doubt it would overexpose indoors, because there is just nothing powerful enough to rival the brightness of the sun, which, in almost all conditions, is brighter than normal indoor light.