White, white, and more white :(

When in manual or no flash modes, the vast majority of my pictures are coming out either mostly white, or all

black even after resetting to the default settings and regardless of lighting. I don't know if I have changed a

setting somewhere or what but it's getting very frustrating.

 

Rebel xt; 10 months old

Happens using both my 18-55mm and 75-300mm lenses and with or without UV and polarizing filters

Images look normal through viewfinder but not on LCD after shooting

I also seem to be having trouble focusing properly, especially with the 75-300 mm lens but this may be secondary

to the severe overexposure issue (I assume that's what the white is...)

 

 

Anyone have any suggestions? Thank you!<div></div>

Are you 100% sure you don't have exposure compensation set?

Hi Marrisa,

 

You need to move the shutter speed and aperture settings to match the meter, then change them to allow for needing more or less light in relation to your 18% grey meter reading.

 

What settings are you using and how do they compare to a reading in P mode?

Bob exposure comp is not relevant in manual surely?

Marissa, you need to give us some more info. What is your shutter speed, f stop, and ISO setting? Was it outside on a bright sunny day or was it overcast? Once we know these things we can help you figure out the problem. Right now it looks like a classic overexposed picture but until I know everything I cannot say for sure. Maybe your shutter is hanging up.

Wow thank you all for the quick responses!

 

How do I see if I have exposure compensation set?

I'm pretty sure I had the shutter and aperture settings set right, but I may not have. I'm just venturing away

from using auto for everything.

P mode has normal lighting but it has quite a delay when trying to take a picture and still doesn't focus well.

I have at least 80 similar shots now, from dawn to dusk and full sun to cloudy and everything in between.

ISO is 800 but I've tried 200-1600.

fstop is 5.6.

Marrissa,

 

Take a picture in P mode, look at the shutter speed and the aperture that it uses, then select M and put in the same shutter speed and aperture values, the picture should be the same. Like I said exposure compensation doesn't work in M mode so don't worry about that yet, I suspect that you have the other two set wrong.

I agree with Scott.

In M manual setting the picture should be exposed properly (according to the meter) when the hash mark on the scale below the numbers is exactly in the middle. If it is to the right of that center hash mark then you are overexposing and the shutter speed setting is wrong and needs to be increased.

I don't know where you are at this moment but its dark where I am. You can still try this and take some shots indoors. Give it a try and take note of where the meter mark is on the scale below the numbers in your viewfinder or below the numbers on the info screen.

Ok, I matched the aperture and shutter speeds in M to what they are in P (4.5, 1"3) and the images look the same. In M, to see anything the shutter speed has to be very slow. Otherwise it's all black.

The meter is at -1 now and it's usually in the middle.

At -1 in manual is it totally black? and what is your shutter speed telling you? Don't worry about a blurry picture we are trying to figure out the white and the overexposure right now. The other thing I would like you to try is to go into 1600 ISO and the switch your camera to AV. After that dial in whatever f stop you want 4.5 is fine. Then pressing the shutter button half way tell me where the hash mark is now?

No, at -1 it's not black. I switched to ISO 1600, AV mode, fstop=4.5 and the hash is back in the middle and the shutter speed is 0"6.

okay take the picture and tell me if its white. If its blurry thats cool, 6/10th's of 6 seconds what ever it is, is too long for sharpness handheld. I just want to know if its still white.

Something tells me that something is blocking the light going in. Or that there's an issue with the in-camera meter. Marissa, have you tried using Full-Auto?

ok, it's not white.

The picture Marissa posted (quite artistic in its own way) is not +/-1 EV. I would say that it is not even +/-2EV.

 

Marissa

If you are taking pictures during day, set your ISO to 100 or 200. Set your aperture to 8. Then take the picture. If the picture is too dark, decrease your shutter speed. if it is too white then increase your shutter speed.

 

If you are shooting in the evening, set ISO to 800, set aperture to the lowest number possible (4/4.5) and then take the picture. f the picture is too dark, decrease your shutter speed. if it is too white then increase your shutter speed.

 

Hopefully this should solve the problem.

Sweet, now we are getting somewhere! Now go to manual and dial in the same exact settings. 1600 ISO. f4.5, and 0"6. You should get exactly the same results. Remember shoot pointing in exactly the same direction and lighting.

 

Next to test the theory you can dial in a shutter speed of 3 seconds (3" I believe on the camera or is it 3' ?)

If that looks overexposed or white then your camera is working properly.

ok, it's the same in manual. At 3.2 it looks slightly brighter than at at 0"6 but not all white like before. It won't let me do anything between 2.5 and 3.2.

Marrissa- It looks brighter at 3.2 because you are opening the aperture up more and letting more light in. Another way to do this is to increase the time of exposure which is what i was getting at with changing the shutter seed from 0"6 to 3 seconds. It should get really bright then. I suggest that you play around with your camera in manual and begin to understand the relationship between shutter speed and f-stop(aperture). To get a balanced and properly exposed picture you need to find the settings in these two areas that make the meter reading on the scale centered in the middle, aka the hash mark will be in the middle not to the left - or to the right +. Once you have learned how to balance your exposure the white should go away. Good luck and keep working away at it. It will all work out just fine if you keep trying and also reading up on photography online and in books.

Argh, I meant 3"2, sorry. The 3"2 is the shutter speed. The f-stop is still at 4.5. The picture isn't all white like before though.

http://www.picturecorrect.com/photographytips/ExposureBasics.htm

Yeah you might have been way over 2 stops overexposed outdoors, and at 800 ISO in your other pictures. As you are in manual watch that hash mark if it goes all the way to the right and then starts blinking then you are way overexposed and somewhere past +2 steps overexposed and it will look white big time. Hey, I saw your lillypad picture. Very nice. Good luck playing around with your camera and figuring out all of the manual features. Once you have mastered those, it is very freeing and you will be even more successful then you are already. Happy shooting!

Thank you, and thanks for all your help Johnnie!

 

And thanks to everyone else too!

Well done Johnnie and Marissa, it was kinda like hearing a plane being talked down :-) Glad you are getting it sorted, I didn't want to confuse the issue.

 

Take care, Scott.

I quite like ultra-high key myself... there's no harm in exploring that look further in my opinion...