RAW Exposure for Dynamic Range, e500

[macartney]

I always like to experiment with getting wide dynamic range in contrasty shots. I have usually

underexposed 1/3 stop or so for better color from old film habits. Recently read that digital sensors in

RAW mode collect more data in highlights than shadows and to neutral or overexpose a bit and correct

with software later to get more detail in dark areas. Does anybody know if this applies to Olympus

sensors and firmware?

[leandro_dutra1]

Raw is raw: firmware shouldn't interfere with it, and in Olympus it doesn't; in some other cameras 'raw' isn't really raw.

 

And all sensors produce similar information.

[ronald_moravec1]

in my computer with my camera, proper exposure based on incident light meter puts the very darkest tones just to the inside the histogram graph boundry, exactly where the darkest shadow detail will fall on film. The Nikon matrix metering does the same.

 

Where the right side falls depends on the brightness range of the subject. I use the exposure in ACR to to adjust the right end.

 

If the right side goes over, HDR or blandeded exposure is called for.

 

If you want to keep the short scale and not have it too dark, expose more so the darks are not on the very left edge.

[tim_huggins]

RAW is just another image file format. It has nothing to do with the dynamic range of digital sensors. The limitation in dynamic range is due to the physical characteristics of the sensor. It has nothing to do with the software.