garydem

<p>it might be the oldest belief in photography. and that is switching inside a maker's line to a higher priced dslr OR switching maker entirely will automatically get better pictures. the maker's marketing department love it. in truth it is the user's growing skills that will get the better picture, not the gear. the problem with all this is that getting the skills takes time and the new user is simply not willing to wait.</p>

<p>some thoughts-<br>

-first, if you think you might have pped image too much you probably have. pp just enough to get what you want and no more. the temtation is great to keep pping, but do not do it.<br>

-second, it sounds like you are a real beginner in pping. in pse7 or 8 try the following-in the enhance tab use auto levels, auto contrast, and auto sharpen. that is all. if you wish BEFORE auto sharpen go to adjust lighting and select shadows/highlights. and try that. this has a default of 25% but can be adjusted with the slider, do not overdo. make sure the preview square is checkmarked. this whole procedure is very simple but does work. later see the manual for more items to use on pictures.</p>

<p>very likely. how many times has a person who was using a p&s bought a dslr, then in a week or two say they are goijng to shoot a wedding for fee and THEN ASK HOW?<br>

it is the basic thinking-i have good gear therefore i shoot good images. that being so i can sell them and make money and pay for the gear and make money for me. unfortunately there are a lot of b+gs who get stuck with the poor product. and others who put the images on a web site and sell them to anjyone foolish enough to buy them. there are very good photogs who have spent decades learning their craft and yet here comes the experts who have spent a month and then sell the results or try to. oh well.</p>

<p>went west to national parks in 08/09. i have about a dozen lenses. the lens i used most was the sigma 12-24 zoom. this took just about all my landscape shots. after i got home i checked the exif on the pc. the mm used most, by far, was the 16-20mm range. the only time i used a long lens was at yellowstone for wildlife shots.<br>

unless you are at an area with wildlife the 300 is pretty useless. rememeber-these are huge vistas and you need a lens that can show this, and that means wide angle. sometimes even the wideangle was not enough so i shot the scewne as a panorama.<br>

since you mentioned page arizona, checkout the vermillion cliffs. it is on the road out from the north rim of the grand canyon to page. you want a giant vista; this is it.</p>

 

<p>i just made a smaller image that i got from a friend larger. it is going to printed for him. it was 1800x1200. i made it 6480x4228. the result was excellant. the basic method is from scott kelby. in pse or csx, use image resize window. i use the inches for the size, and let the pixels set their own. most important, do not give up any ppi that you already have. for my images, i set the resolution at 360(this comes from scott kelby). for your banner i would use 240. all 3 boxes are checked. set the bicubic to "bicubic sharper". be ready for a very large file size, this can be lowered when you save as a jpeg by using lower quality setting(it will make no difference in the print). plan on using the view tab to adjust the view to see the new image. HIT OK.<br>

any further pp can be done now. do the resize first. i would not be fancy. just use the auto levels and auto contrast. if noise is objectionable , i use noise ninja. lastly, use auto sharpen. then save as. burn to a disc then give to that outfit. though why they cannot do this by themselves is beyond me.</p>

<p>as scott kelby states. the whole method sounds very odd, BUT IT WORKS. and that is what is important.</p>

<p>totally agree with Shun C above. your focusing test itself was flawed. you were shooting at a slant to the subject. if your shooting fstop was near wideopen your dof is razor thin. so only a VERY VERY small porion of the slanted wall would be in focus. the rest would be out of focus to varing degrees.<br>

i would strongly suggest you set yourself up with a tripod cable release and shoot absolutely perpendicularly to the subject then carefully focus and shoot. if shooting a wall with say a bookcase fully of books make sure the books all end at the same plane. or even simpler simply tape a a sheet of newspaper, or any other printed material, to a wall and shoot that.<br>

it is extremely important that you create and use a good test system before making any hard decisions.</p>

 

<p>j w-i would check some items. 1. make sure that EVERY SETTING in the d90 and d300 are set the same. there is an obvious coloration diffewrence between the test shots. that should be accounted for. 2. as a suggestion, and a big one, set the sharpening to slightly above the neutral or middle position. THEN, AND MOST IMPORTANT, plan and do some sharpening in pping. ALL dslrs are meant to have their images pped to some extent, and this includes sharpening. what i would try if you have pse or csx is to simply use auto sharpen in the image menus. this would adjust the sharpening to the standard amount that the auto setting is set for. and if one dslr takes more than the other then that dslr would get it. then do a comparison. 3. when shooting make sure the lens iso shutter speed and fstop are the same with no EC adjustment in either camera. 4. i personally would not expect 2 different models from the same maker to give identical results. even if the sensors are the same size. there is no guernetee that the incamera processing is the same. in fact, they very are not. if they were the same then what would be the sense of making 2 different models? the 2 dslr internally would be too close to end up with 2 legitemently different models.</p>

<p>for a lcd monitor, NOT CRT, a calibrator should have the ability to do the following. note before any calibration set the monitor properties to normal. then using the calibrator-set the RGB values(these MUST be set before the brightness), set the brightness(if lcd use 120cdls, if crt use 100cdls), let rest of calibration run to finish. the other settings are temp 6500 and gamma 2.2.</p>

<p>NOTE-YOU MUST REMOVE THE ADOBE GAMMA LOADER FROM THE PC'S STARUP PROCESS PRIOR TO ANY CALIBRATION. it could almost anywhere. in windows xp it will be in the startup folders and/or msconfig. if left untouched it will override ANY calibration.</p>

<p>some calibration software make no provision to set the RGB values before the brightness. this means that even is the rest of the calibration process is done right the colors will be slightly off. so for a lcd monitor you must use a calibrator that does the RGB values. i know that eye1 display 2 does, because i use it, and it works fine. i had the spyder express and had to get the eyeone since the express does not do the RGB values.</p>

<p>shot as jpeg. flower color unadjusted, as shot.</p><div></div>

<p>shot as jpeg. color unadjusted, as shot.</p><div></div>

<p>tim l-my images, along with others that are not mine but pped, on on photobucket. i do not put my images all over the internet; i do include them in replys to demonstrate a point. there are plenty of my shots on photo.net. in my replys.</p>

<p>i have to emphasis again the point. raws are easier to shoot. the buyer, now user, can open the box shoot a raw shot and if it was not a total disaster get a pretty good image from the converter and csx. with jpeg the user cannot do this. the jpeger has to know what he is doing going in. what happens is that user after opening the box and shooting raw for a while now buys the idea that raw is totally better and shoots it forever more. BUT, while doing so he does not develope the incamera skill set that would let him shoot the good jpeg. i spent 32yrs shooting film slides. with slides there is no pp AT ALL. get it right in the slr or throw the slide out, there is no fix. for me that is how i learned to shoot. shoot it right in the slr and zero pp. this has carried over to my digital shooting. i expect and get just about 100% correct shots with zero cropping and almost zero pp. in fact if a shot needs more than 60sec pp time, i simply delete it. it was not good enough. my question is-how many raw shooters are taking the shots with this kind of expectations and accuracy? not very many.</p>

<p>of course, i am not talking about the type of images obtained. for me the image is what i saw with my own eyes. if the scene had a lot of color i want that, if there is little color then that is what i want the image to be. i do not buy the idea that an image has to pop. the scene is what it is, and that is all. for a lot of users they have to add something to the image just to get to their view of what the image should look like. i do not. i want the scene recorded by the dslr as it was when i saw it. if it pops, fine. if it does not also fine. but it better be the scene that was viewed.</p>

<p>scott f-i will address only 1 issue, the possible IQ from a jpeg and how much it takes to get that quality. for me, i have been shooting slr/dslr for 40yrs. so i know what i am doing. i am also not intersted in what everyone says. if a statement is made then i want proof that it is correct. the statement is being raw is better than jpeg. the truth is maybe.</p>

<p>the real truth is simple. jpegs are much harder to shoot than raw. it takes more skill experience and knowledge to get the jpeg to work and even with that it takes more effort. the current group of photogs like/love the idea of sitting front of a pc and using pping by the hour. for me, pping is the equivelant of root canal and as much fun. when i came from 32yrs of shooting slides i wondered what adjustements i had to make to shoot a jpeg. the answer was none. a slide and a jpeg have almost the exact same dr. by shooting slides i already knew how to shoot the scene taking into account the limited dr i had to work with.<br>

the next item is setting up the camera to shoot the high quality accurate jpeg. for each of my 2 dslrs it took me 2hrs+ and that was after i had already adjusted the never to be touched again menu items. after the setup, on my calibrated monitor, the jpegs i took looked exactly like the scene that i had just shot. this is one problem with the raw image. if you go on vacation and shoot 500 pics-how do you remember what each shot accurately looked like 3 weeks later on your pc? i do not not have that problem, i KNOW that my jpegs look like the scene.<br>

another issue is the compression used by the dslr. even with least compression max image quality settings you cannot get rid of jpeg compression. but there is a huge difference between the compression used by the different makers. even at max image quality one maker would use a lot of compression while another uses a far less amount. not naming makers but 1 maker using a 12mp sensor ends up with jpeg files in the 2000-3000kb size. while another with a 14.6mp sesnor ends up with jpeg files in th 8500-12500kb size range. which do you think is the better system? and has the more image potential.</p>

<p>lastly, the image is shot with how much effort and care and time. the jpeg requires more effort to get it right. the margin of error is near zero. you can pp a jpeg, i do it all the time, but the amount of pping is limited. with raw the user knows that there is a second chance in the converter and during pping. the jpeg needs to shot almost totally right in the camera.<br>

last august my wife and i went west to see national parks. i took 543 images. of the 543 all were dead on in terms of wb and exposure. and all but 12 needed no cropping at all. this is fairly representative of the standards i always shoot with. it is what i expect to get when i shoot and i do get it. during the trip we went to carlsbad caverns. there i shot raw+jpeg as a hedge against the lighting conditions. later, the raws though converted and pped, never got used. the jpegs were simply better.</p>

<p>an external flash mounted on camera or on a bracket will light up the subject. but the light that the flash throws out is a very white harsh light. very unflattering to people shots. this is why most of the better flashes are made to convert to a bounce flash setup. this is where the flash's light is aimed against a wall or ceiling then to the subject. this gives a soft light that is very pleasant. the drawbacks to bounce flash is that you should be using a white or near white surface to bounce off of. the reason is that the bounce light will pick up the color of the surface that it is bouncing off of. also the bounce flash cannot be used at all if the ceiling is too high. the distance to the ceiling and the distance from the ceiling to the subject exceeeds what the flash can operate at.</p>

<p>the way around this is to take your white ceiling with you. that is you use a white bounce card or a diffuser. both work. the drawback either way is the flash's effective distance is cut back, to about 1/2- 2/3 of normal. also, an other advantage is macro work a regular flash is used too close to the subject will simply blow out the scene. the flash and/or the camera cannot adjust to that much light. with a diffuser you can get much closer, and succesfully take closeups that are lit by flash.<br>

as for other uses, you would use the diffuser for any flash shot you take. the soft easy light is better than the direct aimed at version that direct flash has. one big use is wedding pros. the ceilings are very high in the reception halls so bounce will not work. but a diffuser will give the same soft light high ceiling or not. an obvious visable difference with a diffuser is the strong shadows are simply gone, the subject is lit nicely but behind the subject there is no shadow lines.<br>

for myself, i use the stofen omnibounce $20, and it is made for many flashes. see stofen's web site to see if your flash is listed. with the omnibounce i get about 2/3 of the distance that is shown on the back pof the flash.</p>

<p>it is not that you have to go lighter in gear, and change gear altogether. it is that you have to do a rethink concerning your procedures that you use the take the shots. the very first question you ask yourself is WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO SHOOT AND WHAT DO YOU NEED TO SHOOT IT WITH? then you leave everything else in the car. if you are going to shoot distant birds and animals then you need a tripod and a big lens. AND THAT IS ALL. maybe add spare memory and battery. why take all the gear with you just not to use it.</p>

<p>i spent last august out west in national parks having driven there. i had all my gear with me in the car. 2 tripods 2 dslrs 12 lenses and enough other stuff that i filled 3 camera bags with it. when we got to a np i determined what i was going to shoot and took the gear to shoot just THAT. i usually ended up with a dslr on the tripod and maybe another do all lens in a bag clipped to my belt. and my tripod is a bogen that weighs a ton with a heavy duty head. not light but a lot better thatn it would be if i had taken the 3 camera bags full. it is my intent to get a carbonfiber tripod and head if i go west again in august. the bogen is great. it will hold the biggest lens anybody could buy, but the weight is impressive. one of the walking trips was in yellowstone, and we went almost 2 miles one way. the trippod got heavy but was not unbearable.</p>

<p>dan t- some thoughts.<br />-first it makes no difference what YOU like as technique in the taking of the pics. there is only the correct technique for the scene lighting situation and the photog's wants.<br />-second you cannot buy your way to better pics. by FAR the most important bit of gear is the user pushing the shutter button. any entry level dslr can take a geat image, if supplied with the correct instructions.<br />-3rd if you are shooting at f2.8 you end up with a very narrow dof. this great makes you error leeway much greater, and offers the shooter no room at all for a mistake in technique. try f4.0 or f5.6. if you have enough distance separation between the subject and the background, then that background will be out of focus anyway. but the higher fstop gives the user abtter chance to get the subject in focus.<br />-4th pick your focus point and focus lock to make sure you get and keep that point. the important item any obsever of a portrait looks at are the eyes. if the eyes are not pinpoints then the observer will mentally downgrade the whole image. those eyes have got to be sharp.<br />-5th all that off color background, be it light or dark, is going to cause the meter to have a fit. you must use spot metering on the person's skin. if you cannot save the setting, switch to manual and simply set those setting.<br />-6th note in simple terms it is very easy to overdo the pp. thinking more is better. you should pp just enough to accomplish what you want, AND NO MORE. do not be tempted to add just a little more pp of something, that path leads to overcooked images.</p>

<p>will daniel-this is a giveaway about my yrs. but i can remember when my whole office used slide rules for our calculations. we ended up with slipsticks that cost a fortune, but needed the features. THEN, after a lot of yrs, the office ended up with 1 electric calculator, you had to plug it into 110v. it was made by sony, and was the size of a typewriter. the portable handheld calcs were a few yrs away.</p>

<p>in any event, i shot with slrs for 32 yrs before switching to digital. about 90% of the 32yrs was manual focus. when the next body i got had auto focus, it was heaven. no more missed shots and a lot more time to frame and compose the image. though remember those MF slrs had the right split circle screens in them for focusing. the current screens in a dslr are bordering on useless for MF.</p>

<p>just a thought on viewfinders. i shot film slides for 32yrs, that is the equiv of today's FFdslr. when i switched to digital i bought a 1.5 c sensor dslr. if i ever noticed or cared about the viewfinder difference it was gone the first day. and in a very few hours. after that point i never even thought about it. the viewfinders are just something you get used to. after all it is not as though you are going to take a couple dozen pics with the c sensor dslr then go back to using film in a slr. you are going to be shooting many thousands of pics through that c sensor dslr. now, after using the c sesnor dslr for 8 yrs i do not even think about the viewfinder difference if any. it is just something i am now used to.</p>

<p>on whether you go after a FFdslr or a crop dslr. base it on the % of wideangle vs telephoto images you take. even a c dslr with the right lens can get pretty wide. with film i never felt the need to go wider than 17mm. that is about 12mm on a c dslr, and that is certainly buyable. on the other hand the ease of getting some very long lenses as a side benefit with a c sensor cannot be underestimated. really big glass costs a bundle. and you get the long mm as a free gift with a c sensor.</p>

<p>the problem is not how to store an archive dvd or which dvd to use or how to make one. the problem in ten yrs is what software will then be available to read the disc OR the image files on it? time and technology are going to pass the dvd by. the alternative is to select a image file format that has a future of at least 5 yrs. a possiblity is that is you shoot raw do not store and archive the raw, convert to dng first then store that. dng will be around for a long time. but the propietary software that was the original raw file is likely not going to be here in 10yrs.<br>

m reichman, of luminous landscape, a couple of yrs ago mentioned that he had image files that he could not read not find any software that could. and those files were less than 5 yrs old.</p>

<p>i have about a dozen lenses. 1 tamron, several sigmas and many pentax and even a manual 500mm mirror lens. the auto EC works with all. rememeber auto EC and matrix metering is totally contained inside the dslr body. it works by checking the metering segments. all this is in the body not the lens. you might also be interested in the following which i wrote a while ago.</p>

 

<p >if you are talking pentax, which i am and own, the program mode can do something automatically that nothing else will. and that is give you the best IQ possible with a certain condition being met at all times. you, the user, has the control of that condition.</p>

<p >the one thing aperture or shutter priority is doing is setting the other while you set the first one. but what it is not doing is giving you best possible picture while the camera is doing it. YOU are deciding that you want f8.0 or 1/125 but that may not give the best pic. which means of course that you have to adjust it to get the best pic at the brightness conditions. in P or program at all times the the best pic is being made but with the condition that you set also met. This is also true in auto.</p>

<p >what condition? The setting of the program line. the following selections are possible: MTF, action(shutter speed), DOF(aperture), normal; depending on the camera others may be possible. the default is normal. the way mtf works is that the camera in auto or program, either is being affected by the program line selected. the camera, as the light level rises from dark, keeps the fstop at wide open till about 1/60 then lets the fstop rise as well. this continues until the lenses reaches max IQ fstop which is going to be f5.6-f11.0. then the camera holds the fstop and lets the shutter speed rise till it is very fast, about 1/1000-1600. then the fstop will also rise. the whole point of this is to put the camera and lens into a normal shutter speed(1/60) then put the lens at its best performing IQ setting and keep it there as long as possible, as the light level rises. this would give the maximum possible IQ the fastest from a dark starting situation.</p>

<p >the other program lines work the same way but the emphasis is on the other subjects. what was described above is the MTF only.</p>

<p >it is for this reason that i let my *istD, and now the k20though I use program, run in auto almost all the time with matrix metering. the program line is giving me the best possible pic IQ as fast as it can as the light level rises. if i do not want the selected settings i simply move it to P and set my own with either wheel knowing the combo will still give the correct exposure but it may be at sacrifice in IQ. Or you can run the dslr in P and use the program line as well as changing the shutter fstop combo. i have been shooting slr/dslr for 40yrs. in that time i have found that setting the exposure is just a mechanical exercise. i can do this fairly easily. the hard part is knowing what to shoot so that the subject matter is worthy of having a pic taken in the first place. with the program line set to MTF i know i am getting the best possible IQ in the conditions that i have to shoot in. if i have a situation that requires more dof or a faster shutter speed then that is what P is for.</p>

<p >the program lines can be set via the menu. i leave mine at the the mtf for max IQ.</p>

<p >if i have a situation that requires a special dof or shutter speed then it is possible to change to aperture or shutter priority. an example would be at an indoor hockey game and using shutter speed priority or any other sporting event.</p>

<p >many times on these forums i read of people who state that they leave their dslrs in aperture priority all the time. fine if that is what they want to do. but at the same time they should know the that the best possible IQ may be at another set of settings that they do not use. but the program line guarantees that the best possible IQ under the available light conditions will always be set in the fstop and shutter speed. As long as the user is using program or auto.</p>

<p > <br>

 

<p> </p>

</p>

<p >Auto EC and matrix metering in pentax dslrs</p>

<p >matrix metering is the same as averaging metering with an addition. it also includes the use of EC to prevent highlight blow outs. the reason that matrix metering has many segments is as follows- in matrix the meter determines the correct exposure, then checks each segment to see if at that exposure if any have a highlight that would blow, if yes then the meter backs down the exposure so that the segment will not blow any highlights. On the istD in auto mode, if auto EX activates then auto EC backs down the iso. All this happen at the moment of the shot when the user presses the shutter button. And there is no indication in the viewfinder or anywhere else that auto EC activated on an image. It is just that the image will appear darker that the user would think it should.</p>

<p >so if you have the meter in center weighted and then you are using EC to prevent blowout then the matrix system is doing the same thing. if you are spot metering and seeing which areas are the brightest and setting the exposure that way; well, the matrix system is also doing that for you. Note- in the istD the auto EC cannot be turned off if the dslr is in matrix metering. In the k10,k20,k7 the auto EC is an item in the menu, and if desired must be turned on by the user. The default is off. I have my k20d auto EC turned on, and just leave it that way. With my istD the auto EC is always on since I shoot in matrixing metering.</p>

<p >this is exactly why i use matrix almost exclusively on my dslr. the object of metering is to get the correct exposure and not blow highlights, and that is what matrix(evaluative) metering is doing.</p>

<p >One result of the use of matrix metering is that upon downloading the images to the pc, they may seem dim to varying degrees. This is a result of the backing the exposure down to prevent blowout. once the pics are downloaded to the pc, all that is necessary is to use auto levels in pe or csx, or similar in another pp program and the light level of the pic with be restored to normal. and no blowouts. matrix metering is protecting you from making highlight blowouts. let it do it, that is what it is there for.</p>

<p >note -my istD is over 5yrs old. during that time i have never taken a shot that had blown highlights. i shoot with matrix metering all the time. the auto EC thing works.</p>

<p>i have 2 dslrs. one is a 6mp. i have many prints to 20x30ijnches. from it some are mounted and are hanging on walls, mine and others. remember you can always up rez the image file to 360ppi. i have done this on many occasions.</p>

<p>but, how big you print is dependant on how good the image is to begin with and at what distance you view the print. a 8x10 you hold in your hand or rest it on your lap. but a 20x30incher will be looked at from 5ft+ or so. this makes a big difference. if take a look at a interstate bill board before it is put up, you are going to be hardpressed to even know what it is.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>marius m- the way i read your action you are setting the k7 in Tv or Av then cannot change the exposure. well, you are not supposed to be able to, that is why you set it Av or Tv. you set the fstop OR shutter speed and the dsalr sets the other. that is how it works in those modes. if in P mode and you adjust either wheel then the system adjusts the other to maintain the correct exposure. by using the wheels in P you are actually shifting the meter into Av or Tv. the dslr's metering is going for the optimum exposure. if, fror example. you are in Av mode and set the fstop to f4.0 then the meter sets the ss. if the resulting exposure is not what you want that is what exposure compensation is for. you dial in a correction, based on the user's desires, to adjust the exposure to another brightness.</p>

<p>the metering saysatem and dslr is working as it should. it is you that is not using the EC feature to get what you want.<br>

also, i am assuming that the auto EC in the menus in still in the default or off position. if set to on and you meter in the matrix mode then you are going to get a totally different result in your images. i have the istD and the k20. the auto EC feature first appeared in the istD but there is no off switch it is on permanently on whenever the meter is in matrix. with the k20 and k7 you can turn the auto EC on/off. the default from the factory is off. in my k20 it is on and on it stays and i use matrix for 99.99999% of my shots. NOTE-i am not going to go into what auto EC is and does but if you wish to know ask me. just be aware that if set to on the metering in matrix is drastically changed. if you want a good laugh look in the k7 or k20 manual for the explanation of what auto EC is and does.</p>

<p>do not if you would be interested, but as an alternative buy pse8. it has the same ability as cs5 to read raw files, and only $99.</p>

<p>in any event i have got my order in for the disc of cs5. i did so since i own cs2, and this is the last csx that is upgradable to cs5. in the future when cs6 comes out cs2 will dropped as an upgrade path and cs3 will be the lowest on the upgrade route.</p>

<p>luc w-for your 200mm zoom lens, this a 300mm on your crop dslr. and that means a MINAMUM of 1/300sec to stop motion that is you and what you do camera movement. this says nothing about the subject movement. that is going to vary- depnds on outright speed of subject, crossing you at right angle or less, and how close you are standing to the subject. my intial reaction is 1/500 is starting figure for deciding and may or may not be right. if the worst case example of say the subject is moving 60-80mph and croosing at a right angle and you are less than 100ft. 1/500 may not cut it. i would go for 1/1000sec. as was stated above you can go to 1600iso if you need it. also, try not to shoot with the lens wide open. try 1 stop closed if you can get away with it. the lens will perform better.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>to me there is one major problem about incamera hdr. and that is you really cannot adjust the exposure to get the scene. if you have a dslr that can get 10stops of dr, and you incamera hdr shoots a 10stop dr scxewne you have captured the entire scene. you may or may not like the color rendition of the final image. it is a matter of taste. but if that scene is 12stops then no matter what you do you cannot get the full scene. there is always 2 stops of dr that are not going to be caught. you may still like or not like the result but you have not caught the full scene.<br>

with the do it yourself hdr you can simply extend the brackets as far out from center as needed to get the full scene and all of its dr no matter how big the total dr is. the incamera hdr cannot do this. at some point of increasing dr it will reach its limit.</p>

<p>for myself, i simply do not care for hdr. possibly because it shows in all the oversaturated and overcontrasted images being shown. it amazes me that anyone would would shoot a bracketed set for hdr, when you can shoot 1 shot and over color and over contrast it to any amount desired. when hdr was originally conceived it was solely to capture a dr of a scene when the recording medium, film or digital, could not. that was all.</p>