Quote:
Originally Posted by Forseti
You might find this short essay interesting Andy. It is one that I have posted before.
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Since this runs contrary to all the advice I have previously received and also since it doesn't seem to make sense, perhaps you could help me understand.
It is contrary to previous advice, in that data lost in highlights is so terminal that the recommendation has been to shoot "Left of centre" on the histogram, since there is more chance of recovering data in shadows. (My experience reinforces that -a picture with a bright window and harsh shadows can only be recovered in the shadows).
The bit that doesn't somehow seem to make sense in the essay is the assumption that the 4096 discrete tonal values are shared between the F-stops. That suggests that if I shoot at f2.8 I will get 2048 levels, whilst at F32 I will have 128levels. Or have I misread it? If I haven't misread it then frankly I find it hard to believe. The F stop is a mechanical thing, changing the amount of light that reaches the sensor. So the amount of light hitting it will increase / decrease, but why would that change the dynamic range (The frequency / colour) of the received light?
I hope I'm not boring anyone -
- this is important stuff and if I am deluded I would like to know it!