Dark Pictures-Canon 20D

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

Hi:

I have a Canon 20D with the 18-55mm lens that was supplied with the camera.

When taking pictures at family birthday parties and gatherings in a living
room and dining room my pictures come out very dark. The lighting is dim but
adequate with overhead lighting and table lamps. All the shooting is done in
the Basic Zone Modes where everything is set automatically. To quote from
the manual "You just press the shutter button, and the camera does the rest"
..

You certainly cannot print directly from the memory card however, which is
want I want to do. Every picture has to be processed to increase the
brightness. I've taken pictures in the same surroundings before with a
$50.00 digital camera and the pictures come out bright enough to print
without any processing.

This is not a simple camera but at these affairs I'm using it as a point and
shoot. I take about one hundred pictures and I don't want to spend hours
processing them.

My question is whether it's me or the camera? I would appreciate feedback
from anyone who has experienced this.

Thank you in advance.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

"Marge" <mbasher1@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:EM2dncEFAs3aMeffRVn-rQ@comcast.com...
> Hi:
>
> I have a Canon 20D with the 18-55mm lens that was supplied with the
> camera.
>
> When taking pictures at family birthday parties and gatherings in a living
> room and dining room my pictures come out very dark. The lighting is dim
> but
> adequate with overhead lighting and table lamps. All the shooting is done
> in
> the Basic Zone Modes where everything is set automatically. To quote from
> the manual "You just press the shutter button, and the camera does the
> rest"
> .
>
> You certainly cannot print directly from the memory card however, which is
> want I want to do. Every picture has to be processed to increase the
> brightness. I've taken pictures in the same surroundings before with a
> $50.00 digital camera and the pictures come out bright enough to print
> without any processing.
>
> This is not a simple camera but at these affairs I'm using it as a point
> and
> shoot. I take about one hundred pictures and I don't want to spend hours
> processing them.
>
> My question is whether it's me or the camera? I would appreciate feedback
> from anyone who has experienced this.
>
> Thank you in advance.
>
Most DSLR's shoot a bit on the dark side, especially indoors with no flash.
This is to keep from blowing out the detail in the highlights. Why not just
up the exposure value a bit and leave it there for most shots. Maybe
somebody here with a 20D has some more ideas to turn your camera into a
point and shoot. With a D70 the secret is to upload custom curves into the
camera.

>
>
>

 

[john]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

This has been a ongoing problem and everybody blamed it on the user. I know
for a camera, no matter what the cost is , in the auto mode it should do
better than that.
There will be allot comming out from the woods stating that this is a DSLR
and you should know how to use it, thats BS, as it should do better. Its
pretty bad when a 250 dollar can take better pictures, sharper, brigher,than
this one, your next problem possibly comming up is now the pictures will
either look to soft or the banding issue will show up. Even with the 580X
external flash, costing over 500 they are still to dark.





"Marge" <mbasher1@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:EM2dncEFAs3aMeffRVn-rQ@comcast.com...
> Hi:
>
> I have a Canon 20D with the 18-55mm lens that was supplied with the
> camera.
>
> When taking pictures at family birthday parties and gatherings in a living
> room and dining room my pictures come out very dark. The lighting is dim
> but
> adequate with overhead lighting and table lamps. All the shooting is done
> in
> the Basic Zone Modes where everything is set automatically. To quote from
> the manual "You just press the shutter button, and the camera does the
> rest"
> .
>
> You certainly cannot print directly from the memory card however, which is
> want I want to do. Every picture has to be processed to increase the
> brightness. I've taken pictures in the same surroundings before with a
> $50.00 digital camera and the pictures come out bright enough to print
> without any processing.
>
> This is not a simple camera but at these affairs I'm using it as a point
> and
> shoot. I take about one hundred pictures and I don't want to spend hours
> processing them.
>
> My question is whether it's me or the camera? I would appreciate feedback
> from anyone who has experienced this.
>
> Thank you in advance.
>
>
>
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

"Marge" <mbasher1@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:EM2dncEFAs3aMeffRVn-rQ@comcast.com...
> Hi:
>
> I have a Canon 20D with the 18-55mm lens that was supplied with the
> camera.
>
> When taking pictures at family birthday parties and gatherings in a living
> room and dining room my pictures come out very dark. The lighting is dim
> but
> adequate with overhead lighting and table lamps. All the shooting is done
> in
> the Basic Zone Modes where everything is set automatically. To quote from
> the manual "You just press the shutter button, and the camera does the
> rest"
> .
>
> You certainly cannot print directly from the memory card however, which is
> want I want to do. Every picture has to be processed to increase the
> brightness. I've taken pictures in the same surroundings before with a
> $50.00 digital camera and the pictures come out bright enough to print
> without any processing.
>
> This is not a simple camera but at these affairs I'm using it as a point
> and
> shoot. I take about one hundred pictures and I don't want to spend hours
> processing them.
>
> My question is whether it's me or the camera? I would appreciate feedback
> from anyone who has experienced this.
>
> Thank you in advance.
>
>

Hi, I have a 20D sitting on the table next to me. I've just loaded it with
freshly charged batteries. After reading your post, I turned my camera on
and took three shots of the inside of a very dimly lit adjacent room. The
first shot was in "P" mode, second in "All auto" mode (green indicator), and
the third using my custom white balance (which I have set using a Kodak 18%
Gray card read in an average lamp lit room). No flash was used. To be
truthful, I don't bother using the on camera flash (prefer shoe mounted
flash) so it's programmed to be off.

Two shots made the room look unrealistically brighter. The "P" and the "All
auto" were of equal brightness while the Custom White Ballance was a tad
brighter than the room, closer to the room lighting.

My suggestion to you is to perform this check and test.

See that you or a friend haven't accidentally moved the +/- camera exposure
control to a setting other than having it centered. If the exposure control
has been moved, you will get unexpected exposure results. Check out all your
settings while your at it. Be satisfied that at least all the settings are
correct.

After you have done that and are satisfied the exposure control setting is
were it shoud be, in the center, then:

Take a "White" object (or buy a Kodak 18% Gray card for about $2). Take a
picture of the white object (or Kodak card) in a room that has lighting
similar to the room that you experienced getting your under exposed
pictures. Then read your camera instruction manual to learn how to set the
camera Custom White Balance. Set your camera to use this light reading as
the setting for your Custom White Balance.

After having done that:

Look at the top of your camera for the AF-WB button. With the camera turned
on, press the AF-WB button and turn the large dial until you see the Custom
White Balance indicator appear (Left side of top view screen). Now set your
camera on "All auto" or "P" mode and take a picture of the room in which you
took a light reading off the White object or Kodak Gray card. It probaly
will be a time exposure so if your holding the camera, don't be surprised if
the picture is blurry. Remember now, you have set your camera to take an
average light reading (off a neutral object) of the room so after you take a
picture of the room, the picture should be just a tad brighter (up to about
1/3rd of a stop) than the room actually is but close to the room as lit.

If the picture still appears dark, as to indicate the picture is difficult
to see because it's too dark, something is quite possibly wrong with the
camera.

Last minute closing thought. Check to see if you have the latest firmware
installed in the camera. Do this first before doing anything else. If you
haven't the latest firmware installed (version 2.0), install it before doing
anything else.

nick

>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

"Marge" <mbasher1@comcast.net> wrote

> I have a Canon 20D with the 18-55mm lens that was supplied with the
camera.
>
> When taking pictures at family birthday parties and gatherings in a living
> room and dining room my pictures come out very dark. The lighting is dim
but
> adequate with overhead lighting and table lamps. All the shooting is done
in
> the Basic Zone Modes where everything is set automatically. To quote from
> the manual "You just press the shutter button, and the camera does the
rest"

With flash or without flash?

I don't know about the 20d, but one of my digital cameras won't set the
shutter speed to slower than 1/30 of a second in full-auto mode even with
the flash disabled. The images look plenty bright on the LCD, but are often
pitch black on a calibrated monitor. So in low light I get f/2, 1/30 of a
second even though a correct exposure might be f/2, 1/2 second.

Check the exif and if this is the case for the 20d then take it out of
full-auto mode and set the exposure yourself. You only have to set it one
time, then you can shoot all night long.

--
Mark

Photos, Ideas & Opinions
http/www.marklauter.com

Corporate
http/www.onelauter.com

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

"Marge" <mbasher1@comcast.net> writes:
> Hi:
>
> I have a Canon 20D with the 18-55mm lens that was supplied with the camera.
>
> When taking pictures at family birthday parties and gatherings in a living
> room and dining room my pictures come out very dark. The lighting is dim but
> adequate with overhead lighting and table lamps. All the shooting is done in
> the Basic Zone Modes where everything is set automatically. To quote from
> the manual "You just press the shutter button, and the camera does the rest"
> .
>
> You certainly cannot print directly from the memory card however, which is
> want I want to do. Every picture has to be processed to increase the
> brightness. I've taken pictures in the same surroundings before with a
> $50.00 digital camera and the pictures come out bright enough to print
> without any processing.
>
> This is not a simple camera but at these affairs I'm using it as a point and
> shoot. I take about one hundred pictures and I don't want to spend hours
> processing them.
>
> My question is whether it's me or the camera? I would appreciate feedback
> from anyone who has experienced this.

I've got a 300D and a G2. I have similar gripes with the 300D. The
G2, a much simpler cheaper camera, seems to nail the exposure much
more consistently. Flash exposures especially are quite
underexposed on the 300D. Most of us shoot with flash exposure
compensation of at least +2/3 and we're very careful where the
active focussing point lands in the frame, hopefully on a midtoned
subject.

Even available light photography tends to leave me wanting on
exposure. I'm not sure if the metering is such that it's very
paranoid about overexposure, or what.

It's irritating though.


Best Regards,
--
Todd H.
http/www.toddh.net/

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

Great information. Even though I am not the op, I found it very informative.

"Nick C" <n-chen@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:EK2dncGJq6_U2ebfRVn-vw@comcast.com...
>
> "Marge" <mbasher1@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:EM2dncEFAs3aMeffRVn-rQ@comcast.com...
> > Hi:
> >
> > I have a Canon 20D with the 18-55mm lens that was supplied with the
> > camera.
> >
> > When taking pictures at family birthday parties and gatherings in a
living
> > room and dining room my pictures come out very dark. The lighting is dim
> > but
> > adequate with overhead lighting and table lamps. All the shooting is
done
> > in
> > the Basic Zone Modes where everything is set automatically. To quote
from
> > the manual "You just press the shutter button, and the camera does the
> > rest"
> > .
> >
> > You certainly cannot print directly from the memory card however, which
is
> > want I want to do. Every picture has to be processed to increase the
> > brightness. I've taken pictures in the same surroundings before with a
> > $50.00 digital camera and the pictures come out bright enough to print
> > without any processing.
> >
> > This is not a simple camera but at these affairs I'm using it as a point
> > and
> > shoot. I take about one hundred pictures and I don't want to spend hours
> > processing them.
> >
> > My question is whether it's me or the camera? I would appreciate
feedback
> > from anyone who has experienced this.
> >
> > Thank you in advance.
> >
> >
>
> Hi, I have a 20D sitting on the table next to me. I've just loaded it with
> freshly charged batteries. After reading your post, I turned my camera on
> and took three shots of the inside of a very dimly lit adjacent room. The
> first shot was in "P" mode, second in "All auto" mode (green indicator),
and
> the third using my custom white balance (which I have set using a Kodak
18%
> Gray card read in an average lamp lit room). No flash was used. To be
> truthful, I don't bother using the on camera flash (prefer shoe mounted
> flash) so it's programmed to be off.
>
> Two shots made the room look unrealistically brighter. The "P" and the
"All
> auto" were of equal brightness while the Custom White Ballance was a tad
> brighter than the room, closer to the room lighting.
>
> My suggestion to you is to perform this check and test.
>
> See that you or a friend haven't accidentally moved the +/- camera
exposure
> control to a setting other than having it centered. If the exposure
control
> has been moved, you will get unexpected exposure results. Check out all
your
> settings while your at it. Be satisfied that at least all the settings are
> correct.
>
> After you have done that and are satisfied the exposure control setting is
> were it shoud be, in the center, then:
>
> Take a "White" object (or buy a Kodak 18% Gray card for about $2). Take a
> picture of the white object (or Kodak card) in a room that has lighting
> similar to the room that you experienced getting your under exposed
> pictures. Then read your camera instruction manual to learn how to set the
> camera Custom White Balance. Set your camera to use this light reading as
> the setting for your Custom White Balance.
>
> After having done that:
>
> Look at the top of your camera for the AF-WB button. With the camera
turned
> on, press the AF-WB button and turn the large dial until you see the
Custom
> White Balance indicator appear (Left side of top view screen). Now set
your
> camera on "All auto" or "P" mode and take a picture of the room in which
you
> took a light reading off the White object or Kodak Gray card. It probaly
> will be a time exposure so if your holding the camera, don't be surprised
if
> the picture is blurry. Remember now, you have set your camera to take an
> average light reading (off a neutral object) of the room so after you take
a
> picture of the room, the picture should be just a tad brighter (up to
about
> 1/3rd of a stop) than the room actually is but close to the room as lit.
>
> If the picture still appears dark, as to indicate the picture is difficult
> to see because it's too dark, something is quite possibly wrong with the
> camera.
>
> Last minute closing thought. Check to see if you have the latest firmware
> installed in the camera. Do this first before doing anything else. If you
> haven't the latest firmware installed (version 2.0), install it before
doing
> anything else.
>
> nick
>
> >
> >
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

Overexpose by about a half a stop will help.

Steve


"Marge" <mbasher1@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:EM2dncEFAs3aMeffRVn-rQ@comcast.com...
> Hi:
>
> I have a Canon 20D with the 18-55mm lens that was supplied with the
> camera.
>
> When taking pictures at family birthday parties and gatherings in a living
> room and dining room my pictures come out very dark. The lighting is dim
> but
> adequate with overhead lighting and table lamps. All the shooting is done
> in
> the Basic Zone Modes where everything is set automatically. To quote from
> the manual "You just press the shutter button, and the camera does the
> rest"
> .
>
> You certainly cannot print directly from the memory card however, which is
> want I want to do. Every picture has to be processed to increase the
> brightness. I've taken pictures in the same surroundings before with a
> $50.00 digital camera and the pictures come out bright enough to print
> without any processing.
>
> This is not a simple camera but at these affairs I'm using it as a point
> and
> shoot. I take about one hundred pictures and I don't want to spend hours
> processing them.
>
> My question is whether it's me or the camera? I would appreciate feedback
> from anyone who has experienced this.
>
> Thank you in advance.
>
>
>
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

Steve Dell wrote:
> Overexpose by about a half a stop will help.
>
> Steve
>
>

If Marge means "all my pictures come out very dark", Steve's solution
will probably help. If some are OK, it might be a matter of metering.
In the same circumstances she mentions, she should change among the
possible metering modes and check for differences. Then try to
determine what kind of subject tone the metering is reading, and
choose the ones with best results to set exposure.

--
Frank ess


> "Marge" <mbasher1@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:EM2dncEFAs3aMeffRVn-rQ@comcast.com...
>> Hi:
>>
>> I have a Canon 20D with the 18-55mm lens that was supplied with the
>> camera.
>>
>> When taking pictures at family birthday parties and gatherings in a
>> living room and dining room my pictures come out very dark. The
>> lighting is dim but
>> adequate with overhead lighting and table lamps. All the shooting
>> is
>> done in
>> the Basic Zone Modes where everything is set automatically. To
>> quote
>> from the manual "You just press the shutter button, and the camera
>> does the rest"
>> .
>>
>> You certainly cannot print directly from the memory card however,
>> which is want I want to do. Every picture has to be processed to
>> increase the brightness. I've taken pictures in the same
>> surroundings before with a $50.00 digital camera and the pictures
>> come out bright enough to print without any processing.
>>
>> This is not a simple camera but at these affairs I'm using it as a
>> point and
>> shoot. I take about one hundred pictures and I don't want to spend
>> hours processing them.
>>
>> My question is whether it's me or the camera? I would appreciate
>> feedback from anyone who has experienced this.
>>
>> Thank you in advance.