EXCERPT page containing first few paragraphs. 2024-04-19 02:15:35
UA_SEARCH_BOT_compatible_botmozilla/5.0 applewebkit/537.36 (khtml, like gecko; compatible; claudebot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com) @ 3.144.244.44
For full access, subscribe here. Or click title to login.

ETTR at +1.5 exposure

Introduction to 'Expose to the Right' / ETTR

With digital capture, minimizing noise and maximizing dynamic range can mean making an “incorrect” exposure— typically one that is high key, apparently washed out. But so long as this exposure does not blow-out (turn to pure white) any of the R/G/B color channels, the resulting image will exhibit superior noise characteristics along with the maximum dynamic range.

The constraint is that for ETTR to work well, one must shoot RAW (not JPEG).

ETTR is your ticket to getting the highest image quality possible, especially important for small-sensor cameras, such as Micro Four Thirds. And even with large sensor cameras (full-frame DSLR and medium format), ETTR is a technique well worth mastering.

Article continues for subscribers...

Diglloyd Making Sharp Images is by yearly subscription. Subscribe now for about 13 cents a day ($50/year).
BEST DEAL: get full access to ALL 8 PUBLICATIONS for only about 75 cents a day!

Diglloyd Making Sharp Images articulates years of best practices and how-to, painstakingly learned over a decade of camera and lens evaluation.

Save yourself those years of trial and error by jump-starting your photographic technical execution when making the image. The best lens or camera is handicapped if the photographer fails to master perfect shot discipline. High-resolution digital cameras are unforgiving of errors, at least if one wants the best possible results.

Eases into photographic challenges with an introductory section.
Covers aspects of digital sensor technology that relate to getting the best image quality.
Technique section discusses every aspect of making a sharp image handheld or on a tripod.
Depth of field and how to bypass depth of field limitations via focus stacking.
Optical aberrations: what they are, what they look like, and what to do about them.
MTF, field curvature, focus shift: insight into the limitations of lab tests and why imaging performance is far more complex than it appears.
Optical aberrations: what they are, what they look like, and what to do about them.
How to test a lens for a “bad sample”.

Intrigued? See Focusing Zeiss DSLR Lenses For Peak Performance, PART ONE: The Challenges, or (one topic of many) field curvature.