2.3 EXPOSING RIGHT

It’s not the job of the camera to find and set the right exposure; it’s your job as the photographer. That said, all X series cameras feature the usual set of AE (auto exposure) modes: aperture priority A, shutter priority S, and program AE P.

• Aperture priority A will automatically set a suitable shutter speed to match a preset aperture based on your exposure.
• Shutter priority S will automatically set a suitable aperture to match a preset shutter speed based on your exposure.
• Program AE P will automatically set a suitable aperture and shutter speed combination based on your exposure.
• Auto-ISO can contribute a suitable ISO setting (within predefined limits). In digital cameras, ISO is the level of signal amplification applied to an image that has been recorded by the camera’s sensor. ISO always refers to the brightness of the final image product (JPEG) from the camera, and not necessarily to the RAW data.

Fig. 88: In most X series cameras, auto exposure modes are set with the aperture ring on the lens and the shutter speed dial on the camera body: Pre-selecting an aperture and setting the shutter speed dial to “A” activates aperture priority mode. Selecting “A” on the aperture ring or lens in concert with a specific shutter speed activates shutter priority mode. Finally, selecting “A” on both the lens and the shutter speed dial selects program AE. However, compact and entry-level models like the X-T100 feature dedicated mode dials for selecting the exposure mode.

It is important to understand that auto exposure (AE) modes (including Auto-ISO) are not responsible for correctly exposing images; exposure is always the responsibility of the photographer. AE modes automatically fill variables (such as the shutter speed in aperture priority A) in a way that matches the exposure you’ve set yourself. Auto exposure will only deliver good results if the photographer is exposing correctly.

EXPOSING CORRECTLY—HOW DOES THIS WORK?

Don’t panic! Unlike conventional DSLR cameras, mirrorless cameras make things easy. Up to four different metering modes (multi, spot, center-weighted, and average), the WYSIWYG live view, and the live (RGB) histogram help you find the correct exposure for any given scene. If you shoot in one of the three AE modes, the most important tool is the exposure compensation dial, which allows you to correct the metered exposure up to ±3 EV in convenient steps of 1/3 EV. EV means Exposure Value, and 1 EV is equivalent to one full aperture stop. The correct exposure isn’t what the camera is metering; it’s what you make of the metering by adjusting the exposure compensation dial or manual exposure settings.

TIP 50

Choosing the right metering method

There are up to four different metering methods available to measure the amount of light that goes through the lens and hits the image sensor:

• Average metering calculates an unweighted average of the total light that hits the entire sensor area.
• Spot metering only considers two percent of the sensor area. The metering area covers a medium-sized focus frame in the center of the image. Alternatively, you can link spot metering to the size and position of the active focus frame (in SINGLE POINT AF and MF mode).
• Center-weighted metering is available in cameras with X-Processor Pro and X-Processor 4. It is a crossbreed between average and spot metering. While it encompasses the entire image area, it puts special emphasis on the image center.
• Multi or matrix metering calculates a weighted average of the total light that hits the sensor. The weight is a result of 256 metering areas (the matrix) that the camera evaluates and compares to typical scenarios, which is why multi metering is considered “smarter” than the other methods. For example, multi metering is designed to recognize when you are shooting against the sun.

Average, spot, and center-weighted metering return exposure recommendations based on middle gray. In other words, when you take a picture of a black wall and then a picture of a white wall with auto exposure (AE), the results will both look middle gray. This means:

• If you want the black wall to look black in the resulting image, you must manually adjust the exposure downward.
• If you want the white wall to look bright white in the resulting image, you must manually adjust the exposure upward.

Fig. 89: This illustration shows a black sheet of paper and a white sheet of paper. Both were photographed with the camera’s spot metering without any exposure correction. As you can see, the camera delivered a middle-gray exposure in both cases. To get an image that reflects the actual brightness of the subject, the metered exposure must be adjusted.

Fujifilm recommends a correction of +1 EV when you are shooting in snowfields, or −2/3 EV when you are shooting subjects in spotlight. Instead of these rules, I recommend a more precise and methodical course of action using the live view and the live histogram. To minimize corrective adjustments, it’s best to select a metering method that fits the subject and the job at hand:

• Multi metering is a general-purpose method. Since it is supposed to be “smarter” than the other methods, there’s a good chance that you won’t have to apply (m)any corrective adjustments to the proposed exposure.
• Average and, to a lesser degree, center-weighted metering are rather neutral metering methods that will likely stay more consistent despite small changes in composition (or framing) than multi metering and spot metering. I recommend average metering if you want to take a series of shots of the same subjects under similar conditions. In such cases, average metering will help you keep the exposure consistent.
• Spot metering bases its measurements on one spot of the overall image. This means you must work very precisely to make sure you are metering the appropriate part (spot) of the scene. The resulting exposure recommendation will expose this spot with middle-gray brightness. For example, if you spot meter a backlit face against the sun, the metered exposure will display the face with middle-gray brightness (or zone 5 in the famous Ansel Adams zone system [38]). If that’s too dark for your taste, you can use the exposure compensation dial to lift the exposure by +1/3 EV or +2/3 EV. On the other hand, if the person has dark skin, you may want to reduce the exposure with a correction in the opposite direction. It’s up to you to choose the zone (brightness) of the spot-metered part of the image.

Spot metering is the most powerful and challenging metering method. It’s useful when the light is very difficult—too difficult for multi and average metering. Typical examples are isolated bright objects in front of a dark background (and vice versa), such as a musician or an actor on a stage, or strongly backlit subjects. Whenever your exposure must be spot on, spot metering is your friend.

With that said, it’s obvious that spot metering requires you to meter very precisely. Even small changes in the camera’s direction can lead to dramatic changes in the metered result. Therefore, it can be useful to combine spot metering with the camera’s AE-L function. AE-L will lock your exposure to prevent it from changing when you alter your composition, or when your subject starts to move away from your metering spot.

The best way to use spot metering is in manual mode M. In this mode, metering doesn’t affect the exposure because you are setting all the exposure parameters (shutter speed, aperture, and ISO) manually. Spot metering in manual mode helps you determine the brightness level of any part of your image for any set exposure. The exposure scale in the viewfinder or LCD tells you exactly how much brighter or darker than middle gray (zone 5) the spot metered object would appear in your shot (either ±3 EV or ±5 EV, depending on your camera).

Don’t forget to disable Auto-ISO in manual mode M. If you don’t, the camera will still operate in some kind of AE mode (I call it “misomatic”); in this mode, the ISO setting will be the exposure variable that’s automatically adjusted.

TIP 51

Linking spot metering to focus frames

Traditionally, spot metering covers the center of the frame with an area that’s about as large as a medium-sized (standard) focus frame. However, by selecting SHOOTING MENU > (AF/MF SETTING >) INTERLOCK SPOT AE & FOCUS AREA > ON, you can link the spot metering area to the position and size(!) of the active focus frame in Single Point AF and MF mode.

This is a very useful feature if you are using one of the camera’s many off-center AF frames, since it’s likely that your focus area covers the same part of your subject that is also relevant for exposure metering (such as the brightly lit face of a stage actor who is standing in front of a dark background).

If you want to decouple spot metering from the AF area and limit it to the very center of the frame, make sure to select SHOOTING MENU > (AF/MF SETTING >) INTERLOCK SPOT AE & FOCUS AREA > OFF.

Please remember that the camera will not interlock spot metering with the focus area if you set it to either Zone AF or Wide/Tracking AF. Interlocking only works in concert with Single Point AF or manual focus (MF) mode.

Fig. 90: Spot metering and manual exposure mode: Metering different parts of an image is easy with spot metering. Simply set an exposure (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO), then point the small spot-metering area at different parts of the scene. The exposure scale at the left or bottom of your live view tells you the brightness of any metered spot, with 0 representing middle gray (= zone 5 in the Ansel Adams zone system). To make things easier and most effective, interlock spot metering with the size and position of the currently active focus frame and select the smallest available focus frame size in AF-S or MF mode.

In this example, I spot-metered the darkest part of the model horse at −4 EV (top), its brightest part at +2 EV (center), and the brightest overall part of the scene at +2.66 EV (bottom). This means that the dynamic range of this scene comprises less than 7 EV (2.66 + 4 = 6.66), a range that fits neatly into a regular DR100% JPEG image.

TIP 52

Using the live view and live histogram

Unlike optical viewfinders in DSLRs, the electronic live view of modern mirrorless cameras provides an accurate simulation of the resulting JPEG image. The live preview encompasses color, contrast, exposure, and effect settings.

In standard display mode, this WYSIWYG preview is complemented by a live histogram [39]. I strongly recommend using the live histogram because it provides a useful overview of the brightness distribution in your scene. It also helps you identify areas of over- and underexposure in advance, so you can take corrective measures:

• If bars are piling up like a bell curve at the right end of the histogram, but cut off mid-peak, parts of your shot will be overexposed with blown highlights. If this affects important parts of your image, you should correct the exposure downward. Alternately, you can expand the shot’s dynamic range by selecting DR200% or DR400% in the respective menu.
• If the histogram leans to the left, leaving plenty of unused space on the right, the shot might end up underexposed. In this case, you can adjust the exposure upward.

Fig. 91: Different live histograms showing a tendency for overexposure, underexposure, and a balanced exposure of the same scene.

The histogram provides a technical representation of the live view simulation. When the Natural Live View is turned off, both the live view and the live histogram will reflect the current JPEG settings of the camera (white balance, film simulation, color, and highlight and shadow contrast). For example, the VELVIA film simulation delivers more contrast and more saturated colors than PRO NEG. STD, and this is reflected in the live view and the live histogram.

It’s important to note that in many recent X camera models, the live view and live histogram now also represent (simulate) the effect of manual DR200% or DR400% dynamic range settings. However, if you set the camera to DR-Auto, the live view and live histogram will always display a DR100% preview.

When you half-press the shutter button, the camera’s live view will also try to give you an accurate representation of the resulting image’s dynamic range. That said, there is no live histogram when you half-press the shutter button, so you’ll have to fully rely on the visual impression provided by the live view image.

With the exception of the X100F, all cameras with X-Processor Pro or X-Processor 4 also offer an RGB histogram [40], which is only available by assigning it to an Fn or Touch-Fn button. The RGB histogram is once again based on the current live view image, so it represents the resulting JPEG image. In fact, the color histogram displays four different histograms at once: overall luminance distribution (a larger version of the standard histogram) and separate histograms for the three color channels: red, green, and blue. That way, you can immediately recognize clipping of individual color channels in your JPEG. For example, shooting a red rose, the red channel is the first to clip and, thus, lose texture.

Fig. 92: The RGB histogram of this image of a rose illustrates how the red channel is already clipping (indicated by the peaking line at the right edge of the red channel histogram), while green, blue, and overall luminance are barely touching the right half of the histogram. Please note that as long as the Natural Live View is turned off, the histogram always reflects the current JPEG settings (film simulation, contrast settings, color saturation setting, etc.). This JPEG was created with the Provia factory settings of my X-H1.

Fig. 93: This is the same RAW image, but this time processed with flat JPEG settings: Eterna film simulation, Shadow Tone −2, Highlight Tone −2, and Color −4. These settings reflect the flattest possible color profile that you can achieve in an X-H1, and there’s now plenty of additional headroom in the shadows and highlights. Thanks to the much higher dynamic range of the flat JPEG, there’s also no clipping of the red channel in the histogram. This flat JPEG reflects the dynamic range of the actual RAW file much better than the camera’s default JPEG settings, and many RAW shooters use these or similar flat JPEG settings in concert with the RGB histogram because it makes it easier to determine the optimal exposure right at the sensor’s saturation limit.

The RGB histogram also includes “blinkies,” which are live overexposure or clipping warnings. If bright parts of your scene start to blink in RGB histogram mode, the blinking areas will be blown in the resulting JPEG (= losing texture and detail). The blinkies make it easy to set an exposure where important highlights are protected (= not blinking in the RGB histogram view).

TIP 53

Auto exposure (AE) with modes P, A, and S

P (program AE), A (aperture priority), and S (shutter priority) are the three auto exposure modes of your X series camera.

A brief reminder:

• Program AE P will automatically set a suitable aperture and shutter-speed combination.
• Aperture priority A will automatically set a suitable shutter speed to match a preset aperture.
• Shutter priority S will automatically set a suitable aperture to match a preset shutter speed.

To take a picture in one of the AE modes, you can follow these steps:

• Meter the exposure with one of the available metering modes (usually either multi or average metering).
• After metering, adjust the exposure to taste using the exposure compensation dial. Use the live view and the live histogram to determine the best adjustment. Remember: it’s not the camera that’s setting the exposure; it’s you. Don’t blindly follow what the camera is proposing. Instead, always keep an eye on the live view and the live histogram. If available, you may also want to use the RGB histogram.
• When you half-press the shutter button, your exposure will be locked as long as you keep the button half-depressed. This means that while the shutter button is half-pressed, you can adjust the framing or composition of your shot without changing the exposure.
• Instead of half-pressing the shutter button, you can also use the AE-L function to meter a scene and lock the exposure. You can configure the AE-L button to either lock the exposure as long as you press the AE-L button (SET UP > BUTTON/DIAL SETTING > AE/AF LOCK MODE > AE&AF ON WHEN PRESSING), or use the button as a toggle to lock and unlock the exposure (SET UP > BUTTON/DIAL SETTING > AE/AF LOCK MODE > AE&AF ON/OFF SWITCH). When the exposure is locked with AE-L, you can still correct it with the exposure compensation dial.
• To take the shot, fully depress the shutter button.

Metering and exposure are two different things. After metering a scene, the photographer sets the actual auto exposure with the exposure compensation dial:

• Metering is performed using either multi, center-weighted, average, or spot metering.
• Use the exposure compensation dial to adjust the metering result. Use the information from the live view and live histogram to adjust your settings. Of course, there are many instances where the initial metering is already spot-on, so you won’t have to apply any further correction.
• Expose the image using one of three AE modes: aperture priority, shutter priority, or program AE.

While most X cameras feature dedicated exposure compensation dials, a few models (such as the X-H1, GFX 50S, and several entry-level models) don’t. In those cameras, exposure compensation is assumed by one of the command or multi-purpose dials.

TIP 54

Using manual exposure M

In manual exposure mode, you manually specify all three exposure parameters: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO amplification. For this to work, Auto-ISO must be turned off. Otherwise, ISO would become an exposure variable that the camera would automatically fill.

For the live view and live histogram to correctly display the set exposure in manual mode, make sure that SET UP > SCREEN SET-UP > PREVIEW EXP./WB IN MANUAL MODE > PREVIEW EXP./WB is set. I recommend setting the metering to spot metering.

Here’s how you can expose in manual mode:

• Select and set an aperture and shutter speed that suits your subject and image idea. Aperture controls the depth of field [41]; shutter speed controls the amount of motion blur [42] and camera shake in your exposure.
• Next, select an ISO value that will yield the desired brightness in your shot. You can (and should) use the live view and live histogram to find a suitable setting. As usual, try not to blow out important highlights. The live histogram is your friend.
• You can check specific parts of your scene by spot metering them. The exposure scale in the live view screen tells you how much above or below middle gray (zone 5) the spot-metered selection will be exposed. This tool helps you ensure that important parts of your image (such as skin tones or snow) will be exposed exactly like you want them to be.
• Finally, you may want to readjust or fine-tune aperture, shutter speed, and ISO according to your metering. Once everything is set, you can take the shot(s).

Fig. 94: Here’s a confession: I shoot in manual exposure mode most of the time. And maybe you should, too. Not only can the camera make fewer mistakes when you are in charge, but manual mode also gives you full control over aperture (depth of field), shutter speed (motion blur, camera shake), and ISO (noise level, effective dynamic range). Manual mode also ensures that multiple shots of a scene have the same constant exposure, because the exposure doesn’t change unless you change it. It also forces you to think about your actual exposure parameters: Why are you using a particular setting for aperture, shutter speed, and ISO? Thanks to the WYSIWYG nature of mirrorless cameras, manual exposure mode can help you avoid unpleasant surprises: You set the exposure, you see the exposure in the live view, and you get the exposure that you set and saw in your JPEG.

TIP 55

Using aperture priority A

In aperture priority AE [43], you manually set the aperture [44] and the camera automatically selects a suitable shutter speed based on your chosen exposure (as set with the exposure compensation dial). Which aperture should you select? Let’s look at some basics:

• As the aperture gets smaller (= the aperture number gets higher), your depth of field (DOF) [45] increases. DOF is the zone in front of and behind the focus plane that appears in perfect focus when you look at the finished image. In standard display mode, the viewfinder and LCD offer a focus and DOF scale that displays the focus distance as well as the calculated depth-of-field zone that surrounds it.

Fig. 95: This example shows the same scene shot twice with an X-T1 and the XF90mmF2 R LM WR lens. The image above was shot wide open at f/2; the image below was stopped-down to the maximum of f/16. While stopping down clearly increases the depth of field, the look of the remaining out-of-focus area (also known as bokeh) is still smooth and silky, which is a trademark of the XF90mmF2 lens. Within the Fujifilm X-mount universe, I consider this the “perfect lens” because it doesn’t show relevant weaknesses in any field of use.

• Fast lenses like the XF56mmF1.2 R or the XF35mmF1.4 R often exhibit a tight DOF of less than an inch when used wide open, so in a portrait shot, only one of the subject’s eyes may be perfectly in focus. If that’s the case, you can stop down the lens or change the position of your subject so that both eyes are the same distance from the camera.
• Stopping down a lens beyond f/10 (using 24 MP APS-C cameras) leads to increased diffraction blur [46] across the image area. While increasing the depth of field enlarges the in-focus zone, maximum detail within that zone is reduced. In other words, when you shoot with f/22 using a wide-angle lens, there’s a good chance that your scene will be in focus from front to infinity. However, its overall crispness will be significantly lower than it would be at f/8. The Lens Modulation Optimizer (LMO) in your camera can compensate for diffraction blur to a degree, but its effect only extends to JPEGs created in-camera by the built-in RAW converter. External RAW converters can’t support the LMO.
• When you shoot wide open or with a high ISO setting, it’s possible that the suitable shutter speed is faster than the camera’s maximum mechanical shutter speed (usually 1/4000s or 1/8000s). If that’s the case, the shutter speed will be displayed in red (overexposure warning). You can use shutter speeds beyond the mechanical threshold by activating the camera’s electronic shutter.

TIP 56

Using shutter priority S

Shutter priority AE [47] works like aperture priority, except you are manually setting a shutter speed [48], and the camera automatically selects a fitting aperture value based on your exposure. Shutter priority is only available when you’re using native X-mount lenses with electronic contacts. Adapted lenses (at least those with “dumb” adapters) can only be used with aperture priority or in manual mode. Setting the right shutter speed depends on two factors:

• Motion blur [49]: The faster your subject is moving, the faster your shutter speed must be to avoid shots with motion blur. This doesn’t mean that motion blur is always bad; it can be used as a conscious choice to add dynamic punch to your image. For instance, panning [50] the camera blurs the background behind a sharp main subject. Motion blur can be a benefit of long exposures [51]–exposure times of several seconds or minutes can smoothen water surfaces, blur cloudy skies, or add star trails.

Fig. 96: In this handheld shot of a spinning wind wheel, motion blur was a conscious choice. Shot with an X-T20 and the versatile XF27mmF2.8 pancake lens at f/13, the selected shutter speed of 1/30s at base ISO 200 was slow enough to illustrate the motion of the propellers around the stationary (and thus unblurred) node. At the same time, it was fast enough to avoid camera shake which would have blurred the non-moving parts, as well.

• Blur due to camera shake [52]: if you don’t hold the camera steady when you take a shot, the resulting image can be blurred. The optical image stabilizer [53] (OIS) and In Body Image Stabilization (IBIS) can help, or you can put the camera on a tripod or a solid surface and use the self-timer or a remote shutter release to take the shot. A rule of thumb suggests using at least the reciprocal of the “full-frame” equivalent focal length as your shutter speed. For example, if you are using a 200mm lens on your APS-C camera (and the OIS has been switched off), your minimum shutter speed should be 1/300s, since you must multiply the focal length with the APS-C crop factor [54] of 1.5. Of course, rules of thumb don’t apply to everyone in every situation. It really depends on your technique and whether you’re blessed with steady hands.

If you set a very slow shutter speed or choose a high ISO setting in shutter priority mode, it’s possible that even the smallest aperture opening of your lens will still be too large to avoid overexposure. In this case, the aperture value will be displayed in red.

If your X camera features a dedicated shutter speed dial, you can use it to quickly change the shutter speed in full-stop increments. You can also use the command dial to fine-tune your selection in 1/3 EV intermediate steps.

Hint: Setting the shutter speed dial of current X series cameras to T (Time) allows you to select the full range of available shutter speeds (in 1/3 EV steps) by turning a command dial. If your camera has multiple command dials, you can assign shutter speed control to one of them in SET UP > BUTTON/DIAL SETTING > COMMAND DIAL SETTING. Personally, I always assign shutter speed to the front command dial.

TIP 57

Using program AE P and program shift

In program AE, the camera will automatically pick a combination of aperture and shutter speed settings that correspond to your set exposure. This mode can be useful for inexperienced photographers or in situations when you don’t have the time to manually adjust the aperture or shutter speed.

In program AE, the slowest possible shutter speed is limited. In several recent models, the maximum duration is 4 seconds. When this (in concert with an already wide-open aperture) is not sufficiently slow to achieve the set exposure, the camera will display a red underexposure warning.

Even in program AE, you can influence shutter speed and aperture to a degree by using program shift [55]. Program shift allows you to select more suitable combinations of aperture and shutter speed compared to the one originally proposed by the camera’s program AE. You can cycle through different combinations of apertures and shutter speeds that all result in the same exposure. When the camera is in program AE mode, you can activate program shift by turning the command dial that is otherwise responsible for adjusting the shutter speed.

Let’s say you are shooting a portrait with the XF16–55mmF2.8 R LM WR zoom lens. It’s a bright day, so program AE offers a shutter speed of 1/500s with an aperture of f/5.6. However, you prefer to shoot the portrait wide open at f/2.8 to achieve a blurrier background. In this situation, you have two choices: You can either switch to aperture priority mode by manually setting an aperture of f/2.8, or you can use program shift by turning the command dial until the aperture display shows f/2.8. Opening the aperture two stops from f/5.6 to f/2.8 won’t change the original exposure because program shift will automatically adjust the shutter speed two stops from 1/500s to 1/2000s.

Important: Program shift is not available if Dynamic Range is set to AUTO or if a TTL flash unit is in use.

TIP 58

Playing it safe with auto exposure bracketing

As you know by now, the automatic exposure (AE) modes P, A, and S are merely responsible for automatically filling exposure variables. The exposure itself is the responsibility of the photographer. You can use metering (multi, center-weighted, average, or spot), the live view, and the live histogram to determine the correct exposure.

Nobody is perfect! If you want to play it safe, auto exposure bracketing [56] can be a helpful feature. In this mode, the camera takes a series of at least two shots in quick succession, each with a different exposure. Mostly it’s one shot with normal exposure, one underexposed shot, and one overexposed shot.

Exposure bracketing is especially useful with subjects that don’t move. After you’ve taken the shot, you can decide which of the differently exposed versions you want to keep.

Fig. 97: Auto exposure bracketing automatically takes two or more images with varying exposure. Contrary to its name, AE bracketing even works in manual exposure mode, so you can manually set an exposure (aperture, shutter speed, ISO) that you think is right, and AE bracketing will give you additional options with different shutter speeds that are brighter and/or darker than your original exposure. In this example, the image in the middle shows the originally set exposure. The image to the left was bracketed 2/3 EV darker, and the one on the right was bracketed 2/3 EV brighter.

Depending on your X camera model, you can find AE BKT in the DRIVE menu or by selecting BKT on the DRIVE dial. In the latter case, you also have to make sure that AE bracketing is selected in the BKT settings of the shooting menu. There, you can also configure your AE bracketing parameters (such as the exposure distance between images).

TIP 59

Long exposures

Long exposures can lead to impressive results. Fireworks, night shots, interesting water surfaces, stars, or clouds: exposure times of several seconds or even minutes capture the course of time in a single photograph. Of course, this only works if you put the camera on a tripod or a solid, non-vibrating surface.

You have two basic options:

• Set the shutter-speed dial to T (Time) and then use the command dial to set the shutter speed. To avoid camera shake, use a remote shutter release or the self-timer to take the shot.
• Set the shutter speed dial to B (Bulb), then press and hold the shutter button for as long as you want the camera to expose. Obviously, it makes sense to use a remote shutter release that can be locked for the duration of the shot.
• If your camera has a mode dial instead of a shutter speed dial (like the recent X-T100), set exposure mode M or S and select a shutter speed or Bulb with the command dial that is responsible for changing the shutter speed.

For good-quality results, make sure to set SHOOTING MENU > (IMAGE QUALITY SETTING >) LONG EXPOSURE NR > ON. By doing so, the camera will perform a dark-frame subtraction [57] depending on what ISO and exposure time you used. Dark-frame subtraction doubles the effective exposure duration, so be patient.

Fig. 98: A long exposure of 30 seconds taken in T mode. Make sure to use a tripod for these kinds of shots.

TIP 60

Long exposures in bright daylight

To achieve long exposure times under normal daylight conditions, you can’t just stop down the lens. Even at f/22, your shutter speed would still be too fast. Besides, diffraction blur is kicking it beyond f/10 (assuming a 24 MP APS-C model), so stopping down beyond this point is only recommended when it cannot be avoided.

To realize long shutter speeds in good light, it’s best to use a so-called ND filter [58], or neutral density filter. This is a fancy name for a gray filter that you can put in front of the lens to block a portion of the light from reaching the sensor.

For example, a filter with an ND 3.0 specification will extend your exposure time by a factor of about 1000 (or 10 f-stops). This means that by using such a filter, a scene that would normally require a shutter speed of 1/50s at f/8 can be shot at the same aperture with an exposure time of 20 seconds.

However, there’s a catch: since X series cameras are equipped with a rather weak infrared (IR) cut filter in front of their sensors, long exposures (typically one minute or longer) in bright daylight should be performed with a regular neutral density (ND) filter and a dedicated IR cut filter in front of the lens. This will help you avoid false colors. A few ND filters already include an IR cut filter.

Fig. 99: This long daylight exposure lasted almost 4 minutes and was made possible by using a strong ND filter.

TIP 61

ISO settings—what’s the deal?

The meaning of ISO in the digital realm is often misunderstood. Unlike film, higher ISO settings don’t increase the sensor’s sensitivity. For example, the sensors in Fujifilm’s APS-C cameras before the X-T3 are all calibrated to a native ISO 200 (based on the popular SOS standard) [59], and this remains the same no matter what ISO you set in these cameras.

To be clear, there’s no difference between taking a shot with f/5.6 and 1/60s at either ISO L (100) or at ISO H (25600). In both cases, the sensor is exposed to the exact same amount of light (or photons) due to the fixed f/5.6 and 1/60s setting. The amount of light (the actual exposure) is solely determined by aperture and shutter speed.

So, what exactly is ISO doing? ISO determines the amount of signal amplification that’s applied to the image. ISO 200, the APS-C sensor’s native setting in our example, is equivalent to the camera’s basic calibration. At ISO 400, the signal (or sensor data) is amplified by one aperture stop (1 EV) to brighten the image and increase its exposure. At ISO 800, the amplification amounts to two stops (2 EV), and so on. At ISO 25600, the additional amplification of the light recorded by the sensor amounts to seven stops or 7 EV. It’s not surprising that image quality decreases when ISO amplification increases, because noise and artifacts are amplified along with the actual image data.

The amplification we are talking about means brightening the image by increasing its exposure. If you are familiar with RAW converters such as Adobe Lightroom, you know there’s an exposure slider. Moving this slider to the left or right changes the exposure (and hence the ISO) of an image after the fact. The concept of ISO amplification isn’t limited to the camera itself—it’s part of the entire workflow from in-camera exposure via RAW file (digital negative) to the final JPEG or TIFF file (digital print).

If you take a shot with an ISO 800 setting, you’re telling the camera’s Auto-exposure (AE) to expose the image two stops darker than it would at its base ISO of 200, then amplify (brighten) that image two stops to compensate for the underexposure.

Regarding image quality and ISO, there’s a basic rule: lower ISO settings lead to higher-quality results—hence the general recommendation to keep the ISO settings as low as possible. However, we obviously can’t shoot with base ISO all the time, especially in low-light situations.

There are two basic methods to amplify a digital image:

• Analog/digital hybrid amplification prior to writing the RAW file: This method applies a mix of analog and digital signal processing to amplify or push the image to the brightness level that corresponds to the ISO setting. The digitized result of this process is then saved as a RAW file.
• Digital amplification (push) after writing the RAW file: This method changes the brightness of an image during RAW processing, after the RAW file has been written. The metadata (a.k.a. instructions) in the RAW file will tell the RAW converter what to do. You can also use your X camera’s built-in RAW converter to adjust the effective brightness (and hence, ISO) of an image after it has been recorded, or by moving your external RAW converter’s exposure slider.

Digital amplification during RAW processing is beneficial because it’s reversible. If the digital amplification (exposure) was too strong, you can always take it back. If it was too weak, you can push it up. ISO (a.k.a. exposure amplification) is a volatile aspect of the photography process because it can be changed anytime: in-camera, prior to writing the RAW file, or later during RAW processing.

The sensor in your X series camera is a so-called ISOless sensor. This means there’s no relevant quality difference between conventional signal amplification prior to writing a RAW file and digital amplification later during RAW conversion. This is great, because it allows you to digitally increase the ISO (a.k.a. brightness/exposure) of your shots during RAW processing, either in-camera or with external software such as Lightroom. Pushing the exposure up later in Lightroom won’t look much different from choosing a higher ISO setting when you take the shot.

Fig. 100: ISOless sensor (1): This shot was taken with an X-Pro2 at ISO 1600, with classic analog/digital in-camera amplification from base-ISO 200 to ISO 1600. The ISO 1600 result was then burned into the RAW file.

Fig. 101: ISOless sensor (2): This shot was also effectively taken at ISO 1600. However, it was shot with an ISO 200 base-ISO setting, using the same aperture and shutter speed as the previous shot, effectively underexposing it three stops (3 EV). The amplification from ISO 200 to ISO 1600 took place digitally during RAW conversion, simply by moving the exposure slider 3 EV to the right, compensating for the underexposure. You won’t be able to see any quality difference between the two shots in this book, so I invite you to look at full-size samples that are uploaded to Flickr [60].

While the sensors of all X series APS-C cameras from the classic X100 up to the X-H1 are calibrated to base ISO 200, X cameras with a medium format (GFX 50) or 2/3" sensor (X10, X20, X30, X-S1, XF1, XQ1, and XQ2) use a base ISO setting of 100. Please note that the new X-T3 uses a base ISO setting of 160.

TIP 62

What you should know about extended ISO

You will probably have noticed that in addition to the standard ISO settings (usually ISO 200 to ISO 12800), your X cameras offer additional settings. In most APS-C models, these settings are L (100), H (25600), and H (51200).

• H means High: In these modes, image data is further digitally amplified. This enormous amplification leads to a visible decrease in quality. While ISO 25600 is still quite usable (especially for black-and-white JPEGs using the ACROS film simulation), ISO 51200 is only for emergencies.
• L means LOW: In ISO L (100) mode, an ISO 200 RAW is overexposed by one stop. During RAW conversion, the JPEG is pulled down one stop and saved, resulting in ISO 100 JPEG file. A digital pull is the direct opposite of a digital push operation: digital pull decreases the exposure of the resulting image. The ISO 100 RAW and JPEG files contain one stop less dynamic range than normal ISO 200 files. This means that bright areas like clouds in the sky can easily appear blown out. On the other hand, ISO 100 can add contrast and punch to scenes with dull lighting and little contrast.

As of December 2018, RAW shooting and extended ISO settings can only be combined in cameras with an X-Processor Pro and X-Processor 4 engines. With all other X models, extended ISO settings are only available in concert with JPEG-only shooting. If you are using a medium-format camera like the GFX 50S, don’t forget that its base ISO is already 100, so its extended ISO L is ISO 50. The same applies to the X-T3 with base ISO 160: here, the lowest extended ISO L is 80.

Fig. 102: Extended ISO L (100) can add punch thanks to its decreased dynamic range. To pull it off, set your APS-C camera to manual exposure mode, select base ISO 200, and expose the scene to the highlights using the live view and live histogram. Exposing to the highlights means that the brightest important parts of the scene are exposed as bright as possible, but without clipping (= losing highlight detail). After the exposure to the highlights is manually set, change the ISO setting from 200 to L (100) without changing aperture or shutter speed. This will increase the contrast of the image by darkening the shadows and midtones one stop, while bright highlights remain where they were.

If you have an X-T3, you can perform the same procedure with ISO 160 and ISO L (80). GFX shooters use ISO 100 and ISO L (50).

Important: Extended ISO settings are not available when the electronic shutter (ES) is selected.

While shooting in extended ISO L diminishes highlight dynamic range, this fact is not reflected in the live view and live histogram. This means that the live view and live histogram become pretty much useless for determining the correct exposure to the highlights when you are using ISO L. Only when you half-press and hold the shutter button to lock the exposure, the live view will adapt, but at that stage, there is no histogram available.

Practically, this means that it’s not recommended that you use extended ISO in one of the auto exposure (AE) modes: P, A, and S. Assuming that you are using an X series camera with base ISO 200, you should instead first set the correct exposure to the highlights in manual mode M at ISO 200 using the live view and live histogram, and then change the ISO setting to ISO L (100) without further adjustments to shutter speed and aperture. This will keep your highlights intact and add contrast to the image by lowering the midtones and shadows to the new ISO 100 settings.

If you are using a camera with a base ISO of 100 (like the GFX 50S), manually set the highlight exposure at base ISO 100, then change ISO to L (50) without touching aperture or shutter speed. If you use an X-T3, manually expose at ISO 160 and then switch to ISO L (80).

A few X series cameras (like the X-Pro2, X-T2, or X-H1) also offer extended ISO L (160) and L (125) settings, which are derived from ISO 320 and ISO 250 by overexposing the shot one stop, then pulling it back down one stop during RAW conversion to match the brightness of the selected ISO L setting of 160 or 125. Doing so takes away one stop of dynamic range. I strongly recommend not using these two additional extended ISO L settings at all.

In the X-T3, the additional ISO L settings are 125 and 100. Again, do not use them at all.

TIP 63

Auto-ISO and minimum shutter speed

You can automate the task of selecting the best (or lowest) ISO setting possible for any given shooting situation. Auto-ISO is an option with up to three configurable presets (AUTO1, AUTO2, and AUTO3) that can be configured in the ISO menu of your camera:

• DEFAULT SENSITIVITY: This is the lower ISO limit. The camera will always try to use this ISO setting as long as the other parameters permit it.
• MAX. SENSITIVITY: This is the upper ISO limit. The camera’s Auto-ISO will never go beyond this level.
• MIN. SHUTTER SPEED: Auto-ISO will automatically increase the ISO setting (up to the MAX. SENSITIVITY threshold) when the minimum shutter speed cannot be realized. Some APS-C cameras also offer a new AUTO setting here: If you set MIN. SHUTTER SPEED to AUTO, the camera will adjust the minimum shutter speed depending on the current focal length, using the formula Minimum Shutter Speed = [1/(Focal Length × 1.5)] s.

Obviously, MIN. SHUTTER SPEED is only relevant in auto exposure (AE) modes A and P, because the shutter speed is already set manually in modes M and S. Auto-ISO minimum shutter speed makes sure that within the lower and upper ISO limits, the camera will always use a shutter speed that is at least as fast as the set minimum shutter speed.

Fig. 103: Auto-ISO works with an ISO range between DEFAULT SENSITIVITY (the bottom) and MAX. SENSITIVITY (the ceiling). It will always try to keep ISO as close to the bottom as possible, but only as long as the resulting shutter speed isn’t slower as the set MIN. SHUTTER SPEED.

Here’s an example: Let’s say you are shooting in mode A (aperture priority) in bright light conditions using f/5.6. Auto-ISO is set to ISO 200 as the lower limit and ISO 12800 as the upper limit. You have set 1/125s as your minimum shutter speed, because you want to avoid motion blur while taking pictures of people walking in the street.

As long as the scene is brightly lit, there is no problem. The camera will use ISO 200 with shutter speeds at least as fast as 1/125s. However, as the sun sets and it becomes impossible to successfully use 1/125s at f/5.6 and ISO 200, Auto-ISO will increase the ISO to ensure that the shutter speed doesn’t drop below 1/125s. This continues as the light conditions deteriorate until Auto-ISO reaches the upper ISO limit (in our case, ISO 12800). What now? Since the camera can’t increase the ISO any further, it will start to reduce the shutter speed to values slower than 1/125s to still ensure a correct exposure.

In mode S (shutter priority), the photographer sets the shutter speed. In this mode, Auto-ISO will increase the ISO setting only when the aperture is already wide open and can’t be opened further. This can be a problem with fast lenses like the XF56mmF1.2, XF35mmF1.4, or XF23mmF1.4. When shot wide open, the depth of field of these lenses is quite limited (to say the least). That’s why Auto-ISO is better used in modes P or A, at least in concert with fast lenses.

TIP 64

Auto-ISO in manual mode M: the “misomatic.”

Manual mode in concert with Auto-ISO turns into another autoMATIC exposure mode: the so-called “misomatic.” In this mode, you preselect the aperture and shutter speed, and the camera automatically selects a suitable ISO setting that matches the exposure that has been determined by the currently active metering mode.

To be useful in a misomatic setup, Auto-ISO should be able to use the full ISO bandwidth, so you should configure it with the camera’s base ISO as the lower limit (ISO 100, 160, or 200, depending on your camera) and the highest possible upper limit (ISO 12800 in most X cameras).

Misomatic gives you full manual control over aperture (depth of field) and shutter speed (motion blur and camera shake). You can tailor shutter speed and aperture to the requirements of the task at hand; there will be no surprises. At the same time, you still enjoy the comfort of automatic exposure (AE).

Misomatic also allows you to adjust the camera-metered exposure with the exposure compensation dial. For this to be effective, it’s even more important to set the Auto-ISO DEFAULT SENSITIVITY as low as possible and the MAX. SENSITIVITY as high as possible.

If you don’t want to spend time with exposure compensation while you are in misomatic mode, you can use Fuji’s DR function as a workaround by selecting DR200% in concert with the misomatic. This setting is your insurance against accidental overexposure by the camera’s AE, because it gives you at least one stop of extra latitude for after-the-fact overexposure corrections with the internal or an external RAW converter. To correct a bad auto-exposure after the fact, you can use the PUSH or PULL commands of the camera’s internal RAW converter or move the exposure slider of your external RAW processing software.

Fig. 104: Misomatic combines manual exposure with Auto-ISO. It can be helpful in situations with quickly and suddenly changing light conditions, such as concerts and other stage events, sporting events, action shots, or street photography. Basically, it’s about situations that don’t leave us enough time to manually adjust the exposure, and where catching the decisive moment is our priority. In misomatic mode, we can set the desired depth-of-field (aperture) and motion blur (shutter speed), while the camera auto-exposes the images by applying the right amount of ISO amplification. To protect against accidental overexposure (top image), we can buy “insurance” by setting the camera to DR200% in misomatic mode. That way, overexposures can be corrected during RAW conversion (bottom image).

Don’t forget: ISO is just an amplification of the image signal. Using the misomatic, the amount of light that reaches the sensor is solely determined by your manual aperture and shutter speed settings. It always stays the same, regardless of the automatic ISO setting chosen by the camera. In misomatic mode, the only exposure variable is the amount of signal amplification (a.k.a. ISO), and with an ISOless sensor, this variable can also be adjusted later during RAW conversion. In this context, choosing DR200% ensures that there’s ample leeway for after-the-fact exposure corrections of at least ±1 EV.

TIP 65

Extending the dynamic range

If the dynamic range of a subject is larger than the dynamic range of the camera’s sensor or image processing, one of the following phenomena occurs:

• The highlights of the image are blown out or appear too bright (overexposed).
• Midtones appear too dark (underexposed) and shadows lose detail in the blackness.

In both cases, the shot’s exposure is out of balance. Sadly, it’s very difficult (if not impossible) to restore blown highlights. It’s much easier to lift underexposed midtones and blocked shadows. This procedure is called tone-mapping, and it’s the only way to access a camera’s full dynamic range potential. Certain tonal values of the original exposure are reassigned and changed, either by employing a tone curve or by using a more complex procedure known as adaptive tone-mapping.

To record the full tonal range of a high-contrast subject, it’s best to expose the image in a way that preserves the color and texture of the important bright parts of the scene. Of course, doing so can lead to an image with underexposed midtones and blocked shadows that need further processing to look natural, realistic, and pleasing. You can correct these issues with most external RAW converters.

While every RAW converter is different, most programs offer functions to selectively manipulate the exposure of a shot after the fact. For example, you can change the overall exposure with the exposure slider, and you can restore blown highlights with a highlight recovery slider. Most converters also offer sliders that only target shadow tones.

Fig. 105: In many instances, the dynamic range of a JPEG is often smaller than the dynamic range of the scene, so no matter how you expose it in your camera, some parts of the result will end up either too dark or too bright (or both). Here’s a practical example using an X-E1 with Astia film simulation.

The image on the left was exposed to the highlights, showing color and texture in the blue sky and white clouds. However, the darker foreground is clearly underexposed, resulting in blocked shadows. Horse and rider are almost reduced to a silhouette.

The image in the middle depicts the same scene, but this time it was exposed about two stops (EV) brighter, removing blocked shadows and adding detail to the main subject. However, the cloudy blue sky is now overexposed and has all but disappeared.

This is a catch-22, because no matter how you expose this scene, the JPEG from the camera will always display essential parts either too dark or too bright. Quite obviously, different parts of this scene require different exposures. To pull this off, we use the RAW file of the image on the left, which was exposed to preserve the clouds and the sky. By applying tone-mapping in a state-of-the-art RAW converter, we selectively push (brighten) shadows and midtones without brightening the highlights of the clouds and sky. We can even add additional contrast to the clouds and darken the sky a bit. The example on the right shows the result out of Adobe Lightroom Classic CC, where different pixels received different levels of (after-the-fact) amplification.

The built-in DR function of your X camera can help you automate the tone-mapping procedure. It works in two stages:

• The RAW file is exposed one (DR200%) or two (DR400%) stops darker than indicated in order to preserve bright highlights of a scene.
• During the RAW conversion in the camera, the underexposed shadows and midtones are digitally amplified by one (DR200%) or two (DR400%) stops to restore their natural brightness, while the (already correctly exposed) highlights are mostly left alone in order to preserve them.

The resulting JPEG from the camera has undergone a selective exposure correction. The DR function restores the shadows and midtones of a shot that was initially exposed one or two stops darker to preserve the highlights of the scene. Looking at the resulting JPEGs, this leads to an effective gain in dynamic range (DR): one additional stop of highlight DR at DR200%, and two stops of additional highlight DR at DR400%.

In DR-Auto mode, the camera will automatically select a suitable DR setting. Please note that in this mode, all but the very first X series models will only choose either DR100% (no highlight DR expansion) or DR200% (one stop of highlight DR expansion). DR400% (two stops of highlight DR expansion) is only available when it is manually selected.

You can change the DR settings of your camera in the Quick menu or by selecting SHOOTING MENU > (IMAGE QUALITY SETTING >) DYNAMIC RANGE and then either AUTO, DR100%, DR200%, or DR400%.

Fig. 106: These examples show the same shot with DR100% (above) and DR400% (below). At DR100%, the darker llama (our main subject) is correctly exposed in the foreground, but the much brighter colors in the sunny background are almost completely blown because they were outside of the camera’s dynamic range. In the DR400% version of the shot, the exposure (brightness) of the llama didn’t change. However, the bright background is now perfectly colored and textured. To pull this off, the camera exposed the RAW file of the scene two stops (EV) darker than indicated, then boosted shadows and midtones two stops brighter during RAW conversion. The result is a DR400% JPEG with 2 EV of extended dynamic range.

TIP 66

Extending the dynamic range for RAW shooters

RAW shooters typically set the camera to DR100% and perform the tone-mapping of their shots later during RAW processing. DR100% provides a realistic live view and live histogram (WYSIWYG).

The normal strategy of a RAW shooter is to expose toward the essential highlights of a high-contrast scene, making sure that there’s sufficient color texture in the bright parts of the shot. This can result in an image with dark midtones and blocked shadows. However, while blown highlights are hard or even impossible to restore, blocked shadows can be lifted (pushed) later. Balanced results from scenes with a very high dynamic range can be achieved in almost any good external RAW conversion software.

Here’s what to do:

• Use the live view and live histogram to adjust the exposure in a way that ensures that the important highlights of your scene don’t blow. This will preserve the highlights, but it may also lead to darkened midtones and blocked shadows that you must deal with later during the RAW conversion of your shot.
• After taking the shot, enhance darkened shadows and midtones by selectively lifting their exposure in your RAW conversion software. For example, you could first lift the overall exposure and then restore the highlights with a highlight-recovery slider, or you could lift only the shadow tones with a shadow-tone slider. You can also combine both methods; many RAW converters are quite flexible and offer several sliders to selectively change the exposure. Lightroom and Adobe Camera RAW (ACR), for example, feature five different controls (exposure, whites, blacks, shadows, and highlights) to perform this task. Whenever you change an exposure slider, you are effectively changing the ISO of any part of the image that is affected by this slider. However, in the digital domain of the RAW conversion stage, nothing is lost, and everything is fully reversible. Selectively changing the exposure of an image is known as tone-mapping.

Fig. 107: The example above shows an image that has been exposed to the highlights. The exterior is perfectly exposed, but this means that the interior is literally left in the dark. If that’s what you want, great! If not, you must apply some tone-mapping to the RAW file.

The example below shows the same image after tone-mapping in Adobe Lightroom. The dark shadow regions have been lifted, revealing plenty of detail where the previous image only displayed a dark patch. This method is also known as applying adaptive ISO, because different parts of the image received a different degree of exposure-push amplification. While the shadows were pushed up (ISO increase), the highlights mostly remained as they were.

TIP 67

JPEG settings for RAW shooters

The previous tip explained the procedure to capture, compress, and later decompress scenes with high dynamic range. Since our exposure relies on the live view and the live histogram, it’s useful to find camera settings that force the live histogram and live view to display as much dynamic range as possible. After all, we are shooting RAW and aren’t really interested in the JPEGs from the camera, so we want the live view and live histogram to closely represent the data that will be recorded in the RAW files. This goal can be achieved by choosing JPEG parameters in the IMAGE QUALITY SETTING menu that display as much dynamic range as possible:

• Set FILM SIMULATION to ETERNA. This setting results in JPEGs with less contrast than the other film simulation modes.
• If ETERNA isn’t available in your X camera, set PRO NEG. STD.
• If PRO NEG. STD isn’t available either, or if you are using a first-generation EXR I engine camera like the X-Pro1 or X-E1, select PROVIA.
• Set HIGHLIGHT TONE to −2. This setting reduces the highlight contrast of the JPEG in the live view and in the live histogram.
• Set SHADOW TONE to −2. This setting reduces the shadow contrast of the JPEG in the live view and the live histogram.
• If you are shooting scenes with bright and saturated tones of red, blue, or green, you can also dial back the COLOR setting.

The above JPEG settings give you a live view and live histogram with maximum dynamic range. JPEGs that are generated with these settings may look flat, but we usually don’t intend to keep them, anyway. We are only interested in the RAW file, which isn’t affected by JPEG settings at all. However, the live view and live histogram are affected, and a flat live view image with a correspondingly flat live histogram is exactly what we want. It helps us to better fine-tune our exposure to preserve important highlights.

You can save your “JPEG settings for RAW shooters” in a custom profile (C1 to C7) so you can quickly retrieve them to set your camera to “RAW shooter mode.” Select SHOOTING MENU > (IMAGE QUALITY SETTING >) EDIT/SAVE CUSTOM SETTING to edit your custom settings.

Fig. 108: These examples were all taken with an X-H1 using the same exposure settings (ISO, aperture, and shutter speed). The exposure was geared towards the highlights of the sunlit parts behind the much darker tunnel, where the camera was positioned on a tripod.

The top image shows how the live view (or JPEG) of the correctly exposed scene looks with the camera’s Provia factory setting. While the sunny background is nicely lit, the dark parts of the tunnel are impossible to make out. It is really hard to frame this shot if all you can see is (literally) the light at the end of the tunnel.

The image in the middle depicts the same scene with the same exposure settings, but this time I used “JPEG settings for RAW shooters” (Eterna, Shadow Tone −2, Highlight Tone −2). These settings deliver a flat live view image (or JPEG) with less contrast and significantly more dynamic range than the camera’s default settings. Using flat JPEG settings can be very helpful when you compose high-contrast scenes. Expose to preserve important highlights but still see what you are actually shooting. Remember: JPEG settings don’t affect the RAW data—they only affect how the RAW data is processed in the live view and the resulting JPEG image.

The bottom image is the final result after processing (tone-mapping) the RAW file in Lightroom Classic CC.

TIP 68

Extending the dynamic range for JPEG shooters

If you prefer to work with JPEGs that come directly from your camera (or want to shoot and keep RAWs and JPEGs), you can use Fuji’s powerful DR function to capture scenes with high dynamic range. As you know, the DR function employs a two-stage process: reducing the exposure to capture critical highlights, and then lifting dark shadows and midtones to restore their brightness (exposure) back to realistic-looking levels.

You can simply set the camera to DR-Auto (not recommended), or manually set DR200% or DR400% (recommended) when you take pictures of high-contrast scenes. Remember that DR200% requires a minimum ISO setting of one stop (1 EV) above your X camera’s base ISO, while DR400% requires a minimum ISO setting of two stops (2 EV) above base ISO. That’s because the shadows and midtones in your scene will eventually be amplified by one (DR200%) or two (DR400%) ISO stops when the JPEG is created during RAW conversion.

What if we don’t want to just guess what DR setting is optimal for any given scene? Can’t we use the camera’s metering to determine exactly how much DR expansion is required? Yes, we can!

• To begin with, let’s set the camera to DR100% and expose toward the critical highlights of a scene, just like a RAW shooter would do. Assuming that you are shooting in one of the AE modes, this will often require you to turn the exposure compensation dial in the negative direction until the live view and live histogram display the scene without blown highlights.
• Next, turn the exposure compensation dial in the opposite (positive) direction until the shadows and midtones are displayed as bright as you want them to appear in the final image. Here’s the important part: when you turn the exposure compensation dial up again, count the number of clicks it takes to reach the target brightness of your scene. One, two, or three clicks mean you should set the camera from DR100% to DR200% for one stop of additional highlight dynamic range. More than three clicks mean you should use DR400%. More than six clicks mean that highlights may be blown even when you set DR400%, so you might want to avoid overcompensating beyond six clicks. As you know, each click of the exposure compensation dial equals 1/3 EV (or a third of a stop).

The above describes the procedure for any of your camera’s auto exposure (AE) modes P, A, and S, including misomatic mode.

If you prefer to shoot in manual exposure mode M, make sure that the exposure preview for manual mode is enabled. Set DR100% and expose toward the critical highlights of your scene by manually setting aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. As usual, use the live view and the live histogram.

Now that your highlights are protected, the live view (aka JPEG) of your high-contrast scene may look too dark. To compensate this effect, manually raise the ISO in 1/3 EV steps until the brightness of the shadows and midtones in your live view image appear pleasing to your eye. Make sure to count the number of the 1/3 EV ISO compensation steps you took, then apply DR200% if you compensated 1, 2, or 3 steps, or set DR400% if you compensated either 4, 5, or 6 clicks.

Don’t change aperture or shutter speed and don’t compensate with more than six 1/3 EV ISO clicks (that’s a total of 2 EV), or your resulting JPEG will be overexposed in the very highlights that you were trying to protect. Instead, try to reduce the shadow contrast by setting SHADOW TONE –1 or SHADOW TONE –2. You can also try a film simulation with less contrast, such as Pro Neg. Std or Eterna.

Fig. 109: Night scenes with bright lights and high contrast can benefit from a fixed DR400% setting to preserve color and texture in the highlights (Classic Chrome, DR400%).

Fig. 110: On the other hand, there are instances where you may want to maintain maximum contrast and concentrate on the bright parts of a high-contrast scene. In such cases, a fixed DR100% setting is in order while you are exposing to the highlights (Provia, DR100%).

The two examples illustrate that DR-Auto is not a “smart” setting; it cannot predict what the photographer has in mind. In both cases, DR-Auto would have picked DR200%— not an optimal setting in either case.

Important: The X30, X100T, and all cameras with X-Processor Pro (like the X-T2 or GFX 50) and X-Processor 4 (such as the X-T3) simulate the effect of manually selected DR200% and DR400% dynamic range settings in the live view and live histogram. However, automatic DR expansion via DR-Auto is not simulated in the live view. Instead, the live view and live histogram will display a DR100% simulation, even when DR-Auto eventually decides to take the shot at DR200%.

In extended ISO L settings, the live view and live histogram wrongly show the dynamic range of a regular ISO setting, giving you the false impression of one stop more highlight dynamic range than what is actually available. Only when you lock the exposure by half-pressing the shutter button will the live view change to display the actually recorded dynamic range. However, at this stage, there’s no live histogram available.

Fig. 111: Comparing dynamic range settings in an X-Pro2: The upper-left image shows our scene taken with extended ISO L (100), f/13, 1/50s, which is basically the missing DR50% setting. Highlight dynamic range is very poor; most bright parts of the image are blown.

The upper-right image shows the same subject shot with the camera’s base ISO 200 (DR100%), f/13, 1/100s. Many parts of the shot are still without texture.

On the lower left, you can see an ISO 400 (DR200%), f/13, 1/200s version of the scene, which gives us another stop of highlight dynamic range. In this example, the clouds and the sky are already looking much better.

The lower-right example is an ISO 800 (DR400%), f/13, 1/400s version of our scene, which has two added stops of highlight dynamic range compared to a standard ISO 200 (DR100%) shot. Here, everything is smooth and shiny, with plenty of texture in the clouds and no discoloration of the sky.

All four images were captured with an X-Pro2 in AE mode A.

TIP 69

High-contrast scenes: Using the DR function to the benefit of RAW shooters

Fujifilm’s DR function works by reducing the indicated ISO level of the RAW file by one (DR200%) or two (DR400%) stops. If you set ISO 800 and DR400% and take a picture, the RAW file of the image will be actually recorded with ISO 200—two stops darker than it appears in the live view or in the camera’s resulting JPEG. Underexposing an image by one or two stops means that one or two stops of additional bright highlights are protected.

In other words: When the DR function is active, the camera’s built-in RAW converter (which is also known as the JPEG engine) pushes the shadows and midtones of the underexposed RAW data one (DR200%) or two (DR400%) stops up to ensure that the live view and the resulting JPEG match the indicated ISO setting. It won’t push the brightest highlights, though.

Example: If you set ISO 800 and DR400%, the RAW data will be recorded with ISO 200 (to protect two stops of highlights), but the built-in JPEG engine of the camera will make sure that the shadows and midtones of the live view and the resulting JPEG image are pushed back up two stops to ISO 800 to compensate for the RAW file’s underexposure. The brightest highlights of the JPEG will remain at ISO 200, though.

That’s why the minimum ISO settings for DR200% and DR400% in cameras with a base ISO of 200 are ISO 400 and ISO 800, respectively. In the same fashion, cameras with a base ISO of 100 require a minimum ISO setting of 200 for DR200% and ISO 400 for DR400%. Finally, the X-T3 features a base ISO level of 160, so DR200% requires at least ISO 320, while DR400% can’t operate below ISO 640. Remember that per definition and convention, ISO settings only apply to the JPEGs generated in the camera, not to the RAW files. It’s perfectly normal for the RAW data to be recorded lower or higher than the indicated ISO level, because all ISO settings only apply to JPEGs and the live view, not to RAW data.

Understanding this, it becomes clear that in cameras with base ISO 200, extended ISO L (100) is doing just the opposite of the DR function: it records RAW data one stop brighter at ISO 200, while the JPEG engine pulls down (darkens) the live view and the resulting JPEG one stop to simulate and match the indicated ISO 100 setting. Overexposing an image one stop brighter in the RAW than it appears in the live view and JPEG also means that one stop of highlight dynamic range is cut off and lost, so selecting ISO L (100) has the same effect as a DR50% setting would have (if that setting existed).

In cameras with base ISO 100 (like the GFX 50), the equivalent setting for “DR50%” is ISO L (50), and in the X-T3 (with base ISO 160), it’s ISO L (80).

In many practical situations, correctly exposing to the important highlights of a scene results in a live view image that looks very dark in the midtones and shadows, which makes it hard to compose and focus the shot. Using “JPEG settings for RAW shooters” can mitigate this issue, but sometimes it’s just not enough. If that’s the case, using an equivalent ISO/DR setting can help us out.

For example, the following three exposure settings are perfectly equivalent at the RAW level:

• f/8, 1/400s, ISO 200/DR100%
• f/8, 1/400s, ISO 400/DR200%
• f/8, 1/400s, ISO 800/DR400%

The RAW data for these three shots is the same, only the JPEGs (and hence the live view) look quite different from each other: For example, the live view and JPEG of a f/8, 1/400s, ISO 800/DR400% shot looks two stops brighter than the equivalent f/8, 1/400s, ISO 200/DR100% version. However, the RAW data of these two shots is the same.

Fig. 112: In this X-H1 example, I took four images with the same exposure settings: aperture f/8 and shutter speed 1/400s. The only difference were four equivalent ISO and DR settings that neutralized each other at the RAW level: The upper-left image shows the JPEG that resulted from ISO L (100) a.k.a. DR50%, while the upper-right image shows ISO 200/DR100%. The lower-left JPEG is the ISO 400/DR200% version, and in the lower right, there’s the image taken with ISO 800/DR400%.

The four JPEGs are clearly different with regards to shadow and midtone brightness, because they all have to match their respective indicated ISO settings. Obviously, a JPEG taken at ISO 800, f/8, 1/400s (lower right) must look brighter than one taken at ISO 100, f/8, 1/400s (upper left). However, the underlying RAW data is the same in all four instances.

This gives you additional options: For example, you can manually expose your scene to its important highlights at ISO 200/DR100% and then raise ISO one or two stops to 400 or 800, while at the same time changing the DR setting to DR200% or DR400%. Increasing RAW and JPEG ISO two stops from 200 to 800 and decreasing RAW ISO two stops by selecting DR400% leaves the RAW data unchanged: +2–2=0. The only thing that has become brighter is the live view and the JPEG from the camera.

Fig. 113: This example shows the four shots from our previous illustration, all taken with the same exposure settings: aperture f/8 and shutter speed 1/400s. This time, however, I processed the RAW files of the four images in Lightroom Classic CC and applied the same development settings to all of them—with the exception of the exposure slider, which was adjusted to compensate Lightroom’s import exposure pull or push that is automatically applied to the RAW data based on the indicated ISO/DR setting.

The Lightroom-processed results from the shots taken with ISO L (100)/DR50% (upper left, Lightroom exposure slider +1 EV), ISO 200/DR100% (upper right, exposure slider 0 EV), ISO 400/DR200% (lower left, exposure slider –1 EV) and ISO 800/DR400% (lower right, exposure slider –2 EV) look perfectly the same. This isn’t at all surprising, because the RAW data is indeed the same.

This discovery can be of tremendous practical benefit if you intend to make the most of your camera’s ISOless sensor and push its dynamic range capabilities to the limits.

The best way to use the DR function for shooting scenes with very high dynamic range is to expose in manual mode M. Here’s how to proceed:

• Set manual mode M and make sure that the exposure preview for manual mode is enabled.
• Deploy “JPEG settings for RAW shooters” by selecting film simulation Eterna (or Pro Neg. Std), Highlight Tone −2, and Shadow Tone −2.
• Set DR100% and manually expose the high-contrast scene to protect important highlights. If available, use the RGB histogram with the live overexposure warning (“blinkies”) and set an exposure that is just rich enough that some of the important highlights in your scene begin to blink. Remember that this is about protecting the important highlights. Feel free to overexpose parts of your scene that aren’t worth saving, like the ball of the sun in a backlit daylight scene.
• Now that your exposure to the scene’s important highlights is manually set and locked, the live view may look too dark to comfortably frame the scene. So, let’s add the DR function to the mix: First, increase ISO as needed by either one or two full stops (1 or 2 EV). Then neutralize this ISO change by also increasing DR by the same amount (either DR200% or DR400%). For example, you can raise ISO from 200 to 800 (= a two-stop ISO increase applied to the RAW, the live view, and the JPEG) while also raising DR from DR100% to DR400% (= a two-stop ISO decrease that is applied only to the RAW file, but not to the live view and the JPEG).
• Having completed the previous step, the RAW remains as it was, but the live view looks either one or two stops brighter than before. That’s great for demanding, high-contrast scenes, because not only can we perfectly expose to their important highlights, we can also still see what’s going on in those really dark parts of the scene.

Fig. 114: Let’s revisit this example that I shot with an X-H1 at f/11 and 1/125s. The upper-left image shows the scene as it looks with Provia factory settings and base ISO 200. The upper-right example shows the same image, but now with “JPEG settings for RAW shooters”: film simulation Eterna, Shadow Tone –2, and Highlight Tone –2. While these are perfect settings for exposing a high-contrast scene toward its important highlights, the live view still looks a tad too dark to comfortably frame the scene. Luckily, we now know what to do: We can increase ISO/DR by one or two stops to ISO 400/DR200% (lower-left image) or ISO 800/DR400% (lower-right image) to get a brighter live view (and brighter JPEGs) without affecting the perfect RAW exposure that was determined and locked using the ISO 200/DR100% live view from the upper-left image.

Using manual mode M to expose high-contrast scenes is highly recommended because you can easily split the process into two stages: First, you determine and set the correct exposure to protect important highlights of the scene using DR100% and “JPEG settings for RAW shooters.” When the exposure is set, you can concentrate on brightening the live view to a more useable level by increasing ISO one or two stops while also raising DR to either DR200% or DR400%. With the brighter live view, you can easily compose the scene, focus it, and take the shot in the right moment. Not only can you now see what’s going on in the shadows and midtones of the scene, the camera’s auto white balance will also do a better job when it’s not fishing in the dark. This is an accurate, reliable, and straightforward process, and I personally use it all the time with great success.

That said, a few older X models like the classic X100 or the X-A1 and X-M1 don’t offer exposure preview in manual mode M, meaning you can’t use the live view and live histogram in manual mode to determine the correct exposure to the important highlights of a scene. So, here’s an alternative procedure to expose and shoot high-contrast scenes in either of the AE modes P, A, or S:

• Set the camera to one of the three AE modes. Select Auto-ISO and make sure that DR100% is set. I also recommend setting either matrix or average metering.
• Use “JPEG settings for RAW shooters” by selecting film simulation Eterna (or Pro Neg. Std), Highlight Tone −2, and Shadow Tone −2.
• Turn the exposure dial in the negative (−) direction to expose your high-contrast scene to protect important highlights. Use the live view and live histogram to determine the proper exposure that doesn’t blow critical highlights.
• If the live view appears too dark after the exposure has been set to protect important highlights, you can brighten the image by turning the exposure dial (based on its current position) either three 1/3 EV clicks (= 1 EV) or six 1/3 EV clicks (= 2 EV) in the positive (+) direction, then immediately neutralize your change on the RAW-file level by selecting either DR200% or DR400%.
• If available, you can now use AE-Lock to lock the exposure setting, then take your shot(s).

Fig. 115: This X-T1 example illustrates how using the DR function along with “JPEG settings for RAW shooters” can help you see in the darkness caused by scenes with extreme contrast. This exposure was limited by several factors: I couldn’t go slower than 1/60s, because there were moving persons in the scene and I wanted to avoid motion blur. I also couldn’t open up the aperture wider than f/4 due to depth-of-field requirements: the entire group of people was supposed to be in focus. Like all X series cameras, the X-T1 is ISOless, so I set the camera to base ISO 200 to preserve as many of the bright and colorful lights in the background as possible.

The image above shows the original exposure using Classic Chrome and otherwise standard JPEG settings at the camera’s base ISO 200/DR100%, f/4, and 1/60s. While these settings perfectly protect the bright lights in the background, our main subjects are very much invisible. This makes framing the image and focusing on our actual subjects practically impossible. It’s a catch-22: Even though the exposure is spot-on to record as much dynamic range as possible, we still can’t practically use it.

The image in the middle shows how I resolved the problem by using “JPEG settings for RAW shooters” and the DR function. In the case of the X-T1, the settings were Pro Neg. Std, Shadow Tone −2, and Highlight Tone −2. However, these settings alone weren’t sufficient, so I also increased ISO from 200 to 800, and DR from DR100% to DR400%, all while keeping f/4 and 1/60s. These settings didn’t change the RAW data, but they allowed me to finally see what’s going on. I could now compose the shot, and the camera’s face detection was able to detect three faces and automatically focus on the face closest to the center of the frame.

The image below is the final result after processing the RAW file in Adobe Lightroom, again using the Classic Chrome film-simulation preset. I find the amount of dynamic range that can be extracted even from older sensors like the X-Trans CMOS II quite impressive.

As an alternative to raising ISO and DR in tandem (which brightens the live view without affecting the RAW exposure), you can also expose high-contrast scenes in manual mode M and then turn off the exposure preview after determining the correct exposure. Here’s how it works:

• Set manual mode M, DR100% and turn on exposure preview.
• Like before, expose toward the important highlights of your scene and set a suitable exposure (ISO, aperture, and shutter speed).
• If the live view appears too dark, turn off exposure preview in manual mode and take your shots. The easiest way to do this is by assigning the exposure preview function to an Fn button (most newer X cameras allow this). Personally, I have assigned the exposure preview toggle to the AE-L button of my X-T2, X-T3, and X-H1, because I’m mostly shooting in manual mode, where the classic AE-Lock function is not available.

Turning off exposure preview in manual mode forces the live view to behave like it was in one of the three auto-exposure (AE) modes P, A, or S: The live view image will automatically change its brightness toward a middle-gray exposure (depending on the scene and the selected exposure metering method), but without affecting the actual exposure of the shot.

Using this rather simple procedure may sound quite appealing, but it has one major drawback: The JPEGs of your shots are still recorded rather dark (exposed to the highlights), making it hard or impossible to immediately check critical focus and other details. You’d first have to push each image in the built-in or an external RAW converter. If you take a large number of images with this method, it can become quite a chore to browse through all your dark images and select the keepers.

TIP 70

Using the DR function for high-key and portrait photography

High-key photography [61] delivers images with tones that mostly occupy the right half of the histogram. Highkey images can be achieved by lighting a scene brightly and uniformly with little difference in contrast, and then overexposing the scene by one or two stops. This results in images with a bright, clean, and joyful look. High-key is often used for product shots, portraits, and advertising.

Fig. 116: I took this high-key sample under an overcast sky with soft, uniform natural lighting. I placed the model in front of a bright wall. Thanks to the resulting low contrast, the scene could be shot with a bright exposure at ISO 200 (DR100%) without blowing critical highlights.

Normally, high-key photographs require suitable low-contrast lighting. If the contrast is too big, a bright exposure of the darker tones would lead to blown highlights.

To be suitable for high-key, most of your scene should fit into the right half of the histogram. If that’s not the case, there are two options: you can either reduce the contrast of the scene by applying fill light (like installing a flash or utilizing a lighting setup), or you can apply appropriate tone-mapping (pushing the shadows and midtones while protecting the highlights) during RAW conversion.

Thanks to Fuji’s DR function, the second option is also available in-camera. You can use it to directly generate JPEGs with a high-key look. Here’s how:

• Set the camera to manual exposure mode M and turn off Auto-ISO, so aperture, shutter speed, and ISO can be set manually. Set the dynamic range to DR100% and make sure exposure preview in manual mode is turned on.
• Expose the scene as usual to protect critical highlights that you do not want to blow. The live view and live histogram are your friends. Set aperture, shutter speed, and ISO accordingly. Take a test shot to be sure that the scene is exposed as brightly as possible without any blown critical highlights.
• Now double your ISO setting (for example, from ISO 200 to ISO 400) and change the dynamic range setting from DR100% to DR200%. Don’t change your aperture and shutter speed, though!
• In the live view and live histogram, your scene will be looking brighter. Take another shot with these new settings and inspect the resulting high-key JPEG in your camera’s playback mode.

As far as the RAW data is concerned, it makes no difference whether you shoot the same scene with ISO 200, DR100%, f/5.6, and 1/1000s, or with ISO 400, DR200%, f/5.6, and 1/1000s. Even ISO 800, DR400%, f/5.6, and 1/1000s would result in the same RAW data all over again. However, you will see a huge difference in the corresponding straight-out-of-camera JPEGs: shadows and midtones will appear increasingly bright (high-key), but the brightest highlights will be protected: this is your camera’s built-in tone-mapping at work.

Fig. 117: Turning the DR function into a virtual high-key studio: The example on the left illustrates a regular exposure of a flower at ISO 200, DR100%, f/5.6, and 1/1000s. The exposure was designed to protect the structure of the white petals. The example on the right is the same scene shot at ISO 400, DR200%, f/5.6, and 1/1000s. This means that while the RAW data remains the same, only the JPEG from the ISO 400/DR200% version delivers the desired high-key look while leaving the structure of the petals intact. Doubling ISO and DR settings in tandem (leaving all other exposure parameters untouched) moves the histogram of the JPEG to the right, but without blowing bright highlights. Instead of cutting them off, the tonality of the bright highlights is compressed. You can fine-tune such results with the camera’s built-in RAW converter, for example, by reducing the highlight contrast (HIGHLIGHT TONE setting). Additionally, you can revert a high-key shot that was taken (for example) at ISO 400/DR200% into a regular ISO 200/DR100% JPEG by reprocessing the RAW image in the built-in RAW converter using PULL –1 EV and DR100% settings.

Tone-mapping and tonality compression can also be used to improve portraits. It can reduce contrast and harsh shadows on faces that are illuminated by a single light source, such as the sun. With our high-key technique, dark eyes and shadows under the nose can be lifted without blowing the bright parts of the skin. At the same time, the tone-mapping and highlight tone compression makes skin blemishes almost disappear.

Fig. 118: Using virtual high-key in a portrait: This example illustrates a difficult lighting situation with strong contrast and harsh shadows on the face.

The upper-left sample shows a JPEG that was created by exposing for the highlights with the CLASSIC CHROME film simulation and ISO 200. This resulted in a rather dark face with strong contrast and shadows.

The upper-right image shows the same shot two ISO stops brighter, and with extended highlight dynamic range to protect the highlights. This means using ISO 800 and DR400% while maintaining the exposure (aperture and shutter speed) of the upper-left sample. Additionally, I set HIGHLIGHT TONE to −2 to pull back the brightest (skin) tones. As you can see, the eyes are now much brighter and the harsh contrasts are gone.

Too much? Don’t worry! Using the camera’s built-in RAW converter, you can always create more realistic versions of your highkey shots. In this case (lower-left image), I used PULL −1 (effectively pulling the shot from ISO 800 down to ISO 400) along with DR200% (to compensate for the pull), SHADOW TONE −2 (for more shadow detail), and HIGHLIGHT TONE −1 (to bring back the brightest skin tones).

Alternatively, you can also process the RAW file in any external RAW converter. In the case of the lower-right example, I used Adobe Lightroom.

Another useful application of the DR function is dealing with bright spots in an otherwise regular scene. With a normal exposure, these highlights can easily blow, which is particularly undesirable if they affect a human face.

Fig. 119: This skin-repair example was taken in the shadow of a tree, with a few bright sunbeams making their way through the foliage onto our model’s face. For the human eye, these bright spots look perfectly harmless. However, highlights like these can be a recipe for disaster for any digital camera if you decide to “correctly” expose the shot toward the darker parts of the face, like I did here.

The example on the left displays the JPEG with DR100%. While the shadow-parts of the skin are correctly exposed, the bright spots are clearly blown: there’s no texture.

The image in the middle is the DR200% version, which brings the healing power of one extra stop of highlight dynamic range to the face.

The example on the right was processed with DR400%, which corresponds to two stops of additional highlight dynamic range. The previously “damaged” skin now looks perfectly okay.

TIP 71

DR versus DR-P

In addition to the DR function with its DR-Auto, DR100%, DR200%, and DR400% options, recent X series models like the X-H1 and X-T3 feature a function called DR-P, which stands for Dynamic Range Priority.

If you activate DR-P in the IMAGE QUALITY SETTING menu, it replaces the classic DR function, so you can’t use both functions together. It’s either the one or the other. Setting DR-P to anything but OFF automatically overrides and cancels your DR settings.

The AUTO, WEAK, and STRONG options of DR-P correspond to the DR-Auto, DR200%, and DR400% settings of the DR function, while OFF relays control back to whatever regular DR settings you have selected. This also means that DR-P WEAK and DR-P STRONG have the same minimum ISO requirements as DR200% and DR400%.

So, what exactly is the difference between DR-P and DR? It’s rather mundane: DR-P combines regular DR settings with different contrast settings into a package that can’t be untied later. For example, DR-P WEAK combines DR200% with HIGHLIGHT TONE −1 and SHADOW TONE −1. Correspondingly, DR-P STRONG results in a combination of DR400%, HIGHLIGHT TONE −2, and SHADOW TONE −2.

If this sounds like a neat shortcut to you, you might want to reconsider. In fact, I do not recommend using DR-P at all, because it is blocking you from changing Highlight Tone and Shadow Tone settings independently from DR settings in the camera’s built-in RAW converter.

For example, if you take a picture with DR-P STRONG and later find that HIGHLIGHT TONE –2 and SHADOW TONE –2 look too shallow for your taste, you can’t use the built-in RAW converter to create a new JPEG with more contrast by adjusting Shadow Tone and Highlight Tone. You would have to live with your mistake for good.

A much better alternative is to stay in control: Set DR-P to OFF and instead apply DR, Highlight Tone, and Shadow Tone settings independently from one another. By doing so, you can always revisit your RAW files later and create JPEGs with different contrast settings in your camera or with X RAW STUDIO.

Fig. 120: This Dynamic Range Priority comparison shows JPEGs of the same high-contrast scene with DR-P OFF/DR100% (top), DR-P WEAK (center), and DR-P STRONG (bottom) settings. I set my X-H1 to ETERNA and fixed exposure settings of f/8, 1/8s and ISO 800.

TIP 72

Dual Conversion Gain and how to use it

We already know that all cameras featuring the X-Trans CMOS III sensor use a base ISO of 200. Those cameras are the X-Pro2, X-H1, X-T2, X-T20, X-E3, and X100F. However, there’s more: these cameras offer what’s called “dual conversion gain”—a second (higher) base ISO level. In our case, this level is automatically activated when you set ISO 800 (or higher) at DR100%.

Dual conversion gain (DCG) reconfigures the sensor for low-light use: read noise is further reduced, which means that you can extract additional dynamic range in situations with very little light.

Normally, you wouldn’t care about dual conversion gain, because the camera is performing everything automatically. There is no “on/off” switch or menu: simply set a minimum of ISO 800/DR100% (or ISO 1600/DR200%; or ISO 3200/DR400%) and dual conversion gain will be active.

You can make use of this second DCG ISO level in the same way that you use base ISO 200 to extract as much dynamic range from high-contrast scenes as possible. However, in this case, we are talking about situations with very little light; scenes that one would usually expose with really high ISO settings such as 6400, 12800, or even 25600.

Instead of setting these high ISO values, you can just as well set the camera to ISO 800/DR100% (or to equivalent ISO-level settings of ISO 1600/DR200% or ISO 3200/DR400%) and shoot away, while protecting as many highlights as possible.

Let me give you a practical example: During our Fuji X Secrets Bootcamp workshop in March 2018, we organized an evening get-together in an ancient wine cellar that was only illuminated by a few candles. I shot several candid portraits of the delegates with my X-H1 and an XF16–55mmF2.8 R LM WR lens in manual mode M with fixed settings of ISO 800, f/2.8 (wide-open), and 1/20s (my slowest usable shutter speed for handheld shooting of living subjects). In order to see the image I was composing, I turned off the exposure preview in manual mode.

Fig. 121: This dual conversion gain example shows a low-light shot as it was taken with my X-H1 at 55mm focal length, f/2.8, 1/20s, and ISO 800/DR100% (the camera’s additional “dual gain conversion” base ISO level). The unprocessed result on the left looks really, really dark. The only part that is clearly visible is one of the few candles that were lighting the scene.

On the right, you can see the same image after processing the RAW file in Lightroom Classic CC. Pushing the face of the person up from ISO 800 resulted in brightness equivalents of at least ISO 12800, while the already-bright parts of the candle remained at ISO 800 to protect as much of their texture and tones as possible. It’s the usual tone-mapping procedure, and it gives you a glimpse of the dynamic range reserves that are available in Fuji’s X cameras. You just have to be bold enough to unleash them.

In cameras with X-Trans CMOS III, dual conversion gain results in a noise advantage of approximately 1/3 EV. This doesn’t sound like much (and it really isn’t in normal situations), but it can be essential in situations where you have to push shadows up 4 or 5 stops during RAW processing (or need to take images at very high ISO levels like 12800 and above).

Important: Even though the X-T3 uses a new X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor with base ISO 160, its additional dual conversion gain ISO level is still ISO 800. This means that as far as DCG is concerned, the X-T3 behaves just like its older siblings.

TIP 73

Creating HDR images

A popular method of capturing high-contrast scenes is HDR photography. HDR [62] means High Dynamic Range: multiple images of the scene are taken at different exposure levels and then merged into a single image with extended dynamic range. The merging process can be facilitated with specialized software, such as Photomatix Pro by HDRsoft.

Typically, HDR requires a minimum of two different exposures of a scene, but some photographers don’t stop there. They take five, seven, or even nine different exposures, each separated from the other by (usually) one stop or 1 EV (exposure value).

Here’s a procedure that you can use to quickly generate nine different exposures of a scene:

• Put the camera on a tripod or a similar device.
• Connect a remote shutter release or set the self-timer to 2 seconds to avoid camera shake.
• Set the camera to aperture priority A.
• Choose a low ISO setting (such as base ISO 200). Don’t use extended ISO L, though!
• Deactivate any DR expansion by setting the dynamic range to DR100%.
• Select a suitable aperture for your shot and scene and use manual focus. This ensures that all nine images will be focused the same. If you like, you can also use adapted manual focus lenses.
• Set AE BKT (auto exposure bracketing) to three shots with a variation of ±1 EV
• Select AVERAGE exposure metering.

Fig. 122: This rather extreme HDR image consists of seven RAW shots , each taken with an exposure difference of 2 EV and merged in Adobe Lightroom.

Having prepared the camera for HDR, you can now follow these steps to capture the actual images:

• Set the exposure compensation dial to neutral (0) and press the shutter release. Make sure to either use a remote shutter release or the self-timer. The camera will now record the first three shots of the scene, with exposure levels of 0 EV, −1 EV, and +1 EV.
• Set the exposure compensation dial to −3 EV and press the shutter release. The camera is now recording three more images that deviate −4 EV, −3 EV, and −2 EV from the original exposure.
• Finally, set the exposure compensation dial to +3 EV. After releasing the shutter, you’ll get three more exposures, this time with +2 EV, +3 EV, and +4 EV.

This procedure results in nine different exposures that you can merge using the HDR software of your choice. This will result in an image with an additional dynamic range of ±4 EV.

TIP 74

HDR: the handheld way

Thanks to the ISOless sensor in all X series cameras, you can effectively take handheld HDR shots by combining two vastly differently exposed RAW files into one HDR-DNG file in Adobe Lightroom or Adobe Camera RAW.

Let’s start with preparing the camera for this endeavor:

• Set the camera to aperture priority A.
• Select a low ISO setting, such as ISO 200. Don’t set extended ISO L.
• Make sure the dynamic range is set to DR100%.
• Pre-select a suitable aperture.
• Set AE BKT to three shots with a variation of ±2 EV to activate the camera’s auto exposure bracketing.
• Select AVERAGE exposure metering.
• Use “JPEG settings for RAW shooters”: film simulation Eterna or Pro Neg. Std, Shadow Tone −2, and Highlight Tone −2.

Now let’s take our HDR shots:

• Expose to the highlights! Using the live view and live histogram, frame your scene, and turn the exposure compensation dial until critical highlights aren’t blown.
• Now correct the exposure by +2 EV using the exposure compensation dial (based on its current position): simply turn it six clicks in the plus direction. This will shift your locked exposure up by two stops. Don’t recompose the scene.
• Focus and press the shutter button to take the shot. Hold the camera very steady while it takes a quick burst of three consecutive AE bracketing shots (each with a different exposure).
• Import the RAW files of the three bracketing shots into Adobe Lightroom or Adobe Camera RAW, where you can merge them into a single HDR-DNG file using the HDR function. You can process the HDR-DNG file in Lightroom like any normal RAW file.

By combining three shots with an exposure difference of 2 EV between each other, we dramatically enhance the overall dynamic range of the image. Since the shots were taken in a quick burst with maximum continuous drive speed, there’s also little or no motion blur in the resulting DNG composite. This trick can even work for (slowly) moving subjects, especially since Lightroom’s HDR merge tool includes automatic de-ghosting.

The darkest of the three shots is perfectly exposed to the highlights, while the other two bring 2 EV and 4 EV less shot noise to the table. Since our ISOless sensor provides very little sensor read noise, we can easily push the brightest of the three RAWs up another 3 EV without sacrificing too much image quality. This adds up to a whopping 7 EV of additional dynamic range, which should be enough to overcome almost every dynamic range challenge you may encounter in your photographic life. Even better, you can use this process for handheld shots—just make sure that the shutter speed of the brightest shot is still fast enough to prevent blurriness caused by camera shake.

Fig. 123: This handheld HDR consists of the original “exposed-to-the-highlights” image, plus two additional shots that were exposed 2 EV and 4 EV brighter. Using Lightroom to merge the RAW files into a single HDR-DNG file, the result looks clean and noiseless in the shadows, with plenty of fine texture and no tonal gaps.

TIP 75

Electronic shutter (ES), electronic first curtain shutter (EFCS) and flicker reduction

Most X series cameras feature an electronic shutter (ES). It offers three advantages: it is completely silent, it eliminates vibrations from shutter shock, and it allows shutter speeds as fast as 1/32000s. That’s great in situations where you want to be particularly stealthy, or when you want to use fast lenses (like the XF56mmF1.2 R) with a wide-open aperture in bright light and spare yourself the hassle of attaching an ND filter.

You can set which shutter type the camera is supposed to use in SHOOTIG MENU > (SHOOTING SETTING >) SHUTTER TYPE. There are at least three available options:

• MS: The camera is only using the mechanical shutter. This is the default setting and also my recommended standard setting.
• ES: This setting switches the camera to the electronic shutter with shutter speeds up to 1/32000s. Extended ISO settings aren’t available in ES mode, and you cannot fire a flash when the ES is in use.
• MS+ES: In this mode, the camera combines both shutter types. It will automatically use the ES for shutter speeds faster than the maximum mechanical shutter speed. Flash photography is possible, but only within the envelope of the mechanical shutter. ISO may still be limited to the regular non-extended range.

To access shutter speeds beyond the camera’s mechanical limit, you can set the shutter-speed dial to T and then browse through all available shutter speeds with the command dial in 1/3 EV steps.

Fig. 124: The electronic shutter is a practical option for shots taken with fast lenses in bright light, when the maximum mechanical shutter speed simply isn’t fast enough to avoid overexposure.

Please note that even at 1/32000s, the electronic shutter needs some time to capture all image contents. In most X camera models with ES, it takes the electronic shutter 1/20s to record all 24 megapixels of the sensor. This effect, known as Rolling Shutter [63], can lead to weird distortions when you are taking pictures of fast-moving subjects.

Fig. 125: The distortion effect of electronic rolling shutters becomes quite visible in scenes with fast-moving subjects like this football.

In addition, image quality will deteriorate when the ES is used in concert with pulsing or flickering artificial light sources. The long readout time and the rolling shutter are also responsible for the restrictions regarding flash photography.

Fig. 126: Pulsing light sources, such as energy-saving lamps and LED lights, go on and off with the same frequency as the electric grid (50 Hz or 60 Hz). While the mechanical shutter can deal with this phenomenon, the electronic rolling shutter cannot. This example shows the same artificially lit scene taken with the mechanical shutter (left) and the electronic shutter (right) of my GFX 50S. The interference of the pulsing light with the rather slow line-by-line sensor readout of the large GFX sensor is hard to ignore.

With the GFX, Fujifilm introduced the option of an electronic first curtain shutter (EFCS), which is also available in the X-H1 and X-T3. The EFCS combines some advantages of the ES with some benefits of the MS: It reduces vibration and eliminates shutter shock by replacing the mechanical first shutter curtain with an electronic version. However, the second shutter curtain remains mechanical, thus avoiding issues caused by electronic rolling shutter. The EFCS also reduces the blackout period in the EVF and emits a softer mechanical shutter noise.

With very fast shutter speeds, using the EFCS can potentially be detrimental to image quality (especially the bokeh). That’s why cameras with EFCS offer an EFCS+MS setting that automatically switches back to the MS when the shutter speed exceeds a certain threshold (1/2000s with APS-C cameras and 1/640s in the GFX). If you choose to use the EFCS, I recommend the EFCS+MS option.

You may wonder: Is it safe to use the mechanical shutter or electronic first curtain shutter in situations with pulsing artificial light? The answer is yes and no, because pulsing light sources have the nasty habit of continuously going on and off, so the scene (your subject) is illuminated with varying amounts of light that fluctuate 50 or 60 times per second along with the phase frequency of the electric grid. Even in manual exposure mode M, shooting the same scene multiple times with exactly the same exposure settings can result in differently exposed images, depending on your shutter speed and how lucky you were to randomly catch a brighter or a darker portion of the AC phase.

While this flicker phenomenon is invisible to the human eye, your camera will experience it as soon as you select faster shutter speeds. In such cases, the camera can only record a random portion of the light’s pulsating on/off cycle.

This is where flicker reduction comes into play. If you own one of the higher-end X camera models (such as the X-Pro2, X-T2, X-H1, X-T3, or GFX), you can find it under SHOOTING MENU > SHOOTING SETTING > FLICKER REDUCTION > ON. Additional X models may eventually obtain this function via firmware updates.

When you take a shot, flicker reduction [64] times your camera’s exposure to coincide with cyclic peaks of the AC current phase. In other words, shots are delayed until the pulsating light happens to illuminate the scene with maximum brightness. Your series of exposures will look bright and uniform.

In a world of pulsing energy-saving light sources, flicker reduction is an essential feature. However, make sure to only use it in situations that actually require its magic. In natural daylight (or artificial light that doesn’t pulse), flicker reduction is not only useless, it will also slow down your camera.