digital still settings.

[mark135 0]

Is there a setting that will prevent the camera from making everything dark when shooting into the sun?
Talking canon d20 and rebel xt here.

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"It seemed like a good idea at the time"

[CTSkydiver 0]

Ok, I'll preface this by saying I'm a total idiot and sleep deprived, so this might not be totally accurate... but ... my XT adjust pretty well to that, most of the time... With wide angles lenses, you catch lots of sun. It's always gonna ramp down if it thinks you're trying to photograph the bright area in the frame (otherwise it would overexpose everything) - so keep the sun away from the center of the frame and that should usually take care of it. I've been actually pretty happy with some of my snapshots that had the sun very close to the subject (mostly exit shots or tandem shots from below) yet I still had blue skies and detailed faces. Not perfect, but better than I expected from shooting on film. You could fix the exposure, but unless your setting up a specific shot your other angles will get all washed out. Maybe there's some more fancy programming in there that will do what you want and still do everything auto, G-d knows that camera is way smarter than me, I wouldn't be surprised. I don't use it manual much, I like to fly all over the place at different distances to the subject and above and below as well as on level.

Of course, if you are talking about taking a pic on the ground, I think if you put some of those focus dots on your subject and half-push the shutter, you can lock-in the focus and exposure and then recompose your shot without the backlight screwing things up. Oh, and you can use the flash if the subject is close.

And for in the air, it might help to have a circular polarizer or UV-Haze1 filter.... I don't know, but I use the latter. Also, of course, the easiest fix is to have your subject face the sun and put it behind you. Problem solved.

I got some snapshots on the dz site with the sun in them, take a look and see if what I got is what you want, or are trying to avoid. Keep in mind that sometimes the subjects being in silhouette was desired, though.

..Links below (try the second one, those are the tandems)

[CTSkydiver 0]

here's a few samples...

[AndyMan 7]

Yup, although exactly what time of day it is will change the setting.

When the sun is high and bright, I find setting the camera in TV mode (shutter priority) with a shutterspeed of 500 works.

As the sun gets lower in the sky you have adjust your shutter speed lower.

The attached image was shot in shutter priority mode (TV), 1/500 F-11, ISO 100 with a Sigma 15mm lens. I am quite close, flying on my back.

_Am

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You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[jont 0]

There are 2 things you can do on the 20d to help in backlight conditions. One is to play with the exposure evaluation setting. Use the far right button on the top right, and the small adjuster wheel, to choose the setting with an empty circle showing on the LCD rather than a filled one. This means the camera is only reading light from the centre of the screen, not the whole image.

The second thing you can do is choose to have the camera deliberately over-expose by around a stop. Half press the shutter button, then turn the big wheel (make sure the power switch is in the fully on position) to move the little line towards the right on the scale. This will make the camera over-expose the light areas of the image, which means hopefully the darker areas (i.e. people's faces) will be properly exposed. By the way, both of these will only work in the Creative Zone (settings above the green square on the left hand wheel).

hope that helps

blue skies

jon t

[velocityphoto 0]

Try shooting with a good speedlight . 550 or 580 ex

A friend will bail you out of jail , a REAL friend will be sitting next to you in the cell slapping your hand saying "DUDE THAT WAS AWSUM " ................

[mandm 0]

Hi, I still use film, (and Nikon), but this should be the same with digital-Canon. The easiest thing to do would be to set manual exposure (M-Mode) on the ground: Point the camera at someone, with the sun in your back, and with M-Mode your settings will remain fixed no matter where you point the camera afterwards. This might however lead to wrong exposures if the light changes a lot (clouds...). Also, you will get underexposed pics in the plane....

You could also use leave AE-Exposure and use a (powerful) flash to make the faces come out OK but the sky will be underexposed (i.e. dark blue, which looks nice, I think). Other options:

1) Use exposure-compensation (plus, i.e. longer exosure), but then all your pics from that jump will be over-exposed, not only those taken into the sun, so I wouldn't do that.
2) Switch to center-weighted metering, so that the sun, if it's in some edge of the frame, does not change exposure too much. But center-weighted exposure-systems might not be as good in other exposure-situations- you would have to experiment there...

3) While UV-Filters offer good protection in general(but might add flare) and while Polarizers give you nice blue skies (if shot at the right angle to the sun, but eating up a lot of light, i.e. cause longer exposure times), I dont see how they could improve your situation.

Hope this helps, Martin

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[mark135 0]

All of your examples are great but if that was the camera I am using it would all be dark with darker sillouettes and 1 bright spot (sun).

Actually its not my camera. I shoot 35mm but the dz wants all digitals so I borrow the dzo's d-20 when I have to but I dont like this dark picture stuff when it comes to shooting into the sun. (exits or sunset shots)

I also use 500 on bright days and 350 on overcast. I and the dzo use this same settings on the d-20.

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"It seemed like a good idea at the time"

[MB38 0]

http://www.arri.com/prod/cam/d_20/d_20.htm D20 or 20D? http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=10464

I really don't know what I'm talking about.

[CTSkydiver 0]

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I and the dzo use this same settings on the d-20.

Does the dzo get the same results?

You can always try the ultimate in dumbed down to the lowest denominator - sport mode (running dude). You might be surprised. See who can take better pictures - you or the camera. The camera does surprisingly well. *(the 20d is the expensive version of the XT, right? - should apply)

Martin - I kinda like lens flare, so there. Photoshop even makes fake ones, but that's too much effort.

[BSchram 0]

Hey Mark, I use iso 100 and shutter speed of 640 and seem to get good results on exit with the sun in the back ground.
Good Luck and Blue Skies!

[mark135 0]

Thats a fine looking tandem master there
Notice both my kid and I have a look of horror. Me because of a sloppy exit and him cuz its his first jump!

Couldnt you post a pic where everything is going right?

Does everyone see what kind of a dzo I have to put up with? Sheesh.

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"It seemed like a good idea at the time"

[NSEMN8R 0]

Nice shot Shram. I guess even the blind squirell gets a nut once in a while.

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Couldnt you post a pic where everything is going right?

He could have Mark, but he wanted to use one with you in it.

[mark135 0]

Ouch

very well done however.

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"It seemed like a good idea at the time"