took a ton of pics recently on my Oz trip, a fair few seem to have the white overexposed. Example below. Can anyone tell me why and what I should have done about it?

My assumption is that the camera has taken the focus and auto white balance from the middle of the picture, so I should have focused on a face, half pressed the button, then centred the frame?

Camera is a Canon Ixus 1, info on the pic says:

ile Name
109_0996.JPG
Camera Model Name
Canon DIGITAL IXUS
Shooting Date/Time
17/01/2004 14:55:56
Shooting Mode
Auto
Tv( Shutter Speed )
1/180
Av( Aperture Value )
2.8
Metering Mode
Center-weighted averaging
Digital Zoom
None
Image Size
1600x1200
Image Quality
Fine
Flash
Off
White Balance
Auto
Active AF Points
[ Center ]
Parameters
Contrast Normal
Sharpness Normal
Color saturation Normal
File Size
509KB
File Number
109-0996
Drive Mode
Single-frame shooting
Owner's Name

http://www.gregh.co.uk/jpegs/train.jpg


[Edited by gregh - 1/21/2004 9:11:04 AM]

Hi Greg,

I'm only guessing, mind, but I think it may be something to do with the very high levels of UV in the light. The effect is similar to that I got on a few pictures before I managed to find a UV (Skylight) filter to fit a new lens on my camera.

Not being able to fit filters is one of the downsides to compacts, I'm afraid, and off the top of my head I don't know how to fix it except manually in Photoshop...

SB

perhaps ya should upgrade to the ixus2


im a complete plonker when comes to cameras i just point and shoot and ive never taken a bad pic yet, my only complaint is sometimes ya press the button and may take a sec or 2 to actually take the pic... quite annoying, spose its cause its adjusting itself or something?

There's your problem. The camera is exposing the image so that the centre of the frame comes out close to a mid-grey level, which it is. The people, however, are in bright sunlight either side.

Tips:
- try 'evaluative' rather than 'center weighted' metering mode - this will take more notice of light levels elsewhere in the frame rather than taking much more notice of things near the middle.

- if your camera has the option to blink highlights, use it. This means that when you review the image on the camera's LCD, any areas which are overexposed will flash so you can immediately see the problem and then re-take the shot.

- you can, as you suggest, meter off your subject and then recompose. This is a good idea anyway.

>> try 'evaluative' rather than 'center weighted' metering mode

I don't think my Ixus has a way of changing that, I have auto white balance or manual.

White balance and metering are two completely different things. White balance is to do with the colour of the light - tungsten light is yellowish, while daylight and flash are bluish. Fluorescent light is greenish. Get it wrong and your photos will have a colour cast to them. Most digital cameras are at least tolerably good in working this out for themselves if you leave it on auto, although manual settings offer more repeatable results and (usually) stronger and more saturated colours.

Metering has to do with the quantity of light - how bright it is, not what colour it is. Normally you have the choice of centre-weighted or evaluative metering, and some cameras offer spot metering too.

ah, ok, thanks Andy, very informative. I have no options to change the metering method :(

Another thing to add to the upgrade list then!

http://www.scoobynet.co.uk/bbs/threa...hreadid=293658

Does your wife use Daz? :D

Hi Andy,

So in looking for my next camera should I ensure it has a choice of centre-weighted or evaluative metering, and maybe spot metering too?

cheers,

greg

Or get a camera which lets you adjust the exposure manually so can compensate yourself

Or get one of the larger compacts, which allows the use of standard size screw on filters: my Minolta Dimage has one.(It also has centre weighted, evaluative, and spot metering:D: )

Alcazar

Cant you prefocus the camera on the child,(push down exposure button halfway) where the camera will take the meter reading, then move the camera while still prefocussed onto the train/centre of the picture, where the child meter reading will still be set, Then take the picture by puushing the exposure button the rest of the way.
I have a G1 and can do this, and most cameras I have had can do this.
Just a thought.

Looks just like lens flare to me, usually caused by finger-prints on the lens. But digis can do funny things with over-exposure, too. Andy's prolly right.

Richard.

find a pavement,or grass,and meter your camera on that using exposure lock

anyone who has an old manual camera will do that out of habit