E420 - JPEG from camera looks ok LCD but dark when copied to laptop?

[harnamsc]

Greetings,

I just got my E420 recently and have mated it with the 12-60 SWD lens. I've started practising with it and have been impressed with the wide angle lens and dynamic range, though my photos are still blurry as I'm still trying to get used to the weight?

Anyway I noticed something unusual after taking some night photos, on the E420 LCD screen the photos looked well-exposed. But after removing the CF card and viewing the photos directly on my laptop, they all looked under-exposed?

My camera was shooting at ISO 400, F4.4 to F3.2, 1/15 sec to 1/50 sec and the camera was set to JPEG output as I've not had time to get Adobe Photoshop Elements for RAW support yet.

Can any experienced E420 users here advise me how I can correct this problem?

[aryanto]

You can attend the group meeting on 11 nov and get either your camera LCD or your laptop screen calibrated. Or both. Look for the gathering thread.

[spidey89]

cannot depend on the LCD screen of the camera to really get a proper output,i still have to do exposure tuning in my post processing because everything seems too dark on screen as well,but I guess more or less is the camera LCD screen is bright,lol

[microcosm]

Originally Posted by aryanto You can attend the group meeting on 11 nov and get either your camera LCD or your laptop screen calibrated. Or both. Look for the gathering thread.

Oi! I don't calibrate camera screens leh... don't give me stress leh...

[spidey89]

Originally Posted by microcosm Oi! I don't calibrate camera screens leh... don't give me stress leh...

[microcosm]

The key here is to note the "reference point" between your camera LCD and the actual exposure. A matter of getting used to... a slight under exposure on the final image is fine, the dynamic range of the E-System is such that you can pull up the exposure in post without blowing out the whites. That is why I have been preaching... shooting is only half the job done in digital photography. It is like shooting in film but not developing...

[aryanto]

Originally Posted by microcosm Oi! I don't calibrate camera screens leh... don't give me stress leh...

hehe sorry, I mean harnamsc will adjust the brightness of his camera LCD to match the laptop screen after it is calibrated

[microcosm]

Originally Posted by aryanto hehe sorry, I mean harnamsc will adjust the brightness of his camera LCD to match the laptop screen after it is calibrated

Just kidding bro... sorry if I made you panic a little...

[harnamsc]

So the problem is because my camera LCD screen is too bright? Hmm, I'll have a look at it over the weekend if I've got time. And sorry but could someone PM me the details about the Nov meet? I can't seem to find the thread anywhere. Note that I might not be able to attend as I'm going for a surgery this weekend, hence my attendance will depend on how quickly I recover. Lastly I should mention that my aim is to take decent photographs out-of-the-camera, i.e. with as little post-processing as possible. Photography is a hobby for me, so I prefer to keep it as 'painless' as possible.

[microcosm]

Originally Posted by harnamsc So the problem is because my camera LCD screen is too bright? Hmm, I'll have a look at it over the weekend if I've got time. And sorry but could someone PM me the details about the Nov meet? I can't seem to find the thread anywhere. Note that I might not be able to attend as I'm going for a surgery this weekend, hence my attendance will depend on how quickly I recover. Lastly I should mention that my aim is to take decent photographs out-of-the-camera, i.e. with as little post-processing as possible. Photography is a hobby for me, so I prefer to keep it as 'painless' as possible.

CLICK HERE FOR THE OUTING DETAILS

Post processing, as much as you are not familiar with it at the moment, can be painless with simplified software like Picassa or Aperture (if you are on a Mac). But there will be some level of editing and processing after shooting, that's for sure.

Hope you have a speedy recovery after your surgery. And see you at the 11th Nov gathering. Add your name to the list if you are coming. Let's continue to share.

[Oly5050]

I have my camera LCD output bumped up to maximum, but I still find that my images still look brighter on the computer LCD. All my photos look a tad under-exposed when u view on the camera LCD. But I am used to it and I expect it. I just look at the histogram or the shadows function to make sure that I am OK. I am surprised that you are having the converse problem from me.

[splim]

Originally Posted by Oly5050 I have my camera LCD output bumped up to maximum, but I still find that my images still look brighter on the computer LCD. All my photos look a tad under-exposed when u view on the camera LCD. But I am used to it and I expect it. I just look at the histogram or the shadows function to make sure that I am OK. I am surprised that you are having the converse problem from me.

because your LCD is the old generation 2.5" type