Problem with dynamic range!!

[ajd2k8]

Hi guys I'm using a 500d with 17-40L and have just started using LEE nd

Il explain first ..
I meter the scene, meter the sky see the diffrence in shutter speeds and work out the filtration to use

Put the filters on and walah nothing the sky is still overexposed

What am I doing wrong please!

[neuroanatomist]

A grad ND?  How strong?  Perhaps not strong enough...  What's the exposure difference between sky and ground, vs. stops of filter.

[ajd2k8]

There was 3 stops of diffrence and the 3 stop nd did nothing I had to use all 3 filters to get any detail in the sky so thats 6 stops used.

[neuroanatomist]

What metering mode were you using to check sky vs. ground?

[ajd2k8]

I changed to spot to meter then to evaluative to shoot

[TrumpetPower!]

I changed to spot to meter then to evaluative to shoot

That's probably your problem.

If you're doing spot metering and then making exposure adjustments (such as by putting on a filter), then you've got to be using manual exposure all the way. Otherwise, the camera is going to take a fresh reading and come up with its own best guess, which may well be a very confused guess through your filters.

Cheers,

b&

[neuroanatomist]

Yep.  Should use manual mode, ignore the meter when taking the shot, just set exposure to the spot meter reading for the ground (since that's the un-filtered part).  It's a good idea to take a few spot readings of top and bottom of the scene, and average them if necessary.

[TexPhoto]

The exposure mode does not make any difference.  Only the actual exposure.  But switching to manual and setting the exposure settings from your ground spot metering is a good start.

On the other hand, from your description, it's hard to believe you got a blown out sky, unless your ND grad was upside-down.  Was the darker part of your filter on the top or bottom?

Adding he ND as you did, setting exposure compensation to 0, and setting ANY exposure mode aside from M should yield a decent exposure unless something is wrong.  Setting the camera to manual and then adjusting until the meter says 0, would effectively do the same thing.

In any case, i think you ND grad was upside-down, or something else was dramatically wrong.

[ajd2k8]

Lol no the filters where correct way.. Will give it another play tomorrow see what results I can get