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Maximum dynamic range single image shooting on R6 Mark II

Mkiv
Contributor

What is the best way to capture the highest possible dynamic range in a single frame(not video)on the Canon R6 Mark II? I’m not talking about HDR processing and compositing of multiple images, rather capturing the highest amount of highlight and shadow in a single frame. My guess would have something to do with custom profiles? I realize that the out of camera image may be flat but that is adjustable in post processing. TIA

3 ACCEPTED SOLUTIONS

Accepted Solutions

Unlikely that you will capture larger dynamic range with HDR PQ or D+ when you shoot raw. What you get is a different tone curve in some raw converters. For example DPP or Lightroom.

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if one plans to edit the raw, then there is no reason to enable highlight tone priority nor auto lighting optimizer nor HDR PQ in the camera menus. That can always be done later in the Canon DPP software or maybe in other software. There is also no advantage to enabling Adobe RGB in the camera if one plans to edit the raw file.

Using Av aperture priority will leave the shutter speed and/or the ISO on auto. The camera will choose an exposure which is good when one wishes to document something before it changes, but not good in a studio with controlled lighting. I speculate that enabling those features that I suggest disabling in the previous paragraph will change how the camera chooses exposure.

I suggest that if highlights are most important, use negative exposure compensation and if shadows are most important use positive exposure compensation and adjust brightness, dynamic range, tone curve, and white balance when editing the raw.

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@Mkiv wrote:

 After reviewing your input, I have done some testing. I always shoot RAW in Adobe RGB. I also almost always shoot in Aperture Priority while manually adjusting my Exposure Compensation. I have tried HDR PQ with and without D+ and D+2. I am wondering however, if I am always shooting in RAW, are all of these techniques really capturing more dynamic range? It seems that in my type of photography(photojournalism), that I tend to be more concerned with my highlights not blowing out. On looking at my histogram after shooting with HDR PQ, I noticed that there seems to be a visible limit line on the highlights. Therefore, are HDR PQ and D+ or D+2 just a way of preserving my highlight detail? Or is this method only helping my visual perception of the image on the camera back? Once again, because I am always shooting in RAW, does any of this matter? Is the sensor just capturing everything it can by default when shooting RAW and therefore I should just be concerned with highlight preservation? 


First, I may not have been clear enough on the specific use of HDR PQ in my comments, so I apologize for that. To be clear, HDR PQ is for displaying on HDR compliant monitors (HDR 10). As Peter mentioned, PQ (Perceptual  Quantization) applies a different tone curve which has greater bit depth, 10 bits IIRC, and applies better transition in colors to reduce banding, "It's using the standardized gamma curve called PQ, which is mapped in a way to put more weight on transitions that the human eye is sensitive to and finds pleasing", so using a Raw PQ or HEIF to convert to JPG defeats the purpose as JPG is an 8bit file. Displays may try to emulate HDR with the JPG, but that's it, which is the case for the back camera display and DPP 4 when you don't have an HDR display. If you plan to use HDR PQ, your camera must be set to HDR PQ for the PQ data to be included in the Raw file, so you can not make a PQ HEIF/HIF from a regular Raw CR3 as the PQ data is not there.

Given your type of shooting (low light), I think you are on the right track to figuring it out ("Aperture Priority while manually adjusting my Exposure Compensation"). As to aRGB, If you are shooting Raw, I don't think color space carries much weight in post as it can be changed, so it's for JPG's, your camera LCD, or maybe the initial view in your post editor and thumbnails. I use "Wide Gamut RGB" once I'm in post, but we all have our preferences 🙂 As for the histogram, it's the same on my R5 and R6II in that it cuts off about a third of my entire scale in the highlights. But once I get the HDR PQ files into DPP 4, my histogram expands to 1023.

To repeat: "Once again, because I am always shooting in RAW, does any of this matter? Is the sensor just capturing everything it can by default when shooting RAW and therefore I should just be concerned with highlight preservation?"

That is correct! Unless you are shooting to display your Raw HDR PQ files on an HDR compliant monitor or distributing HEIF to others that also have HDR equipment, it does not matter. Your Raw files are going to have the best dynamic range they can produce. They just won't have the PQ data.

Newton

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27 REPLIES 27

FloridaDrafter
Authority
Authority

The R6 mark II already has above average dynamic range, but if you have the gear, like an HDR monitor and GPU, you can shoot in HDR PQ. It looks amazing on my system and they print nicely. The downside is, sharing the shots can be problematic in that others have to have the same HDR viewing capabilities. I'm not sure how LR or PS handles these files (Raw or HEIF) because I edit them in DPP 4. I've sent the HEIF files produced from the HDR Raw files to my sister who uses Apple products and she says they are superb and her and her daughter are graphic artists. Anyway, visit page 191 of the advanced users manual.

HDR PQHDR PQ

Newton

Peter
Authority
Authority

Raw at ISO 100.

shadowsports
Legend
Legend

I was already thinking in line with what Peter replied.  I was going to say RAW and IOS 200  🤣

In this scenario, this one leg of the exposure triangle allows the sensor to capture and perform at its max capability.  Of course aperture and shutter speed are important too as the better an image is exposed originally gives the most control in post.  You can also use a histogram and zebras if your camera supports the latter to achieve the best exposure for your shooting conditions.    Although white balance is a function of color, its accuracy helps with perceived clarity overall.  It will not pull more DR from the shadows, but it's accuracy does affect the characteristics of the final photo making it look more visually pleasing.           

~Rick
Bay Area - CA


~R5 C (1.0.9.1) ~RF Trinity, ~RF 100 Macro, ~RF 100~400, ~RF 100~500, ~RF 200-800 +RF 1.4x TC, BG-R10, 430EX III-RT ~DxO PhotoLab Elite ~DaVinci Resolve Studio ~ImageClass MF644Cdw/MF656Cdw ~Pixel 8 ~CarePaks Are Worth It

rs-eos
Elite

Check out the Zone System.

--
Ricky

Camera: EOS 5D IV, EF 50mm f/1.2L, EF 135mm f/2L
Lighting: Profoto Lights & Modifiers

shadowsports
Legend
Legend

This is what Ricky - RS-EOS is referring to:

Zone System - Wikipedia

~Rick
Bay Area - CA


~R5 C (1.0.9.1) ~RF Trinity, ~RF 100 Macro, ~RF 100~400, ~RF 100~500, ~RF 200-800 +RF 1.4x TC, BG-R10, 430EX III-RT ~DxO PhotoLab Elite ~DaVinci Resolve Studio ~ImageClass MF644Cdw/MF656Cdw ~Pixel 8 ~CarePaks Are Worth It

Do you guys know of any helpful YouTube videos that break this down visually - for those of us who have a hard time digesting so much technical information all at once without actually seeing it in action? I'm sure the Community would appreciate that! 😊

Will try to find some later.  I know Canon Explorer of Light Joel Grimes has some videos explaining the zone system.  Along with more technical videos on bit depth in images which I feel would be good supplemental info.

--
Ricky

Camera: EOS 5D IV, EF 50mm f/1.2L, EF 135mm f/2L
Lighting: Profoto Lights & Modifiers

I found the following video and feel it's put together very nicely to show off four different examples of using the zone system for landscapes.  While a film camera was being used, everything would translate to digital:

How To Measure Exposure For Film Photography - The Zone System (Ansel Adams)

Video from Joel Grimes on bit depth in images.  Doesn't describe the zone system (I'm thinking I saw that in some of his paid content I purchased years ago), but it speaks to the importance of capturing in higher bit depths.  As others already pointed out, that would be in RAW in which case you'll have 14 bits per channel to work with.  Versus if you capture in JPEG, you'd only have 8 bits per channel.   Joel also describes taking multiple exposures and combining them in post in Photoshop as 32 bits per channel images.  That allows the maximum flexibility in editing.

The Secret to High Detailed Photography

Finally, an article from Fstoppers:

How to Use the Ansel Adams Zone System in the Digital World

--
Ricky

Camera: EOS 5D IV, EF 50mm f/1.2L, EF 135mm f/2L
Lighting: Profoto Lights & Modifiers

ebiggs1
Legend
Legend

 "... the highest possible dynamic range in a single frame..."

"Raw at ISO 100."  "I was going to say RAW and IOS 200"

... with proper light and exposure.

EB
EOS 1D, EOS 1D MK IIn, EOS 1D MK III, EOS 1Ds MK III, EOS 1D MK IV and EOS 1DX and many lenses.
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