5D Mark III - Underexposed images

[dgtl_nm8r]

I just got a new 5D Mark III, and it seems to be underexposing images by about a full stop. I've tried all the metering modes, and it doesn't seem to change anything. Anyone else having this problem?

Thanks,

Jm

[placebo]

It is underexposed on the histogram on the camera so I added 0.7 to obtain a correct picture. I used an 24-70 L II f2.8.  I had the same results with the 24-105L.  Never been a problem with my 5D2.

[hsbn]

just one more quick question, sorry if it bothers you. But is the object that you are taking the photo of to determine the exposure? Is it a gray card? or color patch? or something else.

[placebo]

You do not bother me and thank you for helping me.  I am not using any object but taking plain outdoor and landscape pictures to compare .  There was no snow on the area but the sea was greyish.  Maybe I should take a grey card.  The 5D3 is the first DSLR that I have to compensate +0.7 to get "normally clear" outdoor pictures.

[hsbn]

sometimes the sparkling water surface under the sun can throw off your camera metering also. The best way to test, try to find a constant light source, place a gray card in it, take photo see if it is still under exposed.

[placebo]

Thank you for the tip. I'll try it next time and i'll let you know.

[hsbn]

Update us with information whenever you have a chance. I'm eager to know the result too :). Thank you, in a mean time, enjoy the camera.

[HDCamTeam]

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@placebo wrote:

I have restored my 5D3 to the default settings and did some tests.  I still have to overexpose by at least 0.7 to get a accurate picture.

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Hi,

Just in case, are you using manual lenses that do not communicate with the camera?

Regards.

[pvk]

Do you by any chance have Highlight Tone Priority on?

[placebo]

No but I have auto lighting optimizer on so I'll disable it and do some test pictures.

[ReviewFever]

Well, I am having what I think may fall under the same category or rather something quite similar...

I just purchased a 5d3 and it is a huge step up from an old olympus evolt i purchased 9 years ago... I had gotten a hold of the camera well enough and needed a step up into a dslr that produced good video so after a VERY long time put into research i went with the 5d3. 

Well, sadly, I am quite disappointed with the results I am getting of low light and night shots and after writing out about 11 pages of settings to use in manual mode to produce similar, wonderful shots, I am getting NOTHING but black screens in my shots.  Every time.  I have reproduced the exact shot styles and lighting doing research into footcandle information and seeking areas that are exactly the same as sample photos taken from a plethora of different sites online and different artists and I cannot duplicate anything nearly close to what I am seeing online. and even after putting my photos into lightroom 4.4 and manipulating them for a REALLY lot longer than i would like to, i still can only turn up with maybe a pile of grain.

so i will try to explain my issue very quickly.  -and by no means do i consider myself anywhere near a professional not even a knowledgeable novice-  i'm a noob plain and simple and this camera is WAY over my head at the moment, but what i can say is that I learn expremely quickly and retain everything i learn much better than most people so even with a very steep learning curve, I know that with proper direction i will have this camera nearly mastered in few months...

and i am now fairly certain that the issue lies with myself as i must be overlooking something somewhere and i just started on the manual and am up to page 100ish but i havne't come across the fix yet...

i preface saying i want to shoot in manual mode, because i want complete control... but setting it into manual mode is NOT giving me complete control because the camera still is doing things on its own.

so my issue:  i set the iso, wb, +/-, and shutter speed as I want them and try to take a static shot of a rather dark area with very minimal lighting and as i depress the shutter half way the camera attempts to autofocus and while it does... (in live view to give me an idea of what's goin on) the screen immediately comes alive with colors and beautiful well lit images as it focuses and shows me a picture exactly as i want it taken and when i fully depress to capture the image i am left with MAYBE one highlight of the most well lit area and the rest is just black. 

i dont understand why the liveview is showing me the picture as i hope it to be taken then giving me something that is absolutely unuseable.

i've tried in P mode and with minimal +/- adjustments I am ending up with very well lit night shots at a shutter speed around 1/200 or 1/400 but i can only seem to bring about a well it image in manual mode with a shutter speed of maybe a half a second to an eighth of a second. 

I can't understand why i set my camera to the same settings i am seeing other peoples' photographs which turn out very nice at night and in very dark areas and when i try i get utter junk...

i have to be missing something somewhere... the settings i've tried most are:

ISO  ...  F/ ...   SS

800  ... 6.4...  1/12     -very dark

1600  ....   2.8 ... 1/60   black with one barely visible highlight  1/50  black  1/100 black

1600  ...   4  ...  1/200  black   1/60  black with one highlight

3200  ... 2.8  1/1000  black with a pile of noise

and i went to the only camera shop anywhere near me and explained my situatioin and received a little chuckle from the owner because i knew he was thinking i was over my head and i know at the moment i am, but once i learn a little more i know i will be proficient, i didnt spend almost $8000 on equipment with a thought that i couldnt learn this camera and all the lenses and balancing system.

he told me i had to try a moon shot at  ISO 400, F/ 16, and SS 400 then just step it down until i got a shot i liked but it's all just black or when stepped down to around 2.8 I'm getting a moon that looks like a yellow fuzz ball and a sky full of purple and white noise.

i'm probably going to have to create a new forum post but i have 1 minute left to work tonight and wanted to get this in here and online before i left and went home.  ANY guidance is immensely appreciated.  Thanks a bunch in advance and i may end up copying this into a new post altogether.  sorry to have seeminly hijacked your post, author.

thanks

jon  / reviewfever