OM-1 blown highlights, dynamic range and ETTR

I find that the combination of me and my OM-1 results in a tendency to underexpose. This is particularly true when shooting BIFs (three variable backgrounds, dull sky, blue sky and vegetation). If I feel I am underexposing I can compensate with a plus EC but I find I can quickly blow highlights.
Many of my BIFs contain strong blacks and strong whites so this compounds the issue. I've never been a user of ETTR which is meant to help me get my exposure right but I don't really understand because an EC+0.7 is often enough to blow my highlights to an unrecoverable state. My final confusion is that OM-1 is meant to have very good dynamic range but doesn't that conflict with the reality that I can very easily get both underexposed and over exposed pictures. I should say that I get a lot right but inconsistency bugs me. Any thoughts welcome.

By underexposure do you mean a picture that is too dark?

How are you choosing exposure?

Yes in as much as the final result appears as if I had got my exposure and added -.7 EC. I'm usually shooting fully manual and I am sometimes misled by the image in the EVF which looks good but I have been told in the past that I shouldn't depend upon the OM-1 EVF but it is something which I have relied on with all my Panasonics before I moved to Oly. My problem is that even when I am aware, introducing +EC blows highlights much quicker than I would like and consequently my range from under to over exposed is much thinner than I would expect from then camera.

A recommended strategy here is to separate exposure (light on the sensor) and lightness (ISO and processing software). Get the most light on the sensor as you can consistent with not blowing highlights, desired depth of field and desired motion blur. This will minimize noise. See, for example, dprevived.com/t/why-are-my-photos-noisy/754/

Use software to adjust lightness (especially if you shoot raw) or use the ISO control. I believe the OM-1 has dual conversion gain at ISO 1000, so if you're close to ISO 1000 use 1000. Software is especially useful for things light lightening birds and darkening skies, while ISO changes overall lightness for a given exposure.

For BIF I shoot manual exposure, that is, appropriate fixed values of ISO, shutter speed and aperture. I take an exposure reading off a neutral tone such as a patch of grass, and typically underexpose by 1/3 stop. Images can be brightened if necessary in post, but if highlights are blown then there is nothing that can be done to rescue the shot. By shooting manual it doesn't matter if the background is blue sky, pale clouds or dark vegetation. Of course it's a pain if the lighting changes frequently so you have to periodically recheck that you have the exposure setting correct. Anyway, that's what I do.

Mike

That's pretty good advice. I must try taking an initial exposure as you suggest but as you say the light changing frequently is a constant issue with BIFs and an underexposed picture is often the result. I do salvage most in post but some never really bring out the full IQ and it just makes me wonder if I can lean towards a higher exposure after all the ETTR guys do it without ending up with blown highlights.

I also use auto iso which maybe leaves the camera to do too much thinking.

When shooting birds against a bright gray or blue sky you should set exposure comp +1 to +2.
The OM1 is somewhat forgiving of overexposure, and provides more ability to recover underexposure detail - from RAW images.
The blinkers (over/under exposure highlights during shooting) are relative to jpeg.
In post you can compensate by bringing down the highlights and bringing up the shadow.

Thomas Eisl has a good video on this - specific to the OM1.

Thomas Eisl has a good video on this.

What you see in the EVF and LCD is a preview of the JPEG file, and so the settings for the JPEG processing will affect what is displayed on the screen, including the live histogram and the highlight/shadow warnings. So if you want to avoid clipping highlights, you will need to use settings that better resemble the RAW file. With E-M1 II, I set the picture profile to "Muted" , contrast -2, saturation -2, based on videos I've seen on this subject.

youtu.be/H2h2F4juJAc

My point is that even a small +EC (0.7) invariably leaves me with unrecoverable blown highlights especially if I have a BIF with a big black and white contrast.

Interesting video with major settings changes to what I am used to. It is mainly only the BIFs that give me issues and typically landscapes, street scenes etc are OK even with a big sky land difference like in Peter's example. Even more surprising is that my aircraft in flight shots produce consistently decent results. (Compared to BIFs , predictable movement and generally frame filling) . I'm coming around to the conclusion that I may need to stop auto iso. I've never used it on previous cameras but many BIF shooters wouldn't be without it.

I've tried auto ISO several times and find it a PITA.
Use M mode, set ISO, SS, & f/stop based on proper exposure for something on the ground and shoot your BIF.
You may have to raise shadows a bit for your bird and drop highlights some for the sky, but you should be well within adjustment range for both.
Birds generally take up a lot less of the frame than airplanes.

Does your camera allow you to set a minimum shutter speed? If no, then you can probably ignore the rest if this post.

For BIF one camera configuration option to help get images with the desired image lightness is aperture priority + Auto ISO and a minimum shutter speed.

You can set the smallest f-number that will give you the DOF you want to suit the birds. Then set a minimum shutter speed. It will be the slowest shutter speed you are comfortable with to freeze the BIF. Set ISO to AUTO.

What should then happen when you take a shot is that at base ISO if the camera's metering wants to set a slower shutter speed than your set minimum, it will set the minimum shutter speed and raise ISO automatically to zero/centre the camera's meter.

If at base ISO the camera's histogram indicates highlight clipping, then the camera will maintain base ISO and set a faster shutter speed to prevent clipping.

This setup should help a lot to output sooc jpegs with good image lightness. If you're shooting raw then you set the final image lightness in post.

That's interesting. I use Auto ISO all the time except when I am ETTR'ing with the camera on a tripod and I lock in base ISO. Very, very rarely does Auto ISO give me any issues on my 90D.

How is auto ISO at PITA?

I frequently use it and it's helpful for getting the lightness of the image close to what I'd want.

Probably because my camera just has 2 adjustment dials.
In autoISO, I can choose to adjust SS/f-stop/or exposure comp but not all 3 without an extra button press.
I chose to set SS & f/stop, and a fixed ISO.

Shutter priority with autoISO & ExpComp doesn't let me control f-Stop
Aperture priority with autoISO & ExpComp doesn't let me control f-Stop.

I prefer to be in control.

I read somewhere, a while ago, that recent Olympus E-M1's, the TruePix engines were directed to provide multiple stops shadow recovery so you don't have to shoot ETTR. I shoot with the E-M1 III and this seems to be the case. I have never shot with Panasonic and I don't own the OM-1, but I think its TruePix engine works the same way. Pictures I shot (RAW) maybe slightly underexposed, but easily recovered in the post.

When I process the RAW files in Workspace:
1.Auto Gradation
2. Lift the shadow using the tone curve. (Place cursor on the picture where the shadow is then grab the point on the curve then move it up)
3. Set the Highlight slider to -5

I found Workspace is the most effective for this type of Shadow treatment.

Since you are setting SS and f-stop, what difference does ExpComp make?

Why do you care about ISO? Dual conversion gain?

Have you experimented with the camera's metering system yet? ('spot/center w average' etc) This is especially important wen working with contrasting backgrounds.

You also havent mentioned if you shoot in RAW (or not) which is an equally important factor as almost all of the time shooting in RAW will mean the difference between recovery of (any) overblown highlights or not. It has been mentioned by other users allready multiple times and it is sound advice.

Perhaps 'nzmacro' (Danny) can chime in as he has tons of expertise with the mft system, bif, and manual everything.