How to Determine the Dynamic Range of a Camera’s Sensor (VIDEO)
Lately we’ve been featuring a series of interesting tests you can easily do at home to verify the various attributes of cameras and lenses so that there are no surprises after you make a shot. The previous episode from photographer Fil Nenna explains a quick way to find the sharpest aperture setting of every lens you own, which may differ significantly from one lens to another.
Nenna is back again today with a simple test that enables you to determine the dynamic range of your camera’s sensor, rather than relying upon spec sheets and other materials. This is important information that hinges on two key questions: First, how forgiving is your camera to over- or underexposure; and secondly, how accurately will your camera cope with high-contrast situations.
According to Nenna there’s another benefit of this illuminating test for photographers who are on a mission to understand Ansel Adams’ Zone System analysis. In any case, your journey begins here and takes barely three minutes to complete.
Nenna places a closely knit fabric on a flat surface, explaining that “we’re interested in the detail we can resolve between a really dark and super bright exposure.” He keeps the ISO fixed but offers this important note: “Remember that dynamic range decreases as ISO is raised, so you should test at multiple ISOs or at least the ones you use most often.”
He also recommends stopping down the aperture to f/5.6. He runs through various shutter speeds beginning with the slowest that produces a white image with no detail whatsoever. Then he increases shutter speed in one-stop increments until you see a couple frames that appear completely black.
Interpreting the results of your test is really simple. Nenna explains that the dynamic range of a sensor is “the number of stops that show any detail at all.” This information enables you to understand how far you can push things, either up or down, before image quality goes sideways in a hurry.
Be sure to visit Nenna’s instructional YouTube channel where you’ll find more interesting insights about your gear, including the aforementioned method of determining the sharpest aperture setting of every lens you own.
