Help with my new D7100

insoul8

Senior Member
So I just replaced my D3200 with a D7100 and am having a bit of trouble with it. I was hoping one of you might be able to help point me in the right direction. Both in manual mode and aperture mode, I'm finding that the camera is not performing as I expected. When I set a smaller f stop (something even like 5.6), the shutter speed slows way down (1/30 and slower) and the ISO cranks way up (6400+) for it to even take a semi decently exposed picture. I'm indoors with the lights on. On my 3200 I seem to remember being able to even get a decent (but noisy) image almost completely in the dark. This is a semi lit room in the middle of the day with sunlight coming in. I'm sure there is just a setting I don't yet know about that might be contributing. Can any of you make sense of this?

I'm using my Nikon 35mm f1.8 at f2.2 to match the iPhone. I've tried matrix, center weighted and spot metering all with similar results, 0 exposure compensation, and my iPhone doesn't have any problem getting a perfect picture in the same amount of light. What am I missing? I feel like I'm going crazy.

Thanks for the help!
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Here are a few images with the exif data. Taken at f2.2, 1/125, different iso values with my lights on inside. This is with matrix metering though it doesn't seem to make a real difference.

http://divemedia.net/mp3/test/1.jpg
http://divemedia.net/mp3/test/2.jpg
http://divemedia.net/mp3/test/3.jpg
http://divemedia.net/mp3/test/4.jpg
http://divemedia.net/mp3/test/iphone.jpg
Your first D7100 shot was taken at f/2.2 at 1/125 and ISO 400, but your iPhone photo was taken at f/2.2 at 1/30 using ISO 200.

.....
 
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insoul8

Senior Member
Right, and the last photo is still much darker than the iphone photo even though the iphone used a longer exposure by about two stops, but with four fewer stops in ISO.
 

RocketCowboy

Senior Member
Right, and the last photo is still much darker than the iphone photo even though the iphone used a longer exposure by about two stops, but with four fewer stops in ISO.

ISO 200 to ISO 400 is one stop. Shutter speed of 1/30 to 1/125 is two stops. They aren't equivalent exposures between the D7100 and the iPhone; the D7100 would be one stop under exposed in comparison.

The images aren't loading for me over the hotel wifi connection for some reason, but it sounds like you might be on to something by looking into the metering modes on your D7100. I haven't seen the scene you're grabbing, so it could be fooling the in camera meter. Will check again when I get on better wifi.
 

Texas

Senior Member
Not familiar with the 7100 but my 300 has a global meter calibration override menu item - I forget what it is called. Worth checking.

The two green dot button reset does not alter this.
 
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Needa

Senior Member
Challenge Team
FYI. 200 to 400 is one stop. ISO doubles between stops 100, 200, 400, 800. So there is only one stop difference between the two. The shot from the 7100 looks darker then one stop difference. There some other things not accounted for the phone was using spot metering (what did it meter) and we don't know what automatic adjustment are made to the jpg file.
I would say do a comparison on the 7100 between auto mode and then try those settings in manual to see what you get.
 

insoul8

Senior Member
The 4th example which is the one I'm comparing has an ISO of 3200 and it's still much darker than the iphone image even though the exposure should be brighter when looking at the settings.

that would be:
iphone- f2.2 1/30 ISO 200 (much brighter no noise)
4th shot with d7100- f2.2 1/125 ISO 3200 (noisy and dim)

I can take more later and match the settings exactly with what the iphone uses but i suspect it will be much much darker on the d7100.
 
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insoul8

Senior Member
And when i try auto, it jacks the shutter and iso way way up, so it's hard to even get a picture that isn't blurry when holding the camera by hand. It definitely works better in direct sunlight but i feel like something is wrong with it as my d3200 had no problem with indoor shots like this.
 
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