D5500 & 18-200 Zoom lens anomaly ??? URGENT PLEASE

[okulo]

Funny, I was slightly skeptical when I first read your original post and then became concerned after looking at my own photos. I think I had already mentioned something about overexposure in another thread but assumed it was my fault for not having set the camera up properly.

Anyway, I think that the way I presented the photos in the table may have made them look more similarly exposed than they are. I have flipped the f22 image and put it next to the f6.3 image so that they mirror along a common edge and then again, vertically, to give a better idea of the difference.

I removed the images because they only appeared in a useful configuration on certain sized screens but I could not find a way to remove the attached images which were added accidentally, so I have dleted the post and reposted it without any images.

Instead, the X & Y mirrored images can be seen below the table of images on the URL posted earlier:

Nikon D5500 Exposure Test

 

[Brian L]

Hi Okulo Rory been down with a cold today so not had a chance to emulate your test with my equipment. Hopefully tomorrow !
Brian

 

[Brian L]

Hi Okulo
I've managed to duplicate your photos on my system - see the results fro yourself ! Results are very similar to yours !
Brian

 

[Brian L]

Hi Okulo
Here are my results ! Very similar to yours !
Brian

 

[okulo]

Yes, that's quite clear, isn't it!

I'll point whoever I end up communicating with at Nikon in the direction of this thread to show that the problem isn't unique to me.

Curiously, after my last post, I did a Google search for Nikon D5500 exposure and found that early reviews complained about underexposure but when I searched for Nikon D5500 overexposure, I found lots if instances of people drawing attention to what we are experiencing. Maybe, Nikon already addressed exposure anomalies before the camera's official release.

 

[Brian L]

Yes I looked at the review for the camera and got loads of 'best buy' etc etc ! To e fair it is an excellent camera and if they can 'fix' this issue then t would be perfect. Keep me updated with any results please
All the best
Brian

 

[okulo]

I'm afraid I haven't got around to speaking to Nikon yet; too many balls to juggle at the moment, But I have created an exposure graph which I want to produce before I phoned them which I have added to the page I posted previously.

I took an 11x11 sample from the same point on each image (bottom right) using a grid in Photoshop to ensure I got the same area. I then took the RGB values and an average to plot the graph. It's not as smooth as I expected but there are clear increases in exposure in the mid f-stop range which approximate to 33% higher than the extreme f-stop values (f3.5 and f22).

None of this is completely scientific as RGB values in Photoshop do not equate to exposure but it is indicative of exposure inconsistencies.

Nikon D5500 Exposure Test

 

[Brian L]

This is excellent and should get Nikon's attention.
Good luck with this and please keep me updated.
Thank or your efforts
Brian

 

[okulo]

I finally got around to contacting Nikon via webchat. The person I was chatting with didn't seem particularly interested in the test I did and simply asked me to send a sample image, which I did. They then said they would get back to me via e-mail.

It just occurred to me as I was going through my photos looking for a sample that the most overexposed images were shot using live view - I could tell this because many of them were of fungi and I always have to use live view to get a good angle.

Next time the weather is decent here in Scotland, I will take some comparison shots of viewfinder vs live view.

 

[Brian L]

I'm in Scotland as well - Edinburgh!
hopefully Nikon will get back to you with some advice. I got the feeling that I was being to 'particular' ��

 

[okulo]

I'm north of Perth.

I have a feeling that the advice might be to use exposure compensation as I have read elsewhere that this is what somebody was advised but if so, I will be quite adamant that that is not the solution because that is not what exposure compensation is for.

 

[Brian L]

Completely agree with you ! We shall waitin nikon coming back with a proper solution !

 

[okulo]

I'm a bit puzzled and frustrated by Nikon's response so far. They have not commented on my test other than to say that it was of no use to them.

They asked for a sample image which I uploaded and sent a link. They said that the image had to be straight of the camera and that they could not read the metadata unless it was. Unfortunately, I don't keep images on the camera and the weather isn't really suitable for taking test photos at the moment. However, I downloaded the image to which I had sent a link and opened it with a nine year old freeware application called EXIF Viewer and could see all the EXIF metadata.

I get the feeling that they aren't going to be very helpful.

 

[Brian L]

I got the same response from them. They did offer to take the camera and lens back for 'testing' but said it could be away for 'a while' and as I was going on holiday it was not possible. I have reluctantly decided to just keep the equipment and live with the 'faults' as the only other option is to send the goods and change to Canon but even Canon has issues ! In the great scheme of things I think we are both just going to have to live with the inconsistencies. BTW I ACDsee PRo 9 and have used ACDsee for many years and find it fantastic. I also confirm that ALL the metadata is there in copied files from the memory chip onto the PC ! Just checked by looking at the pictures direct from the camera into Photoshop and ACDsee shows more EXIF data !

 

[okulo]

It seems I might have been a bit hasty in assuming Nikon's response - I just received an e-mail in which they acknowledge the problem and are talking about the possibility of referring it to the Nikon Service Centre if the problem isn't evident with any other lenses. The only other lens I have is the 18-55mm which came with the D5500 and there don't seem to be any problems with that.

Today would have been a good day to take some live view vs viewfinder comparison shots but I was preoccupied.

 

[Brian L]

Good to know they might be taking some action. I can confirm that the issue is with ALL 18-200 lenses AND 18-300 lenses as I've tried both. I bought the D5500 as a body only so have not tried the std lens. I did have a Nikon D3200 and a Sigma 18-250 lens and this combination did not have the issue either. Hopefully you are getting somewhere. Is there anything I can do to help ?

 

[okulo]

I forgot to mention that the message I received said that there could be a problem with the aperture arm (which I read about somewhere - maybe earlier in this thread) or it could be a problem with the camera or lens. I hadn't realised that you had the 18-200mm and 18-300mm lenses. That certainly points a bony finger at the D5500 in my mind.

It might be helpful if you were to let them know that you have the same problem then they might conclude that it is a problem with the model and not my individual camera - which is what they seem to be thinking even though I have mentioned that other people have the problem. . I don't know how the support system works at Nikon UK but I have chatted with two different people about two different issues so you may not be greeted by the same person as me but you could ask to be referred to the woman I have been dealing with whose name is Rebecca. The webchat is only available 09.00-17.00 Mondat to Friday but the URL is:

https://nikoneurope-en.custhelp.com/app/chat/chat_launch

 

[Brian L]

I have already been in touch with Nikon - JB Maher - and it was he who told me about the arm issue. I tried the 18-300 in a camera shop and this where I also saw the same issue. It seems to be an issue with the lenses of this size or thereabouts. I will email mr Maher tomorrow and let him know about your experience and see where we go from there. Thanks for the update

 

[okulo]

I just got sent a service centre return request form for the lens but I was told it could take four weeks and I don't think I can be without the 18-300mm lens for a month. I will just have to see if a period arises when I will be able to do without it.

 

[Brian L]

Yes I got the same story although I was told that this would be a worst case scenario of 4 weeks and usually they get it back within 2 weeks. Good luck with that but it would be good to see it going back - I'm waiting on the centre getting back to me as I also emailed them as you suggested.