My Nikon D700s are overexposing

[ColSebastianMoran]

When this happened to me, it was the lens not closing down.

Test: If exposure is right wide open but bad at f/8.

 

[peterm1]

When this happened to me, it was the lens not closing down.

Test: If exposure is right wide open but bad at f/8.

I agree. This is not unusual.

 

[Rob-F]

The D700 will overexpose if you try to shoot a fast lens wide open, and you are setting the aperture with the lens diaphragm control ring. The problem clears up when you switch to the front adjuster wheel, under your index finger. You have to go into the menu to make the switch.

 

[Bolo Kukus]

I habitually shoot 1 stop under when in contrasty situations to avoid too many blown highlights (and have done so for a while) and have noticed when I do not, that the images generally look a little washed out. I had never considered the thought that it might be mis metering or have some other problem. I just figured this is how it is - and coped. I suppose I could check exposure readings against one of my other cameras. But then again I tend to find that I want to under expose (against metered readings) for most cameras as most of them seem to my eye too included to "expose to the right" to the detriment of highlights when shooting in outdoor situations as I usually do.

Thank you. This is good advice. After reading it, I took my newer D700 for a walk and shot my usual old buildings in bright sun at one stop under. Results were far better than usual, still some overexposure in a few images but most were close to what I lconsider to be correct exposure with my D700s.

I also found that one stop under seems to control the blown highlights in my images taken in full sun. This has long been a problem with the D700 and has caused me a lot of work in post processing. So a double plus here.

After this trial-and-error test, I worked out that I'm best off setting the D700 exposure at one stop under in bright sun, and 0.7 stops under for shade. These two will see me through about 90% of my photography.

I want to do a test with the camera set on M (manual) and exposures worked out with my Gossen Luna Pro. Probably next weekend.

However, I see all this as stopgap solutions. I need reliable cameras to use in my travels in Southeast Asia and sadly, I now see my D700s as potentially unreliable. Due to weight restrictions I travel with only one D700 and at most three lenses. If my camera's exposure system goes bad on me in the field, I would be left without a system to use. (In my past travels I've taken a Rolleicord Vb TLR as well, but this cannot really be compared to a D700.)

I'm still confused about what could be causing my two D700s to overexpose by a full stop but not a Nikon Df with the same lenses and in the same shooting situations.

To resolve all this, in the very near future I'll send one D700 to be checked and maybe serviced if a specific problem is diagnosed. Which may or may not resolve matters, but it's worth trying.

Again, thank you everyone for your suggestions. I know two other D700 owners who have this problem with overexposure and I will draw their attention to this thread.

An update will follow if new information or a solution to the problem are found. Let's all cross our fingers and hope.

 

[Bolo Kukus]

Fast update.

Turning off the D700's bracketing has helped somewhat, but the basic problem of inconsistent overexposure has not been entirely solved...

Going on the advice of a most helpful camera repairman in Melbourne, I undid the bracketing. It appears that some (this is a keyword in this matter) D700s tend to overexpose when bracketing is set to 1 image only and not 3 images.

One of my two D700s is now exposing almost (aso a keyword) normally per the good old days when it was new and all on it worked to near perfection. The other continues to overexpose if not quite as often.

To annoy me even more, the 'problem' D700 is a late production model -and the newer one I purchased in 2018.

The experimenting continues. I hope this will be of assistance to some who have noted the same problem with their D700s, which despite its advanced age remains a bloody good camera in (almost) every way.

More updates as I work thru my list of things to try. Fortunately I'm retired and have time to do this at leisure. For all that, wish me luck!!

 

[Pál_K]

I don't understand what is supposed to happen when autobracketing is selected, but only 1 frame is chosen. Seems odd that's even possible.

If 3 are chosen, I'd expect -1, 0, +1 or maybe +1, 0, -1. Maybe selecting only 1 frame gives you that +1 EV.

 

[Bolo Kukus]

I don't understand what is supposed to happen when autobracketing is selected, but only 1 frame is chosen. Seems odd that's even possible.

If 3 are chosen, I'd expect -1, 0, +1 or maybe +1, 0, -1. Maybe selecting only 1 frame gives you that +1 EV.

Basically, it inactivates the bracketing. You only shoot one image, at normal exposure (= the one you set the camera for).

One of those idiosyncrasies Nikon has incorporated into the camera. There are others, as I'm sure any D700 owner well knows.

 

[Bolo Kukus]

Update time again.

Some months ago, I started this thread after my D700s started to overexposing at odd times. Not consistently, but regularly enough to annoy me, as this created much post processing work for me on my PC.

Much good advice was received from others (for which many, many thanks) and some of it was taken to heart and acted on.

After a great deal of experimentation, I've finally resolved, sort of, the problem by doing three things.

1. I reset everything on the camera (via the double-button system) every time I use it and then redo my personal adjustments. Not too tedious, as I generally tinker with very little in the shooting menu anyway.

2. I set the metering to mid-range center. My tests showed that spot metering caused too many variations in exposure, and the usual setting, for the entire screen, was somehow also inconsistent on many occasions.

3. I shoot in sunlight at -1.0. The only other adjustment I ever make to this is to change to -0.7 for shade or in the early mornings/evenings.

My post processing has reduced by about 40%. At my advanced age, this is most welcome as I want to make the most of what time I have left.

So problem solved, sort of. Very much in the footsteps of the Emperor Napoleon of France who it seems ignored all his correspondence for up to a month, on the principle that nine times out of ten most things if left alone long enough, eventually resolve themselves in one way or another.

 

[Pál_K]

...
2. I set the metering to mid-range center. My tests showed that spot metering caused too many variations in exposure, and the usual setting, for the entire screen, was somehow also inconsistent on many occasions.
...

Was the spot-metered area exposed correctly though?

...
Emperor Napoleon of France who it seems ignored all his correspondence for up to a month, on the principle that nine times out of ten most things if left alone long enough, eventually resolve themselves in one way or another.

Haha! I've found that to be the case with office email where a bunch of people start going crazy with responses. I'd just wait until the end of the day and read the last few.