HDR (High Dynamic Range) Shooting (EOS 5D Mark III)
28-Feb-2012
8201353700
Solution
If you set the camera to HDR mode, you can take artistic photos having a high dynamic range and preserving detail in highlight and shadow areas. HDR shooting is effective for landscape and still-life shots. HDR shooting is effective for landscape and still-life shots.
With HDR shooting, three images of different exposures (standard exposure, underexposure, and overexposure) are captured for each shot and then merged together automatically. The HDR image is recorded as a JPEG image.
* HDR stands for High Dynamic Range.
CAUTION
- In HDR shooting, 3 images are captured with different shutter speeds set automatically. Therefore, even in <Tv> and <M> shooting modes, the shutter speed will be shifted based on the shutter speed you set. Also, HDR shooting of a moving subject is not recommended because the movement of the subject will appear as afterimages in the merged image. HDR shooting is suited for still subjects.
- Using a tripod is recommended. For handheld shooting, using a fast shutter speed is recommended.
- The HDR mode cannot be set if you use any of the following: AEB, white balance bracketing, multiple exposures, bulb exposure, or movie shooting.
- Flash will not fire during HDR shooting.
NOTE
- To prevent camera shake, the ISO speed may be set higher than usual.
- HDR shooting under fluorescent or LED lighting may result in unnatural color reproduction of the illuminated areas.
- With HDR shooting, the three images will be merged after you take a picture. Therefore, it will take a longer time to record the HDR image to the card than with normal shooting. During the merging of the images, "BUSY" will be displayed and you cannot take another picture until the merging is completed.
The types of effects that can be set for HDR shooting are as shown in the table below.
| Item | Description |
| Natural | For images preserving a wide tonal range where the highlight and shadow detail would otherwise be lost. |
| Art standard | While the highlight and shadow detail will be better preserved than with [Natural], the contrast will be lower and the gradation flatter to have the picture look like a painting. The subject outlines will have bright (or dark) edges. |
| The colors are more saturated than with [Art standard] and the low contrast and flat gradation create a graphic art effect. | |
| Art bold | The colors are the most saturated, making the subject pop out and the picture look like an oil painting. |
| The color saturation, brightness, contrast and gradation are decreased to make the picture look flat. The picture looks faded and old. The subject outlines will have bright (or dark) edges. |
NOTE
Each effect will be applied while based on the characteristics of the Picture Style currently set.
1. Set the power switch to <ON>.
2. Press the < 
> button.
> button.
3. Turn the <Quick Control Dial> to select then press the <SET> button.
4. The HDR mode screen will appear. Select [Adjust dyn range], then press the <SET> button.
5. Turn the <Quick Control Dial> to select the desired dynamic range setting, then press the <SET> button.
- Selecting [Auto] will have the dynamic range set automatically the image's overall tonal range.
- If you select [±1], [±2], or [±3], the higher the number, the wider the dynamic range will be.
6. Select the desired effect, and then press the <SET> button. For information about the characteristics of each effect, please see the Types of Effects section above.
7. Set [Continuous HDR].
- Select either [1 shot only] or [Every shot], then press the <SET> button.
- With [1 shot only], HDR shooting will be canceled automatically after the shooting ends.
8. Set [Auto Image Align].
For handheld shooting, select [Enable]. When using a tripod, select [Disable]. Then, press the <SET> button.
9. Set the images to be saved.
- To save all three images and the merged HDR image, select [All images], then press the <SET> button.
- To save only the HDR image, select [HDR img only], then press the <SET> button.
10. HDR shooting is possible with viewfinder shooting and Live View shooting.
[HDR] will be displayed on the LCD panel.
11. When you press the shutter button completely, three consecutive images will be captured, and the HDR image will be recorded to the card. To disable HDR shooting, select [Disable HDR] in step 5.
CAUTION
- If [Auto Image Align] is set to [Enable] and the HDR picture is shot handheld, the edges of the photos will be cropped, lowering the resolution slightly. Also, if the images cannot be aligned properly due to camera shake, etc., auto image alignment may not take effect. Note that when shooting with excessively bright or dark exposure settings, auto image alignment may not work properly.
- If you perform handheld HDR shooting while [Auto Image Align] is set to [Disable], the 3 images may not be properly aligned and the HDR effect may be minimal.
NOTE
- If the image-recording quality is set to RAW, the HDR image will be recorded in
quality. - If the image-recording quality is set to RAW+JPEG, the HDR image will be recorded in the JPEG quality set.
- You can also set HDR shooting with [
: HDR Mode].