HDR comparisons

Since the "Post your best HDR photo" thread seems to have gone all over the map, I thought I'd spawn a new thread for some discussion and comparison. In the previous thread, there's been discussion and debate about how many shots are needed and what step is best. I in no way profess to know the answers or pointers, but have some relevant shots for us to pore over.


This weekend I shot a bicycling event. Yesterday I found myself at a low water crossing (that's Texan for a bridge that's expected to be underwater and unusable with any amount of excess flow in the creek/stream/river that it's crossing) with some great scenic vistas. Tripod, 1D Mark III, 16-35/2.8II, cable release. Not a great tripod, but it looks like it did well enough. Shooting a RAW plus a small JPEG each time, bracketing set for 7 shots in each example, shooting the normal exposure first, then the most underexposed to the most overexposed (i.e. 0, -3, -2, -1, +1, +2, +3). For each of three compositions, I did a bracket at 1EV steps and then a bracket at 2EV steps. From that, I assembled an HDR from the 7@1EV, an HDR from the 7@2EV, and then an HDR from 9@EV (using the original 7 plus the -4 and +4 out of the second set).


Please go here to view all of the examples and pixel-peep to your heart's content: http://photos.templin.org/gallery/hdr101 - in each folder you'll find the various images to compare. If you click on each image to bring up a screen-size image, you can then click on the screen-size image for a full-res image.


Samples:


Base exposure (pulled from the in-camera small JPEG...didn't want to complicate things with any other CR2->JPEG utility). f/11, ISO 100, 1/125th, auto white balance (I was lazy given the nature of the event), shot as aperture priority.


http://photos.templin.org/albums/hdr...0096.sized.jpg


HDR 7@1EV:


http://photos.templin.org/albums/hdr..._CR2.sized.jpg





HDR 7@2EV:


http://photos.templin.org/albums/hdr..._CR2.sized.jpg





HDR 9@1EV:


http://photos.templin.org/albums/hdr..._CR2.sized.jpg

peety, it looks like there is plenty of posterization present in several of the shots. The scene doesn't really have much dynamic range. I can see haloing in the tree line, too. This is a processing issue. Are you using Photomatix?


What is your conclusion from these various experiments? I guess I'm not sure what differences there are to be had from so many EV, since if there is any movement in the trees from the wind, it will introduce significant artifacts and noise.


Just my 2 cents.

Your sensor need cleaning LOL [:P]


Great shot anyway [:)]

I'm using Essential HDR, with the Detail Revealer and settings of Contrast:42, Brightness:0, Color Saturation: 50, Fill Light:0.


Aside from needing a lens cleaning (sensor just got done last week), I don't have much in the way of conclusions yet. Although the scene may not have a lot of dynamic range, I'm seeing a lot more detail in the foreground rocks after HDR. *shrug*

All it takes to improve your initial photo is a quick reduction in exposure, and minor curve tweaks. Takes about 30 seconds in lightroom to bring the detail back in the rocks in front without the use of HDR that causes such haloing to begin with. Why make it complicated when the simple fix would do the same thing?





JO