I had all but given up on using exposure bracketing on my Fujifilm cameras. I would shoot the standard three frames, regular exposure, +1 and -1 and then use Lightroom’s merge to HDR to build a “High Def” image. Problem was that I could get the same result just taking the normal exposure and by moving the highlight and shadow sliders along with moving the white an black point sliders and get a result that was very similar to the HDR output. The dynamic range of the X-Trans sensors is pretty wide in raw. So why bother?
With newly released version 2.0 of the X-T2 firmware, you can set the camera to take up to 9 exposures to really build a much more “dynamic” image.
This is the final image I developed using the Fujifilm X-T2 and XF 16-55mm F/2.8 R LM WR while waiting to take the train from London to Hogsmead somewhere near Hogwarts School.
Here is how I had my camera set up to shoot the bracketed images.
On the Shooting menu, select drive settings.
Then select BKT Setting
Then BKT Select (Hard to see in my excellent screen captures…)
Once you select AE BKT you can go back one screen and set up the AE Bracket steps
Click on AE BKT
Then Frame/Step Settings. Note below you can set for continuous frames or 1 frame per click. You can also determine the order in which the exposures are made. I have it set to O normal exposure then plus exposures then minus exposures.
You can then select the number of frames to shoot.
And finally the number of steps between exposure. Note on the graphic below that the middle step is not right on 0 as the camera also takes into account any EV adjustments you have made. In my case I have (and usually have) a 2/3 minus EV dialed in.
And here you have the resulting 5 exposures. I think we start to have some captures that we can work with for building interesting HDR images.
Images shot with Fujifilm X-T2 and XF 16-55mm F/2.8 R LM WR
I am a bit late in finding this post, but why do you default to 2/3 minus ev as a “standard” practice? Do you find that your X t-2 overexposes many shots?
Not so much overexposing. I find that it gives me a bit more leeway when processing in Lightroom always easy to open the shadows, not as easy to real in overexposed highlights
If we’re using AE BKT for HDR images, what is Dynamic Range BKT for?
I’m sure you’ve found the answer elsewhere by now, but Dynamic Range BKT brackets the D-Rng settings (100%, 200%, 400%). Whereas AE bracketing changes the exposure compensation values (-5 to +5 for example), DR BKT holds the same exposure compensation value but brackets the way that the camera processes the highlights & shadows in-camera for a single exposure. Hope that makes sense.
There is only one important item you left out that you have to turn the the dial drive to bracketing in order to use. Thanks for helping me out with this.
1) For AE bracketing is the term “Step” equivalent to “Stop”, as in I F-Stop? If not, what number “Step” might be equivalent to 1 f-stop?
2) Why is bracketing not available in Acros B&W? Is there another way to set this?
Thank you.
The number of steps may be less than 1 stop or more. A step might be +/- 2/3 stop or it could be 2 stops. I see film simulation for all the film types on my X-T2
Thank you —
Sorry, I meant is 1 Step equivalent to 1 F-stop. I think it is.
Once I set my dial to BKT, film simulation disappears from my I.Q. menu. Film simulation can be accessed in Drive Setting/ BKT setting, but not for AE bracketing (+/-) to a particular Acros setting, such as Acros+R. It seems it will only bracket 3 different film simulations you set, rather than bracket +/-AE to 1 particular Acros setting, i.e. Acros+R. When I set the option for Film simulation BKT all to Acros+R, it just takes 3 identical images, not 3 different exposures (+/-) even though I have AE BKT set to +/- 2 steps. Am I missing something?