If I see Zebras, I can quickly turn the aperture ring (stopping down) until they disappear. I shoot primarily with old Rokkor manual focus lenses. If it isn’t I change the exposure, usually by stopping down the lens. I can quickly evaluate the scene and decide if the detail loss is acceptable. The important thing is the Zebra stripes show me where any detail will be lost before I make an exposure. Other times I don’t mind if clouds lose highlight detail. ![]() An example would be a night scene with bright lights in the background. Sometimes I don’t care if an area of the photo contains blown highlights. Stopping down the lens eliminates the Zebra patterns A quick glance will not only warn about clipping but will also identify exactly where the clipping is occurring. Histograms won’t tell you which areas in the photo will have clipped highlights.Įnter Zebra Patterns. There is also the issue that most histograms will only signal that there are areas in the photo which lack highlight detail. The pace is such that I am not at liberty to spend time reacting to the histogram. I need to grab the shot and recompose for the next activity. When I am capturing an event, however, I seldom have time to adjust my settings based on the histogram. I know many photographers who rely on histograms to nail exposure. ![]() Among these are live histograms and zebra patterns. No longer constrained by the analog limitations of earlier cameras, designers are free to present an array of new tools in the viewfinder. With the introduction of mirrorless cameras, Sony engineers found they could display much more information to photographers. The average dSLR camera is equipped with a mirror and ground glass, which doesn’t offer the opportunity to add information overlays. If you primarily use the viewfinder, you won’t have access to this information on a dSLR. Typically, the warnings are only on the LCD. It isn’t very practical for action or something unrepeatable. This is appropriate for landscapes, still-life and portraits. If the highlights are blown out, you can adjust your settings and shoot another image. The classic case of locking the barn after the horses have escaped. While this is better than nothing, many cameras only alert you to a problem after an image is recorded. Short of hand painting structure and elements into the highlights, there is little you can do.Īlmost all digital cameras offer some form of clipped highlight warning on the rear LCD. If your image lacks critical detail in the highlights, those areas will appear as white or gray blobs. ![]() Despite the advances in software editing applications, no app can restore information that doesn’t exist. Photographers refer to this lack of detail as blown highlights. They do not appear in the final photograph. Naturally, the Zebra patterns are only displayed in the viewfinder or rear LCD. The camera will display a pattern of black and white stripes over any region in the image that lacks visible detail. What are Zebra Patterns?Įssentially, photographic Zebra Patterns alert photographers to clipped highlights in the viewfinder. Zebras are extremely useful for both still and video shooters. At the time I was more concerned with still photos than video, so I didn’t explore the Zebra feature further. I didn’t fully understand their function, and when I inquired about them I was told they were for videographers. I first encountered the Zebra option when I rented a Sony A7S about five years ago. And until recently, I ignored this feature. Most Sony Alpha Mirrorlesss Cameras have the option to display Zebra Patterns in the viewfinder and rear LCD panel. Zebra Patterns: Every Mirrorless Photographer Needs Them.
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