[JJ_SO]

I wonder why one would want to measure a bird's eye? One does not have to meter a subject, one can meter for the light conditions. One can even rely on the camera to make the judgement when needed (called "evaluative metering" in Canon land, "matrix metering" in Nikon land).

 

As normal tonal curves with nice contrast span around 7 stops of DR, that would leave 5 stops of headroom, what is the obsession with that 14 number about, exactly?

 

I too had an interest in"HDR", many years ago, I shot scenes with 3 bracketed shots with a 6 stop spread. Luckily it only lasted a short while, finding the unrealistic, tasteless cheap scifi movie results as unattractive as they are.

 

It is very interesting to me that I never see your examples of 14 stops of DR?

 

A bit wrong assumptions and the good old children reply "why do I never see your examples" - childish at first look, but on the other hand I obviously did a not so bad job in showing huge DR pictures not looking like those plasticky "HDR"-thingies we share at least the same dislike to   Let's just agree I show more pictures than you did lately, but amongst the ones I could find in PZ's archives were nice ones. Like the silhouette pictures - here one can say making the best out of a handicap (working with low DR sensors) but one can as well say, the idea and the realisation is really great.

 

Each nightshot has a bigger range than only 14 stops. Snow landscapes, deserts, beach scenes, a simple evening sky, inside a church, front light situations but I don't want to flash against the shadows. 

 

The birds eye was my reply to Wim who suggested to put the birds eye on zone V. That would be the tone of a standard grey card. Which is far too bright for a bird's eye and we still have the problem to measure it. Using zone system is measuring the reflected light to get an exposure which gets the best start for the final, but pre-visualized picture - volume light metering (you call it "metering the light conditions" which might be the better term) is not the way zone system works. I say, when using Evaluative/Matrix metering it can happen that important details become too dark.

 

High DR is not only about headroom - also about "foot room". Not only some kind of noisy shadows with big grains, but punchy and clear low tones, as well as great highlight recovery.

 

Look, I don't want to convince you, that 14 instead 12 stops would be better for your pictures - for my pictures these two extra stops DO matter.