Prints darker than reality / what my eyes are seeing?

[Steve House]

I don't know how I can say this more clearly than I already had but I will try: No, shot is not underexposed and no, I am not using monitor as my reference point for judging, I am comparing print to scene itself.

How do you KNOW the shot is properly exposed in the camera?  Before printing the image you're looking at it on something in order to compare it to your scene and judge the exposure, right ... either a computer monitor or the camera's LCD display?  How do you know the device you're viewing it on when you make the conclusion "this shot is correctly exposed" is actually showing the image to you accurately?  If the image was actually one stop too dark but the device you're evaluating it on was one stop too bright, the dark image would LOOK correct when it isn't.  If you then print it on a printer that accurately reproduces what the file is calling for and compare it to your scene, the print will look one stop darker.

[Tony Jay]

I am not sure logic will help here.

[Steve House]

Neil thank you for your links but once again I am feeling I am not being heard. In your blog you talk about prints not matching what is displayed on monitor. Let's please stop focusing on monitor for a second and focus on exposure and print.

Do we or don't we agree that if I take a correctly exposed shot of objects against wall, immediately print that shot without any post processing on reasonably white/reflective paper (whatever is the right term, I hope you understand what I am trying to illustrate) and immediately put that print next to those same objects on same wall under same light I should expect that that print look close enough in brightness level to scene instead of being _significantly_ darker?

 No, you are not correct in that assumption.  The tones in the perfectly printed image made from a perfectly exposed image file will be noticably darker than the corresponding tones in the original scene.  Photography can never reproduce the dynamic range of the original scene, it only represents it as an abstraction that our brain can correlate to the reality it represents.  The quality of light bouncing off a red ball will be totally different from the quality of light bouncing off the blob of red ink on a piece of paper that represents that ball, even if we place the ball and the print side-by-side and illuminate them with the same light source.

[Tony Jay]

Steve your thoughts are good.

I doubt that you will be heard though.

Tony Jay

[Bryan Conner]

Zoran.....where is your image and the photo of your print?  I told you to put up or shut up.  I hope that you hang around here for a few more days.  You are getting your logical lunch eaten here by many....it is funny. 

[Bryan Conner]

Bryan, you did all of that effort for little me? I am so flattered. But don't you think your doing that indicates you are not interested in topic but instead in doing what psycho stalker would do? Is that how you get your jollies?

I see that you are not taking my challenge.  You have nothing to put up because you have no image.....you are indeed a TROLL  and you know it. 

[Bryan Conner]

I am starting to miss John Koerner

Now that is funny!  I had forgotten about him.  AHHHHHH...the good old days.  LOL

[chichornio]

This thread has been an "Advanced Master Class" on how to argue in English. My first languague is Spanish, so thanks ZoranC to leadind this thread to that point. All the questions and answers could lead to make a great Seinfied script!

[dgberg]

Since Mr. ZoranC is having a little fun with us,it is time to have a little fun with him.
My son is a psych major grad student,here is his take on ZoranC after reading these threads.

Age - 20 something possibly early thirties. Although argumentive attitude is more reflective of a teenager.
Education - Poor English and grammar suggests high school drop out.
Photography - Knows basic terminology but has little to no understanding what happens after he presses the shutter.
Printing -  Thinks  that the purchase of a 3880 automatically makes him an expert.
Social skills - Was a loner in school with no friends and fails to play well with others!

[TSJ1927]

I am almost sure the problem lies with the Printer.  The Printer probably has a couple of loose screws.  This will always result "Dark" output.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I am not sure logic will help here.

I am sure logic will not help here!

This has been entertaining.

[Randy Carone]

Zoran,

Have any of the suggestions embedded in this thread helped you with the issue of dark prints? Inquiring minds want to know because there have been posts here that can solve your problem. Any improvement?

[michael]

Wow. I go away for a few days (PODAS workshop) and look what happens.

OK kids, time to call it a day. Mr ZoranC is not banned (yet) but any further nonsense and he will be.

I'm locking this thread so that it fades away into the archives as quickly as possible.

Michael