DPReview TV: Waveforms are better than histograms (and stills cameras should use them)

By now, most serious photographers are familiar with histograms, a tool we've used for years to judge exposure. But what about waveforms? In this episode, Chris and Jordan explain why this tool from the video world may be the best way to judge exposure for photos – and why still cameras should use them too.

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[kbmats]

I took me days to understand histograms and I just learned how to understand waveforms in less than 8 minutes lol

[paulalanputnam]

Ok. I’m sold. Let’s use DpReview’s power on social media and such to push camera manufacturers into providing us with waveform graphs in our screens.

[davidweidhofer]

in "darktable" it is possible to switch from histogramm to waveforms

[LordMardur]

Lantern Magic adds this to Canon cameras in Live View. The example of your face against the white background, just using spot exposure metering completely solves the issue with any digital photo camera.
The waveform feature is present in video cameras, because there you cannot just spot meter and then reframe. The exposure needs to be adjusted while recording and also through changing light conditions in one video.

[chcomes]

Not only it would be more useful, histograms are currently showing levels on jpeg and not raw, which is basically bullshitting raw shooters into wasting dinamic range and making worse pictures by "protecting highlights" that are still well protected in raw bc the jpeg is using only the bottom of the exposure due to... no reason?

[louis]

Hopefully in a few years:
Fuji: waveforms as free updates to super old cameras
Panasonic: surprisePikachu.gif

[HoggetBlanker]

Majic Lantern has waveforms in Liveview for the cameras it supports :)

[stalman]

I’ve been saying it for years! Also, vector scopes could be more useful with a slight redesign

[legendp]

funny thing is my old t3i/600d has a waveform with magic lantern in all modes

[freecycling]

What about instead of superimposing a different form of display on top of the image, using a **heat map** instead? Press a function button and instead of seeing the image colors, the heat map colors would be shown, e.g. red for blown-out, magenta for 90-100%, etc. etc. IOW, a more informative "blinky" display. Could be made configurable as to # of colors / exposure bands to show.

[ilovethismightyfineplace]

Now that you mention it, I can’t think of any reason why we’d need a histogram over a waveform. Interested in why this hasn’t happened yet.

[vishnuramachandran]

I think having ZEBRA on ur cam really helps...
It doesn't take up any space and really gets the job done of protecting the highlights...

[no-trick-pony]

Zebra works just fine for me and they are much quicker and more intuitive on EVFs. And you usually see how "close" you are by the amount of area that is blown out on e.g. faces. If it's just tiny dots, it's just some reflections on pores/very tiny glossy spots. Wave forms just use the x-axis location, right? So I can't tell what exactly is blown out to what extend if I have to motifs above/below each other with similar color and where EXACTLY in the image something gets blown out.

[itcamefromabox]

Great video, dang it you guys are such a pleasure to watch.

[qbgabe]

Future camera firmware update: "As suggested by Chris and Jordan, waveforms is now available in photo mode"

[Raychristofer]

Thanks Chris I always felt like an amateur when Jordan talked about waveforms and I had no clue. Keep in mind zebras are great too and precise in showing where the blown out bits are and they do work in photo mode at least in my g7.

[derekbrown]

Interesting video, Chris & Jordon, lets hope this is something the camera companies, pick up on, in the near future, would come in handy for stills photography.

[dch]

5:40 have a software update and display the wave form in the EVF while having the regular picture in the back display.

[GrandHuevotes]

As a photographer ive never needed or wanted even histograms. I always just eyeball it by feel and use exposure comp. the less I have to jerk with and worry about the better

[millerdp]

Catch the wave! Chris and Jordan, thanks for the excellent bit of education (for this non-videographer). Funny, whenever I explain a histogram I invariably say, “Look here, that means SOMEWHERE in the frame it is completely overexposed.” Now I know there is technology to make that legible. Sierra Hotel!