First
we'll scroll to the Shooting Menu –Screen 1,
then scroll right to the Multiple Exposure Menu - Screen 2,
and select Number of shots, then right again to Screen 3 to
select the actual number of shots in the series.
If
you only need to do two shots (the default value) then you
can select “Done” in Screen 2, instead of scrolling right
to Screen 3. Screens 4 and
5 have to do with setting up the “Auto Gain”
functionality, which you may or may not want to use. Screen
6 lets you finish the selections, and you
are ready to take multiple exposures!
Once
you've selected a shot count, the D2x remembers the value
and comes back to it for the next session. Then all you have
to do is select screen 1 – Multiple exposure, scroll right
to screen 2, and select Done. You can do that over and over.
It's actually quite fast and easy!
Understanding Auto Gain: Please note that
Auto Gain defaults to ON, so you need to understand it well.
Let's discuss it in detail.
On
Screen 2, or 4, is where
Auto Gain is selected (same screen, different sequence). Auto
Gain only applies if you want to make a number of exposures
with the exact same exposure value for each. If you want to
make two exposures, the camera will meter for a normal exposure,
and then divide the exposure in half for the two shots. For
three shots, it will divide the exposure by 1/3 each, four
shots by ¼ each, eight shots by 1/8 each…and so forth.
In
other words, it will take the normal exposure for a single
shot and divide it by the number of shots, so that when you
are done, you have the equivalent of a single good exposure.
Does this make sense?
Another
way of looking at it is this; if I want a two shot multiple
exposure, I normally want the background to get ½ of the normal
exposure in each shot, so that it will appear normal in the
final image. Auto Gain does that automatically. If I need
four shots, I only want the background to get ¼ of a normal
exposure for each shot, so that I'll have a normally exposed
background when the four shots are taken.
The
reason I mentioned this in such a repetitive fashion, is that
it took me a little while to wrap my brain around the confusing
presentation of this fact in the D2x manual. Whoever heard
of “gain” meaning dividing something into parts? What I think
the manual writers were trying to say is that each shot “gains”
a portion of the normal exposure, so that in the end the exposure
is complete and correct. I hope this makes sense to you!
Auto
Gain is like an automatic normal exposure “divider-upper”
for multiple exposures. It divides up the exposure into appropriate
sections, so you won't have to fool with it.
When
should one use Auto Gain? Only when you have no need for controlling
exposure in any way but an exact division of similar exposures.
Auto
Gain works fine if you're not using masks. When you use a
mask, you want a full normal exposure for each of the uncovered
(non-masked) sections of the image, so Auto Gain will not
work for this. You should use MANUAL exposure, with Auto Gain
turned off.
