Metering issue with a6300 after timelapse

[SumitPhoto]

Wanted to ask if anyone else has encountered an issue where your a6300 has suddenly developed a problem with metering. In all modes, the camera is now selecting a much higher ISO or much longer exposure to shoot the same scenes that were shooting normally earlier. A normal indoor shot with a 35mm 1.8 lens at 2.0 or 2.2 aperture would be 1/80s long at 100 ISO but now is shooting at 1/10 or 1/5 second exposure. Or if I set the exposure at 1/60 or 1/80 the ISO is shooting up to 3200 or 6400.

 

I know the camera very well as have taken several 10s of thousands of shots with it so noticed the difference immediately. I tried a 50mm and a 16mm lens in addition to the 35mm and see the same behavior.

 

I have reset the camera, removed the battery, etc. but don't see a change.

 

The only significant event before and after the problem started is that I bought and installed the TimeLapse Playmemories app a few days ago. I did one test timelapse overnight for about 7 hours with a USB battery powerbank attached to the camera usb port. When I woke up the internal battery and the powerbank were both exhausted and the camera had shut down. The time lapse was captured and I was able to preview it.

 

One thing to note in the time lapse is that the AEL was set and the morning shots were completely blown out and the camera was probably shooting fully white frames for teh last hour or so.

Not sure if this had anything to do with the problem I am now seeing but nothing else has changed. Could the camera have overheated being on for 7 hours and shooting continuously? Could the app be causing this issue?

 

Please help. Do I need to take the camera in for repair?

 

[SumitPhoto]

I also now see that the Steady Shot notifier is now almost always on/blinking. This is because the exposure times are now defaulting to a longer duration and the camera is indicating potential blurring with the shot settings. This was not happening so frequently earlier.

[Guest Jaf-Photo]

Are the shots still properly exposed? I guess you can check the exposure against another camera, or a light meter/app. They should be in the same ball park at least. If you're using auto modes, cameras will prioritise differently in different modes. Use A or S mode and set ISO manually, to override this programming.

 

Indoor exposures can vary quite a bit, depending on time of day, lighting, metering mode etc, so it's quite impossible to say that indoor shots should always have a certain exposure setting.

[SumitPhoto]

The shots are exposed properly in Auto mode since the camera is balancing all the settings but the ISO is shooting up to 3200-6400 and even with that the camera is giving the steady shot warning. In A mode with 200 ISO the exposure time is shooting up to over a second.

 

No doubt, the indoor shots can vary quite a bit but in very similar (can't say identical) lighting conditions the camera was very capable at taking 1/80, 100-400iso, 2.0/2.2 shots. Now that doesn't seem to be happening.

 

Is there a way to objectively test the metering results of the camera?

[Guest Jaf-Photo]

Download a light meter app on your smartphone. Match the metering area, which is usually spot meter on your camera. Measure an evenly lit surface, or a grey card if you have it. Measure in A mode with aperure and ISO matching in the camera and app. Note the difference in measured shutter speed. In most cases, the app and the camera should be within a stop of each other, often less. If your camera is way off, as you feel, the app will certainly confirm it.

 

(There are variations in actual sensor sensitivity and lens transmission, so you shouldn't expect the exact same readings from the camera and apo, although it happens.)

[Username]

If I understand what's happening, the camera is 

making perfectly good exposures automatically,  

but the user is unsettled about the the camera's 

"approach" to making those exposures ... all the 

settings it chooses when attaining those results.  

    

So it seems then, that the camera is not in need 

of repair or adjustment. The user and the camera 

kinda need a bit of "couples therapy" to resolve a  

mismatch in their attitudes, but basically they are 

a rather functional working team ? 

[SumitPhoto]

That would be the easiest way to resolve this!

 

Unfortunately, I still won't be able to take the indoor or low light shots that I was able to take earlier. Either the exposure would be too long or the shots would be too grainy because the ISO would be too high.

[Guest Jaf-Photo]

The therapist would side with the camera. In the end, the camera would leave for a better user

[Username]

The therapist would side with the camera. In the end, the

camera would leave for a better user

   

Uhhhh, hey, don't looka me ... I'm holding out for a 

6500. 6300 is like ... hammer toe, and farts in bed ;-)