Professor Newman on...Infographics

Professor Newman concocts and explains a new infographic about dynamic range (DR) performance

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In my most recent article, I talked about extended DR modes. The Google algorithm took my searches as a cue to suggest content on the topic. One, entitled something like 'What the pros won't tell you about DR', included a misleading infographic. I started thinking about whether a better one could be concocted. It could serve as a useful underpinning for subsequent discussions. This article explains the resultant infographic, shown in the figure.

In that article, I made a distinction between DR measured using the input, and that determined from output tonality. The input represents exposure. It's important to be clear about definitions. Exposure is the luminous energy density at the sensor, and is measured with an SI unit, the lux second. Describing it as 'brightness' or 'amount of light' is imprecise and can lead to propagation of misconceptions. The Y-axis on my infographic shows exposure on a logarithmic base two (i.e. 'stops' or 'EV') relative to 1 lux seconds.