XF 100-400mm under exposing.

[mrsupertramp]

Finally picked up an XF 100-400mm after looking for a good deal for a while and took it out for a spin this weekend.

Fired off a few tests shots and they seemed fine but then everything after that was heavily under exposed to the point I could barely make out the image. Nothing was changed in any major way in terms of manual settings and if I switched to a different lens the issue was gone and all images appeared in view mode as they appeared through the viewfinder when taken.

Back to the 100-400 and switched to auto mode and then all the photos were fine but everything I shot with manual settings was under exposed again.

Am I missing something? It seems like it's purely a lens issue and nothing to do with the settings as I tried 3 other lenses and didn't have any issues with any of them.

I'm at a loss here and would love some help. I'm hoping it's just something really easy I've overlooked..

(Shooting with an X-Pro 2)

Edited January 24, 2021 by mrsupertramp
Wrong info initially

[Olaf W.]

Which manual settings did you use? Don‘t depend just on the viewfinder in dark environents or with large aperture values since it will brighten up the picture with standard viewfinder settings. Look at the exposure indicator, should be around 0.

[jwascher]

I have had this lens for several years, using daily for sports action. I post the pictures on my grandsons' Shutterfly share sites. I normally set the shutter speed to about 500 or 800 and the aperture to f/8 to try to get some depth of field. Then, I let the ISO float to get the right setting. I have never had the dark shots you are talking about. Am using an X-T2. Have you looked to see if there are any firmware upgrades to either your camera or to the lens?   https://fujifilm-x.com/global/support/download/firmware/cameras/ and also the page with the lens updates.

[mrsupertramp]

@Olaf W. Manual aperture, manual shutter speed, ISO max 800 auto. Switched to LCD from viewfinder and same situation, images appear fine when shooting but very dark when looking back through the captured images. Starting to think there is an issue with the lens itself and may need to be repaired..

@jwascher Just about to check firmware now so we'll see if that fixes anything.

 

[mrsupertramp]

@jwascher All firmware up to date. No easy fix there unfortunately.

[Olaf W.]

6 hours ago, mrsupertramp said:

Starting to think there is an issue with the lens itself and may need to be repaired..

The lens wouldn't work correctly in auto mode then, IMHO. Did you watch the exposure meter while shooting? The EVF does brighten up the same as the display. You can switch off this behavior in the settings.