mattharrisuk:

Is there an optimum number of shots to take for HDR?  In the past I have used 3 shots, usually 2 stops apart, but I have noticed that some folk use more and some are only 1 stop apart.

Does it really matter how many shots and how many stops apart they are?

I started HDR with my D70 which shoots at 2 stops apart, so I did 3 shots, 2 stops apart. -2, metered, +2.
Then I got my D200, which can shoot 9 shots in a bracket, but at only 1 stop apart.

Most of it does come down to the camera. Some cameras have 2 stops, but less shots. Some have 1 stop, but more shots.

Thats what I think anyways.

I know that the whole point of HDR is to capture the whole dynamic range of a scene and that you would expose for all the extremes of the scene, but there must be an optimum.  Does anyone know?

Personally, speaking from relative experience, I think it all comes down to the individual scene.
I've done HDR's from 3 shots that looked fine, but I've done 3 shots that looked bad, where I needed 5 or 7 to make it work.
I find sunsets the hardest for HDR, as you do need a much wider range. Only way to really tone it down is using a ND grad at the same time.
I think my widest HDR was about 23 shots, and that was more personal taste then anything. I wanted to blur the movement, and I wanted it to bring out more tones.
Normally 3-7 will work fine. Sometimes you'll need a bit more, sometimes 3 is completely adequate.
Best bet is to just experiment with it under different scenarios, and see how a 3 shot HDRi compares to a 9 shot HDRi of the same scene.

Hope that helps a bit.

mattharrisuk:

So after alot of talk on HDR photography in the Post your best here thread, I've decided to start a thread for all budding and seasoned HDR shooters to come together, share tips and tricks, talk about software and techniques on the subject, and hopefully shed some light on the rather obscure parts of the technique.

So if you shoot HDR, try to shoot it, or want to shoot it, post your questions, tips, tricks, and results here.

Cheers.
Matt.

good thread and got Photomatrix and going to give it a try

Has anyone else tried this from Topaz Labs. It does the same thing as Photomatrix but is a Plug-in for Photoshop. I find it much easier to use and you only need one exposure.

There are samples on the website.