What is likely to happen when the dynamic range of a scene exceeds that of the capture medium?

When the dynamic range of a scene exceeds that of the capture medium, loss of detail is a common outcome. Dynamic range refers to the range of brightness levels within a scene, from the darkest shadows to the brightest highlights. If the scene contains extreme differences in brightness, and the capture medium (like a camera sensor or film) cannot accommodate that full range, some of the luminance levels may be clipped or lost.

In practical terms, this means that the brightest parts of the image may become overexposed, resulting in pure white areas without any detail, often referred to as "blown-out highlights." Similarly, the darkest areas may become underexposed, leading to lost information in shadows.

Capturing the full dynamic range is crucial for maintaining detail and texture in both highlights and shadows. This is particularly important in photography where the aesthetic quality of an image can be significantly diminished if the detail is lost due to inadequate range in the capture medium. The other options do not address the consequence of exceeding the dynamic range effectively, as they imply benefits or neutral outcomes rather than acknowledging the potential loss of image quality.