Understanding Exposure Compensation Tutorial

http://www.photoblazr.com - This tutorial explains the exposure compensation feature on cameras and demonstrates its use.

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Category:

Education

Tags:

• exposure compensation
• tutorial
• slr
• camera
• exposure
• nikon
• canon

[surferboy36O]

For everybody: EV compensation is for automaic settings like Program mode, Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority, NOT Manual, where the compensation must be done manually. This way you can tell the camera, calculate less than average or more than average. It is most useful in odd lighting situations like baklit subjects or subjects brighter than the background or any kind of situation where you know the meter reading is going to be off.

[photoblazr]

@surferboy36O Actually it can be used in Manual mode. The lightmeter values adjust accordingly to the exposure compensation. This might be useful if you want to shoot consistently over-exposed or under-exposed in manual mode. For example, if you're shooting in snow conditions in manual mode (and you want to be a stop higher to get 'white' snow), one can set the EV Comp to +1. (The lightmeter value will then be over-exposed and you don't need to keep remembering to over-expose)

[gdan666666]

I normally focus on my subject (keeping the shutter pressed halfway, locking the AF), point the spot meter where I want the exposure reading, hold down AE-L/AF-L, compose and shoot. Sounds a little drawn out now I write it down, but it's much quicker than taking a trial and error approach with the exposure compensation dial.

[JusticeTruthful]

You sound like this the dude on a tutorial i saw on how to cook rice and peas, not sure if it's the same dude on Caribbean pot either, but the voice is unmistakable.

[jakewood12]

@E510 HDR, you can combine them for interesting effects in Photoshop etc.

[E510]

so, it is kind of like being in manual mode if you are in Aperture priority. Either way you go on the EV, the shutter speed compensates. why not just shoot in manual and adjust the shutter speed according to the light meter. Seems like a useless tool?

[screwdricer]

This is what EV compensation is there for, to correct this.

There are a few ways to get around this, one is to spot meter an known mid grey area, a grey card for instance. A better way is to shoot to the Histogram placing the 'hump' of data as close to the right as possible without actually touching the right hand edge, this has the advantage of maximising the data because the A/D converters have more resolution at the right hand side of the Histogram.

Chris

[screwdricer]

You can try this for yourself, get two pieces of card one black and one white, illuminate them as evenly as possible and take a picture of both filling the frame with the card, you will get two pictures of grey cards. Mid grey cards to be exact.

Chris

[screwdricer]

The problem is that it makes no allowance for the tone of the subject, snow scenes will be under exposed. It will expose to make the predominantly white scene a mid grey, and a dark scene (the ubiquitous black cat on coal) it will over expose and make the predominant black a mid grey.

Chris

[screwdricer]

Metering from the camera position will not always give you the correct exposure, to see why we have to look at how metering works.

First metering works on Luminance, it sees no colour, what the metering does is average out Luminance in the area you have told it to look (Spot, Centre weighted or Zonal) and exposes to make that mid grey, called 18% grey with film because film is non linear, with digital mid grey is 50% as digital sensors are linear.

Chris

[AntiIgnorantDimwit]

@screwdricer Exactly - just use manual.

[screwdricer]

WHY is the important message.

Chris