Exposure Compensation

[multiverso]

Hi everyone,

When I started taking pictures with a compact digital camera many years ago, I quickly learned that I can compensate the expusure usually between -2 and +2 points, and that was almost the only adjustement I could do on camera for too bright-too dark enviroments. There was no selectable ISO, Aperture or Speed. So I used Exposure Comensation a lot.

Now it seems I have forgot that settings, and I find I'm using ISO/Aperture/Speed for designing a shot and never Exposure Compensation. I was thinking about this and I believe I'm not using it as I see as a "thing of the past" that I can replicate with ISO/Aperture/Speed with better results. When I'm at a dark place (church for example) I first adjust my ISO (i.e. 800), then aperture and check my speed. If handheld adjust the aperture to get a better speed and if neccesary go up to 1600. I do this all the time, but I never think about compensating exposure to get a brighter picture.

What is your experience? Do you use exposure compensation? A bit? A lot?

Thanks for your comments.

[jameslcross]

Depends really, i find it usefull on really bright days, or if I'm taking night shots and leaving the shutter open for a period of time

[tim]

I mostly use manual mode with a hand held light meter, I find it gives me more consistent results. I use Av and exposure compensation when things are moving too quickly for me to shoot manual.

I'm not sure what you're describing is how I understand things. The exposure triangle is shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, they're the only things that matter to your exposure. Changing your ISO will obviously affect your shutter speed, but just doing that won't affect your histogram. The exposure compensation basically lets you shift the histogram left or right depending what you're shooting, light, dark, or midtones.

[multiverso]

Hi Tim,

What I mean is that, for example, I'm shooting outdoors a nice couple and I expose nicely the bride dress and faces but I blow out the sky. I can't lower the ISO (I'm at 100), I don't want to close my aperture (need an great DOF) and I'm already shooting at a nice speed. What can I do that is fast and easy (i.e. no flash/umbrella, no ND filters, no reflectors, no time for set up a flash...)? One of the things, that I usually never thing about, could be to dial down exposure compensation for a less blow out sky... And the same (at the inverse) for dark situations...

Does this makes sense? It is crazy to use EC like this? Do you use it on that situations?

Regards,

[tim]

In that case you don't have any choices really, you have to use a flash to fill in the shadows if you want to expose for the sky. If you change just one of your shutter speed, aperture, or ISO then the good exposure of the dress will be fouled up.

Exposure compensation is usually used to tell the camera that what's in the metering circle is very light or very dark, to tweak how the metering works. I've rarely used it for anything else, but any way you like to alter your settings is fine so long as you understand it and can get consistent results :)

[jameslcross]

I use Av and exposure compensation when things are moving too quickly for me to shoot manual.

Dumb question of the week: (It might be because I dont own a Canon yet)

What is Av mode? Is this Canon's Auto mode?

[Grace]

not a stupid question, av is aperture priority :)

[tim]

James, Av is aperture priority mode. You set your iso and aperture, the camera works out the appropriate shutter speed. Exposure compensation is used to give it hints about what you're shooting. Other modes are full auto, full manual, shutter priority... and there's some other positions on my dial i've never used.

[jameslcross]

James, Av is aperture priority mode. You set your iso and aperture, the camera works out the appropriate shutter speed. Exposure compensation is used to give it hints about what you're shooting. Other modes are full auto, full manual, shutter priority... and there's some other positions on my dial i've never used.

Cheers, confused for a second as my *cough* Fuji has just a "A" for Aperture priority :D

[blam]

james: you will quickly learn that Auto is commonly refered to as green box mode here on the forums ;)

while on the subject, could someone fill me in on how expsoure comp works?

I usually just leave mine at 0 because I dont knwo what it does. is +2 expose more and -2 expose less?

[cdifoto]

Exposure Compensation is just another way to arrive at the same result in Av or Tv as you'd get in Manual by judging the scene and moving the needle to one side or the other on the scale. Nothing more, nothing less.

[jameslcross]

james: you will quickly learn that Auto is commonly refered to as green box mode here on the forums ;)

Ah! Thanks for that! :cool:

[Big Mike]

Hi Tim,

What I mean is that, for example, I'm shooting outdoors a nice couple and I expose nicely the bride dress and faces but I blow out the sky. I can't lower the ISO (I'm at 100), I don't want to close my aperture (need an great DOF) and I'm already shooting at a nice speed. What can I do that is fast and easy (i.e. no flash/umbrella, no ND filters, no reflectors, no time for set up a flash...)? One of the things, that I usually never thing about, could be to dial down exposure compensation for a less blow out sky... And the same (at the inverse) for dark situations...

Does this makes sense? It is crazy to use EC like this? Do you use it on that situations?

I think you are missing something. When you dial exposure compensation...you are changing the shutter speed or aperture.