eos 400d

There has been a lot of discussion about this on the dpreview.com 400d forum. It seems that many, if not most, 400d's/XTi's tend toward underexposure. (Actually, this has been debated endlessly on dpreview!)

Most of those reporting underexposure require +1/3 to +2/3 exposure compensation (EC) to get the exposure they prefer. Since you can't adjust the exposure compensation in the full Auto mode, switch to the program (P) mode. The P mode works nearly the same as the full Auto mode but does allow exposure compensation.

If you're really concerned that your 400d is abnormal, I would take it back to the store and see if they'll let you take some shots with another 400d to compare. There's a pretty good chance they'll look similar.

Here is a thread on this forum that discuss the same thing (note that in the final post Wenzday said she compared her XTi to a store one and a Nikon D80 and got nearly the same exposure in all):

https://photography-on-the.net …ghlight=xti+und​erexposure

well, that sucks, we have an old sony that takes better pictures on auto, and thats a 2 year old compact camera...
why would they produce a camera which is for all intensent purposes, defect?

we got a replacement today, but from reading the threads, it looks like theyre built to be underexposed in auto.
what a load of *************

yours truly
steve

Sorry Steve but the whole point of using a DSLR is to be able to control things better and make the camera take the picture the way you want it.
No offence but if you want to shoot in auto then a P&S will give you better results...

yea, i guess i should give it more time and practice.


steve

Steve-

Im interested to know how your replacement worked out? Still dark in auto?

J.

not sure yet, we got it this evening and its now dark, i`ll post a pic tomorrow.
fingers crossed...

steve

Steve,

The argument about whether or not the XTi underexposes comes from those who prefer that the camera not "blow out" highlights. Most Canon point & shoot cameras and earlier dSLRs (including the XT) have a reputation for blowing out the highlights. That means they are so bright that there is no detail left in the highlight.

It appears the "underexposure" is a deliberate attempt by Canon to avoid blowing out highlights. There were many complaints about blowing highlights.

I have a friend who shoots with a Nikon D70 and he says that his camera does the same thing.

It's easily compensated for and isn't really a defect as much as a quirk in the way it is set up. All cameras have quirks. (Believe me, I've been shooting for 30 years and I saw lots of quirky behavior by 35mm film cameras. You just figure out what they are and deal with them.)

Michael

sweet, thanx for the advice. i`ll be posting a pic today sometime, first with full auto, then with all the other settings. i`ll leave everything as it is (factory settings) and see what happens. then i`ll take your advice and use the "p" setting and try to adjust the exposure a bit - i`ll post a pic of that one too.


thanx

steve

well i took some pictures on auto, they were dark, but not as dark as the previous ones. heres one i took a bit earlier today. its much better but still a bit dark maybe.

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