Correct exposure question

I have been reading the book "Understanding Exposure" and in the book he says all the time that he looks in the view finder and adjusts the camera untill the view finder tells him the exposure is correct? I cant find where my S2 tells me that the exposure is correct?

In the left uper side of the screen there will be numbers, if you are in "M", and they will say if the exposure is right. A red number is wrong and white is correct, and the little number with +/- will tell how far under, or over exposed it is.

What should you aim for? +1?

zach1288 wrote in post #2517767
What should you aim for? +1?

0 is what the camera thinks is perfect. +1 is (possibly) overxposed by one EV, -1 (possibly) underexposed by 1 EV.
I would use the histogram too. If you see a hill at the left or right of the histogram then you are loosing information in the dark parts or the bright parts respectivly. Sometimes you will have to loose out on both sides because there is too much contrast between the brightest or darkest objects, in which case exposure bracketing becomes an option.
Ultimately it is not what the camera says but are you happy with what the camera is giving you, the important thing is to understand what the camera is doing and how to get to do what you want.

Also a lot of people say to shoot around -1 underexposed and then you can brighten it to taste in PS. If I'm shooting "still" subjects I may shoot in numerous exposures and then decide on the comp which I like best. Of course for moving subjects, you probably can't get the same shot with multiple exposures unless using the bracketing function, which takes 3 of the same photo and underexposes and over exposes, and keeps the exposure setting you shot it with...if I'm correct :P

Gerald-NC wrote in post #2518313
Also a lot of people say to shoot around -1 underexposed and then you can brighten it to taste in PS. If I'm shooting "still" subjects I may shoot in numerous exposures and then decide on the comp which I like best. Of course for moving subjects, you probably can't get the same shot with multiple exposures unless using the bracketing function, which takes 3 of the same photo and underexposes and over exposes, and keeps the exposure setting you shot it with...if I'm correct :P

Actually, underexposing isn't all that good an idea; underexposed and brightened images are likely to be noisier than correctly-exposed images. You're better off, in digital, to learn how to use your histogram to balance your exposure. A good histogram of a typical (full range of blacks through whites) image should reach the right-hand side of the graph, without bunching up against it. This means that your whites will be white, and you'll get the maximum possible detail in the dark areas. Underexposing, you'll have grey whites, which you can brighten, and the dark areas will be abandoned to blackness (with less detail recorded). Studying the histograms of your completed (both good and bad) shots will let you learn to assess a scene before you shoot.

From reading around different forums, specially on the S2, seems like a lot of people have the EV set to about -2/3. I have mine almost permanently set there but I agree with Jon, I almost always take a couple of test shots and check the histogram. I have had way too many over exposed shots for my liking.

zach1288 wrote in post #2516528
I have been reading the book "Understanding Exposure" and in the book he says all the time that he looks in the view finder and adjusts the camera untill the view finder tells him the exposure is correct? I cant find where my S2 tells me that the exposure is correct?

Don't know about the S2 display but maybe he means that with experience you can get a pretty good idea of whether the exposure is right or not just by seeing how bright or dark the image looks on the LCD. I find this is particularly useful when taking macro shots indoors in manual mode while varyiing the exposure time to get it right.

You might want to also take a look at these threads to learn a bit more about Exposure Compensation and how your camera's metering system works.

Xti + kit lens producing DARK images
Exposure Compensation

teekay wrote in post #2518749
Don't know about the S2 display but maybe he means that with experience you can get a pretty good idea of whether the exposure is right or not just by seeing how bright or dark the image looks on the LCD

I believe that Bryan Peterson used an optical viewfinder when he wrote that book
Many cameras offer exposure meter indication inside the optical viewfinder. The cameras that don't have it, use other ways of letting the photographer know what the proper exposure (in camera's opinion) might be - top or back LCD or EVF.

Jon wrote in post #2518699
Actually, underexposing isn't all that good an idea; underexposed and brightened images are likely to be noisier than correctly-exposed images. You're better off, in digital, to learn how to use your histogram to balance your exposure. A good histogram of a typical (full range of blacks through whites) image should reach the right-hand side of the graph, without bunching up against it. This means that your whites will be white, and you'll get the maximum possible detail in the dark areas. Underexposing, you'll have grey whites, which you can brighten, and the dark areas will be abandoned to blackness (with less detail recorded). Studying the histograms of your completed (both good and bad) shots will let you learn to assess a scene before you shoot.

I've just recently tried doing the whole "underexposed" tip myself, and have been trying to lighten some of the shots in PS and I am noticing exactly what you're saying. I've had more noise, and I usually shoot at ISO 50 or 100 only in most situations to keep the noise down. But there's lots of suggestions out there that one of the "bad" things about digitals is that they overexpose too often, hence their suggestion to underexpose I think I'm going back with my 0 or just by what I see on my LCD and my own thoughts of what I want for exposure.

Whats a histagram? also i cant get a 0 in the corner seems like its not possible? i have been trying?

Histogram.

zach1288 wrote in post #2519731
Whats a histagram? also i cant get a 0 in the corner seems like its not possible? i have been trying?

I had a S2 for a short time and I don't think it had that feature. My XTi does and I love using it.

Just Be wrote in post #2519846
I had a S2 for a short time and I don't think it had that feature. My XTi does and I love using it.

Yes it does, i get a number in the upper corner when i adjust the shutter and aperture.