1/2 stop or 1/3 stop

i was looking through the custom functions of my 30D and saw i could change between 1/2 stop and 1/3 stop. is there going to be any differences between the two when it comes to photos? or is it just preference? thanks a bunch.

Just a matter of preference. I'm a 1/3 stop kind of guy myself. "3" is greater than "2" so it has to be better right?

- Chris

I think you will find the vast majorty use 1/3 stops. Digital capture has very little latitude for exposure errors, so the 1/3 stop increments are the best tradeoff in rapid setting selection and fine tuning.

Plus my incident meter is in 1/3 stops so using 1/2 stops would suck.

The difference is a 1/6th of a stop, does it make a difference? Depends on your technique. If you are consistently wildly off in exposures (0.5 to 1 stop), then it will not make any difference. If you are consistently very close to correct exposure then it probably will make a difference and you will probably notice it.

In either case, you need to know what you are using as it makes selecting exposure faster as you can count the clicks instead of looking at the meter reading.

JeffreyG wrote in post #6978182
I think you will find the vast majorty use 1/3 stops. Digital capture has very little latitude for exposure errors, so the 1/3 stop increments are the best tradeoff in rapid setting selection and fine tuning.

Plus my incident meter is in 1/3 stops so using 1/2 stops would suck.

If you have a Sekonic meter (at least) you can also set that to half stops.

Digital has quite a bit of latitude for exposure errors--more than transparency film, and slightly more than color negative film.

Setting the camera at 1/2 stop gives you 1/4 stop accuracy. I would defy anyone to take a look at a picture that was 1/4 stop off and tell that it is. "Correct" exposure in the real world is more than 1/4 stop just pure personal taste.

I'm at ½ stop, it works fine for me.

Bill Roberts wrote in post #6979680
I'm at ½ stop, it works fine for me.

1/3 for static shots, 1/1 for action.
Works fine, no complains..

I use 1/2 stop as it's just enough to drop exposure when something important is in the "blinkies".

I always use 1/3 stops as it give me more options when adjusting exposure. More chances to get it right or screw it up, depends on the day.

I use 1/3 stop because I can't figure out how to make my flash go half stop

My flash (580 EX II) automatically adjusts to whether the camera is set to 1/3 or ½.
I use 1/3 for everyday use but 1/2 for action, as I then have less stops to go to change from shutter speed this to shutter speed that. For action, 1/1 would be better, but my camera can't do that.

apersson850 wrote in post #6981675
My flash (580 EX II) automatically adjusts to whether the camera is set to 1/3 or ½.
I use 1/3 for everyday use but 1/2 for action, as I then have less stops to go to change from shutter speed this to shutter speed that. For action, 1/1 would be better, but my camera can't do that.

Oh, I never knew that, Now my new excuse is that my camera only seems to do 1 stop and 1/3... (oh wait I am a fail that is ISO lol)

I don't see why you would do 1 though, It is pretty quick to turn the dial 3 clicks, and it gives more precision when needed...

Basically there is pretty much no reason why I don't use 1/2 stop, Just I have grown used to 3rd stops and don't see any major reason to change....

I go with 1/3 stop usually

Gimpy00Wang wrote in post #6978171
Just a matter of preference. I'm a 1/3 stop kind of guy myself. "3" is greater than "2" so it has to be better right?

- Chris

yeh, but 1/3 is less than 1/2



I use 1/3 stops for aperture/shutter speed but full stops for ISO.
I personally cant see the advantage if 1/3 ISO stops. Maybe it's because I come from film... ?

My first Canon (the Canon EF, when that was a camera body, not a lens series (the one in my avatar, by the way, there with the FD 135 mm f/2.5 S.C.)) had full stops only for the shutter speeds. Only the aperture could you set at half stops, if you didn't use the automatic exposure.

My second, third and fourth cameras, the Canon T90, EOS 10 and EOS 30, had half stops for shutter speed all the time. So I was used to both these things, before I got the 400D and the 40D, where you suddenly could set 1/3 stops for the shutter speed.