5DMk.II owners and exposure compensation

A question for you 5DMk.II owners...if you're shooting RAW/JPG, do you find yourself stopping down 1/3EV or 2/3EV?

alexf9496 wrote in post #10523399
A question for you 5DMk.II owners...if you're shooting RAW/JPG, do you find yourself stopping down 1/3EV or 2/3EV?

the metering on my camera bodies are as follows
5DII under 1/3 stop (camera meters 1/3 stop under)
7D under 2/3 stop
40D under 1/3 stop
This is after calibrating using an exposure target in spot metering mode.

windpig wrote in post #10523487
the metering on my camera bodies are as follows
5DII under 1/3 stop (camera meters 1/3 stop under)
7D under 2/3 stop
40D under 1/3 stop
This is after calibrating using an exposure target in spot metering mode.

I actually find myself adding +1/3 EV as my 5DII tends to underexpose.

alexf9496 wrote in post #10523399
A question for you 5DMk.II owners...if you're shooting RAW/JPG, do you find yourself stopping down 1/3EV or 2/3EV?

No I don't.
I need to stepping up +1/3 ev

aboss3 wrote in post #10523607
I actually find myself adding +1/3 EV as my 5DII tends to underexpose.

Yes, all my bodies underexpose, 1 more than the others.

My two bodies are underexposing about 2/3.

For those that your camera is underexposing, do you keep +1/3 or +2/3 exposure compensation set in your camera? Or do you just up it in post?

aboss3 wrote in post #10523607
I actually find myself adding +1/3 EV as my 5DII tends to underexpose.

Same here.

gregr2 wrote in post #10525007
For those that your camera is underexposing, do you keep +1/3 or +2/3 exposure compensation set in your camera? Or do you just up it in post?

Post.

I too have to add +2/3 or +1 EV. I usually add it when taking the picture. When I use my Sekonic L-358 Flashmeter, it is always 100 percent correct.

I expose for the brightest highlight in the frame in which I want to retain detail. I couldn't care less how the medium tones are exposed, it depends on the contrast range of the subject. Since there are (in RAW) 3 - 3.5 stops from medium grey to clipping, if that is the range in the subject (highlight is 8 times as bright as medium tone) all is well. If the subject contrast is different, it is adjusted in processing.

I suspect a lot of those above (and other people) who say their camera underexposes don't know how modern cameras and meters are calibrated to expose. Read this:
http://www.bythom.com/​graycards.htm

I blow out parts of an image, often, when I am shooting faces, people, etc. Exposing faces/clothes correctly is far more important to me than not blowing out a sky, for example.

I don't just rely on the histogram but also intererpeting the blinkies.

With that said, my 5DII chronically underexposes but that can vary from zero to +1, usually.

I went out and bought a Sekonic L-358 recently, for those times it can be usefull.

gregr2 wrote in post #10525007
For those that your camera is underexposing, do you keep +1/3 or +2/3 exposure compensation set in your camera? Or do you just up it in post?

Fix it in post, but only when I don't remember to do it in camera.

i think my pics looks better at -1/3 for all my desert arizona pics / las vegas blvd pics, under the hot suns. -2/3 is too dark.

but that is just for sceneries .

I typically expose to the right, using UniWB to make sure I don't clip any highlights. I find that on average I can overexpose by at least 2/3 of a stop on the 5D2 without actually clipping anything. Sometimes it's well over a full stop. I then bring the tones down to wherever I want them when processing the raw files.