Isn't Exposure Compensation just a redundant feature (Page 2): BK, forget the 18%grey card thing!! Take a friend and put them 20 feet in front of you but directly in between you and...

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

bkellyusa wrote:

I am still pretty new to photography at this level but I work very hard at it and study all the time. However, the one thing that still confuses me is Exposure Compensation. I just don't see the need for it. Why would I use Exposure Compensation to adjust exposure when I can simply adjust any parameter such as aperture, shutter speed or ISO as much as I want to anyway.

Please tell me where I am going wrong.

BK, forget the 18%grey card thing!!
Take a friend and put them 20 feet in front of you but directly in between you and the sun, and without using a flash, now take their picture!
You will get a crash course in exactly what the EC does!!!
No other way to take that shot but use EC :lol:
SS

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

bkellyusa wrote:

Why wouldn't you just expose for the snow to begin with? That's what kills me about this feature. it doesn't do anything that you wouldn't already have adjust in manual to begin with.

camera still adjusts for 17% gray. snow woont be white. be gray or blue. without using it.

mcveed Loc: Kelowna, British Columbia (between trips)

EC affects the light meter only. On a Nikon it works no matter what mode you are in. If you are in manual the light meter in your viewfinder will reflect the compensation you have set - you decide what to do with it. In any other mode the camera will adjust settings to under or over expose the image in accordance with the compensation you have set. It's not rocket science.

nicksr1125 Loc: Mesa, AZ

bkellyusa wrote:

Why wouldn't you just expose for the snow to begin with? That's what kills me about this feature. it doesn't do anything that you wouldn't already have adjust in manual to begin with.

Light meters are designed for 18% reflectance in the scene. Anything darker will result in an over exposed picture. Anything lighter/brighter will result in an underexposed picture. Using any exposure mode other than manual and manual ISO will not produce a good picture. Dialing in some exposure compensation means you don't have to adjust the exposure for each shot. If I'm shooting snow scenes, I usually have -2 stops of compensation dialed in.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

RWR wrote:

:?: :?:

Same thing MCVEED said.

Bill_de Loc: US

bkellyusa wrote:

Why wouldn't you just expose for the snow to begin with? That's what kills me about this feature. it doesn't do anything that you wouldn't already have adjust in manual to begin with.

Exactly. But if you shoot on one of the auto modes (very handy in rapidly changing light) it is easier to dial in compensation than to switch modes back and forth.

Todays cameras offer something for everyone. Some think a built in meter is unnecessary, and others can read the light without any meter.

--

bkellyusa Loc: Nashville, TN

SteveR wrote:

You're right, in manual mode exposure compensation is not available. It is only available in shutter or aperture priority where it does come in handy.

Well, the trouble for me with that concept is that if you are in AP mode it adjusts the shutter speed. If you are in SP mode it adjust the aperture. I don't understand why someone would do that rather than just going to manual mode to begin and have full control over everything.

On my A6000 and maybe other cameras the advantage you have is that if you have an ISO range already set you can sort of fine tune the ISO in the steps between the stops with Exposure Compensation. Other than that the use for Exposure Compensation seems limited.

anotherview Loc: California

You may want to maintain one or more of those 3 variables.

Last time I looked, Canon cameras will not allow an EC adjustment in Manual Mode. You have to adjust one of the three main variables: Aperture, Shutter Speed, or ISO to affect exposure

You may wish to study the Exposure Triangle more, and practice with it for gaining a proper exposure.

BTW: The topic of exposure probably sits at the top or right up there as a chief matter of doing photography. Virtually every photographer beyond a snapshooter concerns himself with getting a good exposure.

bkellyusa wrote:

I am still pretty new to photography at this level but I work very hard at it and study all the time. However, the one thing that still confuses me is Exposure Compensation. I just don't see the need for it. Why would I use Exposure Compensation to adjust exposure when I can simply adjust any parameter such as aperture, shutter speed or ISO as much as I want to anyway.

Please tell me where I am going wrong.

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

bkellyusa wrote:

Well, the trouble for me with that concept is that... (show quote)

Here is an example with a camera with a live histogram in the viewfinder.
Aperture priority, auto ISO and exposure compensation set to -0.7.
Lens is wide open, f2.8 and I don't really care what the shuter speed is so long as it is high enough to stop the effects of unwanted cammera motion. The auto ISO fuction does exactly that (within the limits of how I set the auto ISO).
I don't want to stop looking through the viewfinder to make manual adjustments as I do not want to miss a "moment.,

1/80 @ f2.8 and ISO 6400, F=150mm real (2x crop factor) Image stabilisation/VR was on). Hand held.

#1 Example

(Download)

BebuLamar

SharpShooter wrote:

BK, forget the 18%grey card thing!!
Take a friend and put them 20 feet in front of you but directly in between you and the sun, and without using a flash, now take their picture!
You will get a crash course in exactly what the EC does!!!
No other way to take that shot but use EC :lol:
SS

You're too young!

BebuLamar

bkellyusa wrote:

Well, the trouble for me with that concept is that... (show quote)

Because simply so many people just don't want to use the manual mode. So they go around. If you read camera reviews you would see that those cameras that have the EC right under the right thumb got praised and those with the EC on the left side with lock (to prevent accidental movement) got bad reviews. The EC today is the one and only user's control for exposure.

LarryFB Loc: Depends where our RV is parked

bkellyusa wrote:

Why wouldn't you just expose for the snow to begin with? That's what kills me about this feature. it doesn't do anything that you wouldn't already have adjust in manual to begin with.

Sorry, but if you expose for snow, guess what, it appears to be grey. The exposure is determined for an 18% grey scene, a typical scene, Not one that is mostly white.

The same thing happens in reverse if you at taking a picture of a subject against a pure black background.

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

SteveR wrote:

Same thing MCVEED said.

Think about it, Steve. You said exposure compensation is not available in manual mode, which is not what MCVEED said. I'm sure you do know which is correct, though.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

bkellyusa wrote:

Well, the trouble for me with that concept is that if you are in AP mode it adjusts the shutter speed. If you are in SP mode it adjust the aperture. I don't understand why someone would do that rather than just going to manual mode to begin and have full control over everything.

That is if you've taken ISO off auto. Actually, there are some of us who prefer selecting what our aperture or shutter would be and let the camera choose the other. For one thing, it's quicker.

jim quist Loc: Missouri

I liked my fully manual Hasselblad cameras and since going digital I have never cared much for auto anything. I use auto primarily when photographing outdoor sports when part of the playing field is covered in shadows and the players run in and out of the light.
Nice lighting and blur motion with her hands Richard, I also shoot indoor concerts and can accomplish that on manual.
I think it just boils down to personal preference. The "right way" is however you are able to achieve the results you are after.