was_a_guru

I have a Nikon D7500 but I believe that the answer will be the same for any camera.

When I use exposure compensation say to
underexpose by 1 stop, which of the three light controlling parameters are changed- aperture, shutter speed, or ISO?

Does that depend on which mode I am in (A, S, M or P) or would it be the same regardless?

Thanks.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

It depends on the mode.

All that EC does is bias the lightmeter output by the amount dialed in. If the camera is set to automatically change the shutter speed, then that is what is changed.
Note that if the lightmeter does not change anything then EC will not affect anything.

sueyeisert Loc: New Jersey

If you are in apature priority mode then the shutter speed is changed when using ec. If you are in shutter priority mode then the apature is changed when using ec.

mgoldfield

Yes, but if auto ISO is in effect, EC will adjust the ISO, not aperture or shutter speed.

M. Goldfield

srt101fan

True, unless you're in aperture or shutter priority plus auto ISO, and ISO hits its upper or lower limit, in which case one of the other settings could also change. This won't happen if you are in M+Auto ISO.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Adding to what others have already said, with P you may find the camera adjusts more than one setting.

This question is best answered by you, the photographer. Do controlled tests where you use each mode and observe which setting changes as you make your adjustment. The experience doing these tests, seeing the actual numbers change, will help you more than words on a web page.

BebuLamar

If you use the exposure compensation to underexpose by 1 stop (that is set it to -1) it only bias the meter and makes the meter thinks that the scene is now 1 stop brighter that is.

srt101fan

Yes, but the question was which setting (shutter, aperture, ISO) does the camera change based on the selected exposure compensation value. And the answer is, as Apaflo said in the first response, it depends on your shooting mode.

BebuLamar

Of course whatever setting got changed is the same as if the scene is now 1 stop brighter.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

All this discussion about what different modes do is useless distraction.

What BebuLamar said is the short essence of my initial post. That nails it.

BebuLamar

I know a lot of people may not know but I wouldn't use a mode on my camera unless I know exactly what it's going to do if the light gets brighter or darker.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

But to answer the OP's question we do not need to obscure it by discussing how every single mode in every single camera works! Just explaining how EC works is the answer. We both did that.

srt101fan

Why is it so difficult for some to answer an OP’s question? In your first post you gave him a minimal, incomplete, but correct answer. But then you choose to follow that with a rather arrogant putdown of other contributors: “All this discussion about what different modes do is useless distraction.”

It seems to me that asking how a camera adjusts exposure settings when you use exposure compensation (EC) is a very valid question. I want to know how my camera is changing the settings - might it select shutter speeds or apertures that are outside the range I would consider acceptable? If you don’t want to provide answers because the questions are not up to your high standards, just keep your fingers off your keyboard and move on.

With my limited knowledge and humble apologies for possibly misstating this, I offer the following:

> The way the camera reacts to exposure compensation depends on the shooting mode.
> If the camera is set to M (Manual), EC will shift the light meter reading but shutter speed, aperture and ISO settings will not change
> If the camera is set to M + Auto ISO, EC will cause the camera to adjust ISO.
> If the camera is set to S (Shutter Priority) with fixed ISO, EC will lead to a change in aperture.
> If the camera is set to A (Aperture Priority) with fixed ISO, EC will change the shutter speed.

So the question of interest to me, addressed to knowledgeable and helpful folks is, what happens when you are in S or A with Auto ISO, or in P (Program Mode)? Linda mentioned P and suggested testing. Good point, and thanks Linda, for trying to answer the OP’s question.

The question to you, Apaflo, is WHY is all of this just “useless distraction”?

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

First and foremost my answer was not incomplete. It was not even minimal (BebuLamar restated it in a complete, correct, and minimal form.)

Second I did not put down any contributor. I commented on the comments but not the commentors.

Third nobody has said the question was invalid, only that non-sequitur responses are obfuscation that make it more difficult to realize the significance of the correct answers, which have nothing to do with how the modes work, which are often very different on different cameras.

It might be noted that two of the 5 C's of good writing are Concise and Correct. Obfuscation is neither!

BebuLamar

The discussion about how the modes work should be a separate discussion and one should know how each mode works before using it and it doesn't have to do with exposure compensation. Exposure compensation simply bias the meter.