mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

The use of EC inanual mode has been available in Canon cameras for the last 10 years or so and on Nikon Z mount mirrorless bodies. I do not know if it is available in Nikon DSLRs. To use it in manual mode auto ISO must be enabled. EC in manual nudges Auto ISO values up or down to increase or decrease exposure brightness.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

I used to use EC with film cameras and I was shooting slide film, but I find myself needing it less with digital - I just ‘chimp’ if I have any questions about exposure.

BebuLamar

EC in manual mode has been available on Nikon DSLR and even SLR from the late 70's. Mostly it doesn't do anything but bias the meter. If you follow the meter then it does give you increase/decrease exposure but if you don't use the meter it doesn't matter. On the DSLR if auto ISO is on then it would change the ISO.

quenepas Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

Thank you all for your comments. I am now much more educated on the uses/benefits of EC. I began practicing with some of the situations laid out in the comments (uneven lighting, bright areas, backlit images, etc.) and made adjustments with the EC dial as needed. I’m using a Fujifilm X-Pro3 with a 35mm lens and it does let me use EC while in “manual mode” as long as the ISO is set to auto. (And yes, I get the argument that if 1 of the 3 exposure triangle factors is set to auto, then it’s not really "manual mode." But that’s what Fuji decided to call it. Go figure.) But I’m also practicing while the camera is set to aperture priority.

I’m starting to see the benefits. Adjustments are much quicker and help one save non-optimum lighting situations. However, as several stated, it’s really up to the photographer to decide if that is a camera feature they wish to use. In my case, I’m going to give it a try — and I think it will help.

Again, thanks a bunch.

Val

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

The exposure MODE you have chosen determines which exposure factor is modified by EC... For example, if you set the camera to Shutter Priority auto exposure (S or Tv in most cameras), then changes you make with the EC dial will effect the lens aperture. Conversely, if you have the camera set to Aperture Priority auto exposure (A or Av in many cameras), then changes to EC will effect the shutter speed. If using M with Auto ISO (which actually is another auto exposure mode), then any + or - EC dialed in will effect the ISO the camera selects. (Note: Depending upon the camera, it may not be possible to EC in M with Auto ISO mode using the same dial as with the other auto exposure modes. It may be necessary to make the EC setting in the menu.)


Yes, you can. And it's great when you can simply turn off all the automation and lock in your exposures.

However, it is not always possible to use fully manual mode (including turning off Auto ISO). There are situations where you must use one or another of the auto exposure modes to get the shot. For example if you are tracking a moving subject in and out of shadows... Or if the lighting conditions are changing rapidly, such as stage lighting. In those and other situations there simply isn't time to make manual adjustments, so some form of auto exposure is needed.


The primary purpose of EC is to provide a means to CORRECT inherent "errors" in reflective metering systems. All cameras use this type of metering, which measures the light being reflected OFF OF a subject. It simply isn't possible to build incidence meters into cameras (which measure the light falling ONTO the subject, instead of what's being reflected).

The light being reflected off of a subject is influenced by the subject's tonality. The camera has no idea what it's being pointed at, so it assumes everything in front of it is "18% gray" tonality. This works out pretty well a lot of the time. A wide scene with a jumble of different tonalities often averages out to around that "18% gray". Many subjects are very close to that tonality.... a green lawn, for example, is almost exactly that tonality.

But what about unusual situations? What about photographing a bride in a white wedding gown in a snowy scene? Left to it's own decision, the camera will want to under-expose and make that scene 18% gray. Or, what about a black bear in a coal mine? Once again a camera in an auto exposure mode will want to make the scene 18% gray, so it will badly over-expose the scene.

This is where exposure compensation comes in. The photographer recognizes that the bride scene is unusually bright and will cause the camera to under-expose, so they dial in some + EC. Meanwhile the photog shooting the bear sees the unusually dark scene will cause the camera to over-expose, so they dial in some - EC. They've had practice doing this so are pretty good judges of it.

It also matters what metering pattern the photography is using. A much narrower Spot metering pattern is only reading a small part of the scene, so much greater care is needed than when using a broader Center Weighted or Matrix or Evaluative pattern that reads the entire scene (which is more likely to have a variety of tonalities that average out close to "18% gray").


No, all cameras that are used in an auto exposure mode will benefit from proper use of EC in certain situations. Not all cameras make it easy to do EC.

Yes, it can be easier to do with mirrorless that have an Electronic Viewfinder, so long as the camera is set to provide "exposure simulation" in the EVF. The EVF gives you a preview of the image, where you can see if the images is going to be too light or too dark, as well as show you the effects of the EC adjustments you make.

It is more difficult when using a DSLR with an optical viewfinder, because you can't see the effect of the EC adjustments you've made until after you've taken a photo. Even then, viewing the image on the camera's rear LCD screen is a bit iffy... the ambient lighting conditions may effect the image appearance. The histogram is a better tool to use, to judge if the image is properly exposed or if some EC is needed and the shot needs to be re-taken (if that's even possible). Of course, you have to learn to read a histogram: It's display will be quite different for that bride in the snowstorm versus the black bear in coal mine!

Either way.... EVF or OVF, MILC or DSLR... it's way, waaaaaaayyy easier and better than back in the days of film, when we basically had to wait until the film was developed to see if we got it right! Even then, if using a lab you had to hope the film development process and printing are done correctly. Many of us shot slide film to take subjectivity out of the equation... but we still had to hope there were no errors in the processing (like when a lab processed 25 rolls of ISO 160 film I'd shot at a wedding as if it were ISO 400 film!) When I was shooting larger format film I sometimes used a Polaroid instant film to preview and confirm critical exposures.

Another "trick" is to carry a separate incidence meter and take readings with it, then compare the meter readings in the camera to see if there is a big discrepancy. For all practical purposes, when used properly there is no need for EC with an incidence meter... it's measuring the light falling onto the subject, not what is being reflected from it. The light falling onto the subject doesn't "care" if a subject is white, 18% gray or black tonality, or somewhere in between. The incidence meter reading isn't influenced by subject tonality.

You still might "dial in some ECZ"... It also can be used for "special effects", such as +EC for "high key" images... -EC for "silhouettes". Etc.

With practice many photographers just learn to use EC "by eye".

DeanS Loc: Capital City area of North Carolina

EC is not operative in Manual Mode on my four Canon bodies. When set to MM, the little indicator under the centering Zero disappears or becomes inopeartive.

topcat Loc: Alameda, CA

I use it all the time, it is really helpful. I don't usually shoot manual.