manual mode

is the object on the manual mode to get the exposure meter to the middle? b/c it moves around when i mess with the shutter and aperature, but even when its in the center some pics are still dark. is it ok to have it farther to the right? (so i can lighten the pic, its very low light in my house as im taking these pics. ) Thanks
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im very new, so please excuse my silly question, especially if its been asked before!
Laurie

Nail it on the middle mark and you should get a good pic, provided your shutter speed was high enough.

use P, Tv, or Av mode. the mark sits in the middle, but you can change where the target is by using exposure compensation (holding the AV button and turning the main wheel)

the mark indicates the exposure level

the meter indicates a "proper exposure" (in 1/3rd or 1/2 stop increments)

but the big thing to keep in mind is that both of those two indicators are dependant on your metering mode, and not one of the three metering modes knows exactly what you want.

i would learn how to use each metering mode, see which one you like and are most comfortable with, and then use that one. for instance i use partial metering, and i've learned to recognize scenes which might cause my camera to unintentionally under or overexpose the scene and apply exposure compensation beforehand.

this could be the one of the reasons that your camera is giving "dark" images when the mark is right in the middle

personally i don't like to use M mode when i'm trying to take photos on the fly. i can handle one shot setting (Tv or Av), ISO, and EC fairly well, but i fi have to manage BOTH the Tv and Av at the same time my brain starts to hurt!

junkmail9782 said:

is the object on the manual mode to get the exposure meter to the
middle?

Click to expand...

Only in first approximation.

Exposure compensation exists in M mode, just as it does in Av mode. In Av mode, the camera always centers the needle, and EC tells it to set the needle at another place. In M mode, you apply EC by selecting an exposure that puts the needle on something else than the middle.

For example, if you shoot a white wall, with nothing else in the scene, then the aim is to get the needle on +2. Because you know that the scene is +2 stops lighter than neutral grey.

Manual mode is for those who understand it. If you dont know what the needle means, thats beack to first grade to you, buddy - read the manual, read the web, and learn what exposure is. Dont bother with M until you have played with Av and Tv and exposure compensation. Setting all the controls until the needle is in the middle is nothing more than doind the built-in lightmetes's job, and doing it mechanically. Its the last thing you should do.
Use M mode with:

-flash photography (where you set a static exposure and let the auto flash do the job), dont care about the needle

-handheld lightmeters (when you use a more expensive and precise lightmeter, and enter the data indicated in your camera, and dont care about the needle

-pano pics (where you select an exposure in Av or Tv then set it in manual, so the exposure doesnt change when you move the camera), dont care about the needle
-etc...

As you see, in M mode the needle is only there to give a very small assistance. The whole idea is not to use it. If you use it, go to Av.

Thank you all for your advice. i really appreciate it.
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im very new, so please excuse my silly question, especially if its been asked before!
Laurie

junkmail9782 said:

is the object on the manual mode to get the exposure meter to the
middle?

Click to expand...

No. The meter is indicating what the camera "sees". If you go for the centre, then you're basically agreeing with the camera. Frequently you'll want to go higher or lower than the camera suggests. Learning to shoot manual is what separates the men from the boys.

secheese said:

junkmail9782 said:

is the object on the manual mode to get the exposure meter to the
middle?

Click to expand...

No. The meter is indicating what the camera "sees". If you go for
the centre, then you're basically agreeing with the camera.
Frequently you'll want to go higher or lower than the camera
suggests. Learning to shoot manual is what separates the men from
the boys.

Click to expand...

Pffff...

There's absolutely nothing different between M and Av mode. In one case, the camera center the meter automatically, and you shift it with EC. In the other case, you manually center it, and then apply EC by moving it off-center.

What seperates the men from the boys, is understanding when a half-automatic mode like Av is preferable, and when M. But ofcourse, that way, you can't brag about 'using M mode'...

Isnt M always spot-like metering and Av is 35-zone? at least thats the case on the 300D and I perfectly agree with it. When I use M, I wanna see spot metering.

Read the book "Understanding Exposure" and you will be able to get your arms around M mode. Honestly it is my prefered shooting mode as I like controll over both shutter and apeture. When you are setting exposure think about what you are metering. Shooting a pic of a child in front of a bright light in evaluative metering will most likely get a dark exposure. However, changing your metering mode and metering on the child will easily correct this. Read the book and start playing around, you'll get it.
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Shoot once shoot often...

Paul

rbhun said:

Isnt M always spot-like metering and Av is 35-zone? > at least thats
the case on the 300D and I perfectly agree with it. When I use M, I
wanna see spot metering.

Click to expand...

On the 300D, M mode uses center weighted average, and Av uses evaluative 35zone.

On later camera's, you can choose whatever you like.

I've just read through 'Understanding Exposure' and have found it very helpful. Being very much an amateur there were a number of things I didn't fully understand. One of them being his comments about 'The Sky Brothers' and he says "take a meter reading of the sunny blue sky and use that exposure to make your image" I assumed he meant that I should focus on the sky and adjust the dials until the needle is in the middle and then focus on the object - say a tree (ignoring the fact that the needle will no longer be in the middle) - then shoot.

I tried that but couldn't get my lens to focus on the sky.

Have I misunderstood the guy?

Would appreciate your help.

Thanks

Richard