dpreviewdotcom-user
Well-known member
What's the difference between EC adjustment and raising ISO? Which one is the right way to adjust when the image looks too dark? Thanks!
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Exposure compensation adjustment vs raising ISO?
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Bruce Miller
Veteran Member
In what mode are you shooting? It makes a difference.
That's what exposure compensation is designed for, to tell the camera that the image really is light or dark, not the medium gray it assumes the scene to be (at least the part being metered). If you're shooting in manual mode you can adjust whichever setting you prefer to get the result you want. In other modes you really need to use exposure compensation or the camera will adjust the other parameters to make the exposure what it thinks is correct.
dpreviewdotcom-user
Well-known member
In any auto exposure (AE) mode the exposure compensation will bias the metering system to either lighter or darker images.
Raising ISO in any AE mode will not change image brightness, only the shutter speed and aperture pair will change to to accommodate the ISO being changed.
In a manual exposure mode you can change anything thing you want to adjust image brightness unless auto ISO is in effect, which would require EC again. Manual mode control is dependent upon how your camera handles auto ISO in that mode.
Raising ISO in any AE mode will not change image brightness, only the shutter speed and aperture pair will change to to accommodate the ISO being changed.
In a manual exposure mode you can change anything thing you want to adjust image brightness unless auto ISO is in effect, which would require EC again. Manual mode control is dependent upon how your camera handles auto ISO in that mode.
- John
juanj1964
Leading Member
So EC doesn't have an effect when you are using manual mode?
Barrie Davis
Veteran Member
Raising ISO will not have any effect on actual lightness (or darkness) of the shot unless shutter speed and aperture are LOCKED. Obviously, they are NOT LOCKED when you are in any Auto mode ....
To be able to raise ISO independantly of the Auto exposure's immediate and instant response to cancel it out, -[which it does by shortening exposure duration and/or closing aperture] you must be in Manual mode. In manual Mode, YOU adjust settings, the AE system does not.
In any Auto Exposure mode [Auto, P, A, S] you are obliged to use Exposure Compensation to pre-bias the camera for more or less exposure... there is no other way to tune the brightness of the shot.
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Regards,
Baz
:
"Ahh... But the thing is, these guys were no ORDINARY time travellers!"
Last edited:
Barrie Davis
Veteran Member
It depends on the camera. Many cameras defeat the EC control completely when in Manual Mode....(the control does nothing, and no EC scale appears).
Blunderact
Active member
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Am I correct to say that flash is not affected (TTL) by EC? It fires what it thinks is the correct flash power?
Barrie Davis
Veteran Member
Yes... that is correct.
However, most (if not all?) modern TTL flash systems have their own exposure override, separate from the camera's readings of light level.
To distinguish it from ordinary EC, the Flash EC in Canon cameras is known as 'FEC'...
... and this term, not surprisingly, is often borrowed and applied to other camera marques with the same kind of independent flash exposure tuning facility.
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Regards,
Baz
:
"Ahh... But the thing is, these guys were no ORDINARY time travellers!"
Blunderact
Active member
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Thanks. My Sony has FC. The handbook says it should be -.7 since sony's flash usually over exposes.
Also, in manual mode, EC can be adjusted when ISO is auto (I'm tweaking the camera now). Hmmmmm it's easy to remember things if we understand why it is like that. Can't seem to figure why.
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