Exposure Compensation Quandry

Yzerwing

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Hello fellow cameranoids!

I was trying to adjust the exposure compensation on My Canon Rebel T3 and was unable to do so.
I went to the appropriate menu screen and selected exposure compensation, from there I was able to turn the main dial on the camera (near the shutter button) and spread out and contract the range for exposure bracketing. I am supposed to press the left and/or right arrow buttons to change "zero point" for exposure compensation, however, the Plus/Minus (+/-) box icon is greyed out and so are the left/right arrow buttons on the screen. This is with the camera in Manual Mode.

These instructions and terminologies are taken directly from David Busch's Rebel T3/1100D manual. Since David won't return my calls or Emails (he's terrible for that!) I appeal to the almighty all powerful Photography Forums for a solution.

I am thinking there is a setting somewhere buried deep within the menu that should not be on or off but cannot find it.

If anyone has had this problem or knows how to fix this problem your insights would be appreciated very much.

Thank you in advance.
 
Exposure compensation is for automated modes, not manual mode. Unless if I'm mistaken about your question.
 
As Paul explains, there's no exposure compensation in Manual mode. It only applies to Program, Av, and TV modes.

In those modes you set some aspect of exposure and the computer does the rest based on metering (e.g. In Av mode you pick the aperture value and the camera picks the shutter speed.). But suppose you want the camera to underexpose by a stop because you realize the subject is so dark that the computer will probably misread the exposure. You can dial in -1 stop of exposure compensation and you still pick the aperture you want, the camera still picks the shutter speed.... but it alters the shutter speed by one stop per your exposure compensation selection.

If you are in manual mode, the computer has no choice because you selected every aspect of exposure and left nothing for the computer to do. Hence exposure compensation doesn't make sense for manual mode.

Try using exposure compensation in Program, Tv, or Av modes and it should work.
 
As Paul explains, there's no exposure compensation in Manual mode. It only applies to Program, Av, and TV modes.

In those modes you set some aspect of exposure and the computer does the rest based on metering (e.g. In Av mode you pick the aperture value and the camera picks the shutter speed.). But suppose you want the camera to underexpose by a stop because you realize the subject is so dark that the computer will probably misread the exposure. You can dial in -1 stop of exposure compensation and you still pick the aperture you want, the camera still picks the shutter speed.... but it alters the shutter speed by one stop per your exposure compensation selection.

If you are in manual mode, the computer has no choice because you selected every aspect of exposure and left nothing for the computer to do. Hence exposure compensation doesn't make sense for manual mode.

Try using exposure compensation in Program, Tv, or Av modes and it should work.
Ah Yes!! These are the things that make me feel stupid! I think if the shoe were on the other foot and someone else asked this of me I would have figured that out, but I was too close to the question.

Thank you for curing my latest headache guys. (Since David Busch wouldn't return my phone calls or Emails! All I got back from him was a restraining order!) :biggrin-93:
 

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