Why's it doing that

[ian7]

Total noob here

I Have just got my first evil camera (Samsung NX11) having previously just used my compact on auto. I am just trying to get to grips with the controls and

I cant figure out how the built in flash is interacting with the EV. indicator

With the flash off the shutter and aperture controls affect the indicated EV as expected.

With the flash on the EV indicator refuses to register any negative value however quick the shutter or narrow the aperture

Over exposure is indicated as normal but under exposure is just indicated as zero.

In auto the camera seems to correctly compensate for the flash so it must know what its doing?

Any ideas

Ian

 

[o hey tyler]

It's probably because the camera expects that it will be "properly exposing" the photograph because the pop up flash is engaged. There's no way the camera can "know" what the exposure is going to be like with the on board flash until it does a prefire meter before it takes a photo. If its showing as overexposed, it's because the camera has deemed the scene adequately lit and doesn't think flash is needed.

 

[ian7]

Yeah It must be that, seems a bit crude though, the screen and evf don't lighten and darken when the flash is up.
Why would it do a prefire meter in manual mode? it doesn't seem to adjust the flash.
How come the auto mode seems to know what the flash will do?

 

[o hey tyler]

Yeah It must be that, seems a bit crude though, the screen and evf don't lighten and darken when the flash is up.
Why would it do a prefire meter in manual mode? it doesn't seem to adjust the flash.
How come the auto mode seems to know what the flash will do?

It would do a prefire meter in manual to expose for the settings you have selected. Unless you can manually control the output of your flash in increments rather than flash exposure compensation. The flash is still TTL metering when the camera is in manual. It needs to account for subject distance and other environmental variables.

 

[ian7]

Thanks Tyler

I will have to look into it a bit deeper, the on screen EV indicator doesn't really seem to provide useful info when using the flash.