Autoexposure lock help.... d90

[arcooke]

I read word for word in the manual how to get the auto-exposure lock working. It would NOT stay on no matter what I tried. The manual says it has to be in P S or A mode (not M, why?). I had spot metering selected, which is what I wanted, held down the shutter release halfway to focus, while holding that I pressed the AE-L/AF-L button to lock it... nothing. AE-L illuminates in the viewfinder WHILE I'm holding the button down, but it doesn't stay there like the manual suggests. It just disappears when I let go of the button.

I managed to get it to stick ONCE, and I don't have a ^(&$#!( clue how I did it.

What else could cause that not to work? This was so unbelievably frustrating. Didn't help that I was working in a pitch black room with a little LED flashlight, trying to get some low light shots.. which are already a challenge enough for me.

Grrr. :banghead:

 

[Light Artisan]

Well, with manual mode you control the aperture and shutter speed... with the other modes the camera adjusts one or the other to 'proper' exposure.

Been a while since I've had my D90, but I know with my D300s and D7000 there's an option to set the lock to 'hold', I don't recall of the D90 had that or not. Meaning it would stay locked until you pressed the button again.

 

[Robin Usagani]

If you dont understand why you cant lock the exposure while in manual mode, then I dont think you understand exposure. You want to know why you cant do exposure compensation too on manual mode?

 

[Light Artisan]

Actually, you can... and it'll adjust what the exposure meter reads as 'proper exposure', it's pretty handy if shooting manual mode actually.

 

[arcooke]

Well, with manual mode you control the aperture and shutter speed... with the other modes the camera adjusts one or the other to 'proper' exposure.

Yeah, I know that. I use manual mode 99.9% of the time.

Been a while since I've had my D90, but I know with my D300s and D7000 there's an option to set the lock to 'hold', I don't recall of the D90 had that or not. Meaning it would stay locked until you pressed the button again.

That's precisely the problem I'm having.. it won't hold even though I'm following the instructions word for word. There's some other variable I'm missing that's preventing it from holding like it should.

If you dont understand why you cant lock the exposure while in manual mode, then I dont think you understand exposure. You want to know why you cant do exposure compensation too on manual mode?

I don't know if that was meant to come out condescending, or if it just did. I have a pretty good handle on what exposure is and how it works. I think what I don't get is how spot metering and autoexposure-lock work together with everything on a technical level.

 

[Light Artisan]

Yeah, I know that. I use manual mode 99.9% of the time.

Not to sidetrack, but why? Is there a particular reason you shoot manual so often? - Just curious.

On topic, it could be that with the D90 you have to hold the button down the whole time. I'd download the manual but I'm too tired and lazy right now.

 

[Robin Usagani]

When you do auto exposure lock, you are locking the shutter and aperture the camera picked out for you. So when you move your camera, it doesnt change. That means your photo is brighter if you lock it when you point to darker area.

Exposure lock works at any metering mode. It is not only for spot metering. I never use spot metering with any of the automated setting. You are asking trouble IMO. I would stick with evaluative metering. When I use manual mode, I always use spot metering.

 

[arcooke]

Yeah, I know that. I use manual mode 99.9% of the time.

Not to sidetrack, but why? Is there a particular reason you shoot manual so often? - Just curious.

On topic, it could be that with the D90 you have to hold the button down the whole time. I'd download the manual but I'm too tired and lazy right now.

Practice mostly. I've only been at it for about 3 months now. I think it's good for me to have full control to better understand how everything works together before I start handing control over to the camera.

When you do auto exposure lock, you are locking the shutter and aperture the camera picked out for you. So when you move your camera, it doesnt change. That means your photo is brighter if you lock it when you point to darker area.

Exposure lock works at any metering mode. It is not only for spot metering. I never use spot metering with any of the automated setting. You are asking trouble IMO. I would stick with evaluative metering. When I use manual mode, I always use spot metering.

Ok, thanks.

 

[Robin Usagani]

if you shoot 99% with manual, I see no reason you need to lock AE.

 

[Light Artisan]

Ahh, good for you then... I did the same thing years ago, definitely helps you get aquainted... I do the same thing when I get a new camera body, but only to force myself to learn where all the buttons are so I don't have to take my eyes off the viewfinder to use them.

Yeah, I know that. I use manual mode 99.9% of the time.

Not to sidetrack, but why? Is there a particular reason you shoot manual so often? - Just curious.

On topic, it could be that with the D90 you have to hold the button down the whole time. I'd download the manual but I'm too tired and lazy right now.

Practice mostly. I've only been at it for about 3 months now. I think it's good for me to have full control to better understand how everything works together before I start handing control over to the camera.

When you do auto exposure lock, you are locking the shutter and aperture the camera picked out for you. So when you move your camera, it doesnt change. That means your photo is brighter if you lock it when you point to darker area.

Exposure lock works at any metering mode. It is not only for spot metering. I never use spot metering with any of the automated setting. You are asking trouble IMO. I would stick with evaluative metering. When I use manual mode, I always use spot metering.

Ok, thanks.

 

[platiwings]

:

 

[arcooke]

if you shoot 99% with manual, I see no reason you need to lock AE.

Ok maybe that's where my confusion is then.. I thought I had to have AE locked in order to get my metering selection to work.

I don't know where on earth I got that idea. The whole thing began here:
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...y/228641-background-question.html#post2107353

EDIT: OK I see why I thought that. When I searched the manual (PDF) for spot metering, it sent me down to page 88 which is autoexposure lock, for which it has 3 main steps: set metering mode, lock exposure, recompose the photo. I guess I thought in order to use the metering modes, you had to lock it.

 

[Robin Usagani]

Thats why I said what I said on my first post. I dont think you understand metering and exposure completely. Read your manual or google about each metering setting.

 

[ann]

with the auto exposure/auto lock mode you have to keep your finger on that button when using the function. That is of course after you have engaged the function from the menu

 

[Robin Usagani]

The last time I used AE is when I used my T1i. I pressed the * button (one press) and AE lock indicator shows up. Then I can move my camera around (I used a lot of aperture priority), the exposure setting stays the same when I pressed the lock button.