Exposure Compensation in Manual Mode

[ryan_caldero]

ok, today is my first day messing around with the manual setting on my canon 50d. So I have a problem with over exposure when I take my camera outside and attempt to take a shot of anything. When I press the shutter button down halfway I see the Exposure Compensation meter flashing at +2 and I can not adjust it with the adjustment wheel or the scroll button. If I take the image anyways the shutter lags taking its time and the image comes up on the view finder what seems forever and then its bright white!... When I go inside the house the problem goes away and I am allowed to adjust the exposure... I am sure I am doing something wrong but do not know what. I was starting to think you can not shoot outside in manual mode. SOMEONE HELP!

 

[ryan_caldero]

Nevermind, my lame a$$ had to adjust the aperture... Letting way too much light in through the lens

 

[Vinny]

Are you sure exposure compensation works in manual because in a Nikon D90 it only works in a programmed mode (A, S and P) and not in M. Is it possible that you're manually overexposing the shot by at least +2 and it is flashing at you to warn you? What does the manual say about exposure compensation?

Sorry I can't be of more help but Nikons don't have these problems!

 

[LarryD]

Exposure compensation is not used in Manual....... because you are.....well, ... "manually" setting the exposure and can set it to anything you want.. There is nothing to "compensate" for..

Exposure Compensation is where you set your cameras software to either slightly over or under expose from what the meter shows. In Av mode, it will change the shutter to achieve this.. In Tv mode, it will adjust the f-stop...

 

[ann]

you need to go into your exposure compensation function and null it out to 0

 

[Overread35]

Nevermind, my lame a$$ had to adjust the aperture... Letting way too much light in through the lens

You can also adjust the shutter speed and the ISO as well to change the light levels entering the camera. Each setting will affect what the end shot looks like.

I suggest sitting down with the camera manual and continuing to read and play with the settings - try just adjusting one setting whilst keeping the other two static to see the change it brings and then trying toying around with them. Experiment and reference the manual (infact your manual should be living with your camera body until your confident of the controls).

I'd also recommend the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson for a a good overview of exposure and settings control

 

[o hey tyler]

The answer is simple. You just can't shoot outside in manual mode ever.

 

[KmH]

Are you sure exposure compensation works in manual because in a Nikon D90 it only works in a programmed mode (A, S and P) and not in M. Is it possible that you're manually overexposing the shot by at least +2 and it is flashing at you to warn you? What does the manual say about exposure compensation?

Sorry I can't be of more help but Nikons don't have these problems!

Yes, Exposure Compensation does work in Manual mode on Nikon DSLR's.

The amount the Exposure Compensation is set to, biases the exposure meter so the set compensation is achieved by zeroing the meter.

 

[Overread35]

Before we confuse the issue the OP is a CANON user

Are you sure exposure compensation works in manual because in a Nikon D90 it only works in a programmed mode (A, S and P) and not in M. Is it possible that you're manually overexposing the shot by at least +2 and it is flashing at you to warn you? What does the manual say about exposure compensation?

Sorry I can't be of more help but Nikons don't have these problems!

Yes, Exposure Compensation does work in Manual mode on Nikon DSLR's.

The amount the Exposure Compensation is set to, biases the exposure meter so the set compensation is achieved by zeroing the meter.

however I have to say that that is just confusing - I sort of understand the idea, but it just seems slower to me to work like that - and somewhat confusing if you use the feature and forget to turn it off/reset it back to neutral.

 

[KmH]

Before we confuse the issue the OP is a CANON user

Are you sure exposure compensation works in manual because in a Nikon D90 it only works in a programmed mode (A, S and P) and not in M. Is it possible that you're manually overexposing the shot by at least +2 and it is flashing at you to warn you? What does the manual say about exposure compensation?

Sorry I can't be of more help but Nikons don't have these problems!

Yes, Exposure Compensation does work in Manual mode on Nikon DSLR's.

The amount the Exposure Compensation is set to, biases the exposure meter so the set compensation is achieved by zeroing the meter.

however I have to say that that is just confusing - I sort of understand the idea, but it just seems slower to me to work like that - and somewhat confusing if you use the feature and forget to turn it off/reset it back to neutral.

Yep, forgetting that you dialed in some compensation can bite you, but that's the way it works in M mode.

 

[Vinny]

I thought I read it only worked in auto; I just re-read the manual ... you are right. Personally, I think it's a ridiculous concept for manual mode just change the shutter speed or aperture.

Are you sure exposure compensation works in manual because in a Nikon D90 it only works in a programmed mode (A, S and P) and not in M. Is it possible that you're manually overexposing the shot by at least +2 and it is flashing at you to warn you? What does the manual say about exposure compensation?

Sorry I can't be of more help but Nikons don't have these problems!

Yes, Exposure Compensation does work in Manual mode on Nikon DSLR's.

The amount the Exposure Compensation is set to, biases the exposure meter so the set compensation is achieved by zeroing the meter.