Exposure indicator A vs M

Mizzle

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Hello All, I have been browsing for a couple of months and bought my first dslr recently. been trying to practice
I will start my first thread with a dumb question......
Lets say I was taking a picture of a object in auto mode, the camera set itself to shutter speed of 60 and aperture of f5.6.
Now I switch to manual and start off with 60 f5.6 the exposure indicator is all the way to the left stating it isn't the right exposure. If its the same object with the same lighting why is it ok for those values in auto but in manual it states an underexposure?
Confused.....
Thanks in advance
 
Hi Mizzle,

welcome to the board.

Maybe in Manual the Image Stabilisation is switched off too so that the whole deal gets more susceptible to camera shake? A higher shutter speed (the meter seems to advise that, doesn't it) would counter camera shake.
The trade-off is of course that a higher shutter speed requires more light as well! With Image Stabilisation off you will need to use flash sooner.

Have fun!
 
Also in Auto mode the camera sets the iso as well I believe. When you switch to manual it'll go back to whatever you have it set on. This may be why you're getting such a different reading
 
Also in Auto mode the camera sets the iso as well I believe. When you switch to manual it'll go back to whatever you have it set on. This may be why you're getting such a different reading
In Auto the iso was set to 400, I tried using that in manual and still had no luck with the exposure indicator it was still all the way to the left.
 
Hi Mizzle,

welcome to the board.

Maybe in Manual the Image Stabilisation is switched off too so that the whole deal gets more susceptible to camera shake? Which a higher shutter speed (the meter seems to advise that, doesn't it) would counter.

Have fun!
I can't find anything in the settings about changing the image stabilization I even looked in my manual... I have a rebel xt
 
the rebel has no image stabilization - that is in the lens (if it has it) and is the same for all canon cameras. You can tell as canon lenses have the letters IS in their name to tell you if they have the feature
As for the settings being different I can't rightly say sorry.
 
hmmm...maybe in auto mode its compensating for flash being triggered? I'm just guessing here, I don't often use auto mode but I do remember the flash popping up alot when I least expected it. It's the only reason I can think that the exposure is so off with all settings being the same.
 
So is it wrong/bad to shoot if the meter states a wrong exposure? Its way off
 
I would also agree to the Auto mode setting off the flash... test it out.

As for the 'wrong exposure', this is a rather meaty subject. Short of it is, the light meter only tells you what IT thinks, not what really is.

I post this a lot, but get the book "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. He talks about the light meter in pretty good detail.
 
It could also be the metering method, I think that auto uses "average" and possibly in manual you have it set to "center weighted average." When you switch from auto to manual, look at the display and see is your metering mode changes.
 
hmmm, I will look into it, Thanks
 
It could also be the metering method, I think that auto uses "average" and possibly in manual you have it set to "center weighted average." When you switch from auto to manual, look at the display and see is your metering mode changes.

good call, I didn't think of that :thumbup:
 
1/60 @ f/5.6 is a very typical flash setting sothat would have to be the reason for the metering discrepancy. And yes if you are in the Auto mode your flash will pop up automatically so the meter will read that there is a flash involved while the same setting for the same scene will be under exposed withno flash. Also, no IS has nothing to do with your meter and will not effect your exposure in any way.
 

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