EXPOSURE METER QUESTION

raerae25122 · May 20, 2008

I have a Nikon D80....In manual, I set my correct ISO and aperture, and from my understanding I am supposed to look through the viewfinder at the exposure meter and adjust my shutter speed until it tells me I have a correct exposure. My problem is that my camera never has me shooting a shutter speed quicker the 1/20 give or take a few whether I am shooting action or my apeture is 4.2 or 32? Am I missing another important step and do I really need to be paying attention to this? Thanks.

davebmck · May 20, 2008

What Iso are you using and what kind of light are you shooting in. Give us some examples, e.g. iso, aperture, shutter speed, indoors or outdoors, bright day light, dusk, dawn, etc.

tirediron · May 21, 2008

Generally speaking, you want to set your ISO as low as practical for the situation (The lower the ISO, the less resultant noise in the image). On a bright, sunny day, out of doors, try ISO 200. Indoors, or on dull cloudy days, maybe 400.

Your shutter speed and apeture should be adjusted to achieve the result you want. The larger the apeture (smaller number, eg f1.8) the more light and less depth of field you will have, but the higher a shutter speed you can use.

If you're trying to capture a motor-cycle race, you will probably want a high shutter speed, which means a larger apeture. If you want to take a water-fall shot with the soft, flowing water effect, than you will need a long shutter speed, meaning that you will have to use a small apeture (and/or reduce the ISO as well).

As davemck said, some examples of the numbers you're using and situations will help us give a more detail answer.

~John

raerae25122 · May 21, 2008

okay so I guess my question is do all cameras have the exposure meter and do they seem to pretty accurate or do I just need to set it to what I think it should be. I understand aperture, ISO, and shutter speed, it's just that my camera is wanting me to set a shutter speed very slow no matter what the circumstance.

djacobox372 · May 21, 2008

If your aperture is "32" then it's not surprising you can't achieve decent shutter speeds. That's a very tight aperture that will require very long shutter speeds. If the aperture 3.2, you must be shooting in really low light.

Turn your aperture down to the lowest setting--this will allow the most light in.

I recommend using the aperture "A" mode and letting the camera set the shutter speed for you... once you get a grip on how aperture affects your photos you can then go full manual.

davebmck · May 21, 2008

If you could be more specific, it would be easier to help you. What camera do you have? Give some examples of iso, aperture and shutter you are using. Most modern cameras have very accurate exposure meters. Yours may not be functioning correctly, but its impossible to determine that from the information you are giving.