Help troubleshoot camera problem

AndyH · Dec 2, 2015

I have posted before about a problem I was having with my canon eos60d. It is overexposing and pics are kind of washed out looking. Well I managed to borrow another canon 60d from my cousin. So I took a pic with my camera and then her camera. I used the same lens and both cameras were set to auto and both pics were taken within seconds of each other. You can see a big difference between the two. How can I further troubleshoot this to narrow down what could be causing this? I will tell you that I believe my problem started after my camera got knocked off a counter onto a tile floor. Nothing external is broken but maybe something internal got messed up? Here are the 2 pics to compare.
loaned camera:

my camera:

killerseaguls · Dec 2, 2015

Seems like an internal issue. I wouldn't think this is something to troubleshoot. Do you have a camera shop of sorts that does repairs? It's slim pickins in my area for a shop other than driving to Baltimore. But that's what I would do if it was mine

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480sparky · Dec 2, 2015

The first one is shot at 1/125 and f/7.1, the second is 1/80 and f/5.6. That's 1-1/3 stop difference.

There may be a difference in how they are set up to meter the scene.

tecboy · Dec 2, 2015

These photos seem normal when shooting full auto. Have you tried full manual?

Gary A. · Dec 2, 2015

Sparky has made a very interesting point. The meter modes may be different and the Exposure Comp may be different between the cameras.

I suggest you shoot both cameras again and making sure that both cameras are in the same metering mode and both cameras have dialed in identical Ex. Comp. level.

Shoot one test in auto mode, (on a tripod preferable, a tripod will reduce the chance of the cameras metering a different part of the scene).

Shoot one test in manual with both cameras dialed into identical settings.

Get some rest and plenty of liquids. Call me in the morning.

AndyH · Dec 2, 2015

Okay so I took 2 more pics in manual with the same settings and the pics look the same now.
loaned camera:

my camera:

so is it the way the camera is metering the scene when in auto? I can't change exposure comp when in full auto so both should have been the same earlier. Thank you all for the fast replies!

tirediron · Dec 2, 2015

Your camera is at least 1/3 stop brighter in the manual shots. Are they both set to the same metering mode? I would try this one more time, in manual (pref on a tripod as mentioned above) and set both to spot metering and meter the concrete of the driveway (as that seems reasonably close to middle grey), then make your exposure using those settings.

AndyH · Dec 2, 2015

The metering was set the same on both cameras. I found my tripod but it is dark here already. I will setup and try your suggestions tomorrow. Thank You!

Light Guru · Dec 2, 2015

My guess is you had exposure compensation turned on on your camera.

wfooshee · Dec 3, 2015

"Metering" includes the metering mode, and exposure compensation as well. Try different meter modes, including spot metering, and make sure both cameras have exposure compensation set to zero.

Test with the other auto modes, too, not just full auto. try comparing shutter-priority and aperture-priority on each camera.

Since the manual settings show the same, we know there's nothing mechanically wrong with the shutter or lens, they did the same on each camera. The difference is how the meter sees the scene, apparently.

My first guess on the first pair of pictures is that the exposure compensation is set on one camera and not the other. If that's not the case, then maybe something in the metering system, which lives in the top of the camera body, took a hit in the drop.

trying other meter modes and other auto-exposure modes aside from full-auto may yield clues, as all of those use the metering, but in different ways.

AndyH · Dec 3, 2015

Ok, didn't have much time or luck today. I only had time to snap a few pics. I used program mode and spot metering and a tripod. I pointed the camera at the driveway and pressed the shutter halfway till it focused then I pressed AE lock. Then I put camera on a tripod and recomposed and took the pic. The pics didn't turn out good at all.

loaner camera:

my camera:

Light Guru · Dec 3, 2015

make sure exposure compensation if not on on your camera

AndyH · Dec 3, 2015

it's not, they are both set at 0

tirediron · Dec 3, 2015

Are both cameras indicating the same exposure information when you meter?

Derrel · Dec 3, 2015

AndyH said:
it's not, they are both set at 0

Looks to me like your camera requires an exposure adjustment of about Minus 1.3 or Minus1.5 EV or so to get things to parity with the borrowed camera, which makes me think your camera might be a bit out of calibration, meter-wise. Nikon has an exposure fine-tuning option, allowing users to correct this problem, so that once adjusted the in-viewfinder meter readings at 0.0 will be as much "dead on" as the individual user's camera and metering method and techniques would allow. I spent some time tonight searching for a Canon equivalent of Nikon's exposure fine-tuning....came up with no good hits on that. But maybe the 60D does offer this feature? Might be in the instruction manual if it is indeed a feature the 60D offers.

You could just use the normal Exposure Compensation, and dial in Minus 1.3 EV and call it good, but that's not the ideal solution...but it would work I think. You'd need to keep track of that whenever adding more exposure, or when subtracting exposure, keeping the offset in mind all the time. Still, it would work I think.