- Digital Camera Basics: Understanding Exposure
- Working with Shutter Speeds and f-stops
- f-stops and Depth of Field
- Reality Check
- Shutter Speeds
- Digital and Mechanical Shutters
- Slow and Steady
- Shutter Speeds and f-Stops: a Balancing Act
- Low-Light Photography: Pushing at the Limits
- Determining the Correct Exposure
- Locking Down Good Exposure Readings
- Using Your Camera's Exposure Controls
- Finessing Exposure
- Exposure Compensation
- ISO Equivalencies
- Program Modes
All except the very cheapest digital cameras offer exposure compensation, even if you have a point-and-shoot model with no other features. Essentially, EV will open or close the aperture (the opening in the lens) to let in more light, or cut it down. Any time you suspect that the camera meter isn't reading the scene correctly, or you want to experiment with alternative exposures without changing f-stops or shutter speeds, use various EV values.
Depending on your camera, exposure compensation will be implemented in a variety of ways, including the following:
Hold down a button (which either says EV or has the symbol on it) while turning a dial or pressing other buttons to increase or decrease the value.
In the menu in the LCD viewfinder, select the exposure compensation option and use buttons to increase or decrease the value.
Exposure compensation is usually represented by a scale (see Figure 6-9 ) that goes from +2 (or +3) to 2 (or 3) and that is divided often in thirds. However, some cameras simply display the values without the scale.
Here are guidelines on using exposure compensation:
If you want to increase the amount of light in your photo, use a positive EV.
If you want to decrease the amount of light in your photo, use a negative EV.
We recommend trying several EV values in consecutive shots of the same scene. (See Figure 6-10 .) For example, if you think your picture is only slightly overexposed (too bright), try shots at 1/3, 2/3, and 1.