Exposure Compensation Dilemma

[mary13]

Hi all
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. The problem hasn't been fixed.
I am currently at work so will not be able to check my camera until later tonight.
I read my Canon Handbook and found how to reset the camera to factory settings which I am going to do tonight.
Will let you know the outcome.

[Scotty72]

Good luck

[FallingHorse]

Mary - I have the EOS1000D and although I am at work at the moment I will happily PM you how to reset all of your settings so that it revert to the 'factory settings'. I wont be home until around 9pm (NT time). Hopefully you will have a cure before then but I will check.

Can you tell me if you are still getting the -2, when framing other shots in different light? The exposure compensation dial I think is only relevant if you are shooting in Tv or Av because in Manual is your shutter/aperture/ISO combination is the exposure compensation dial.

[soulman]

If you are using M mode then the needle should move if you are changing shutter speed and or aperture. That is the way it works in M for you to get the correct exposure.
Forgive me for asking, but I have done it myself, you have got the lens cap off.
Try changing the ISO,making it much faster, ISO 400 or 800, perhaps if you are doing this right now then it is simply too dark and you are either not gettiing the shutter speed low enough or your lens aperture cannot go down far enough.

This seems the most likely issue to me Mary. Some people seem to be missing the fact that you're shooting in Manual and giving instructions that don't apply to this mode, which is making this much more confusing than it needs to be.

Firstly, you need to verify that things are working OK, so point the camera at a bright light or take it out during the day to confirm that the exposure needle will move when there is enough light.

If you can get it move, then the sunset shots you were trying to do were just too dark for the camera & lens combination you have. Deal with this by using a tripod - which allows you to use a longer shutter speed - or increasing the ISO as agb suggests. Do make sure you're adjusting things in the right direction - the shutter speed and aperture need to be adjusted to their smaller numbers, both of which let more light get to the sensor.

If you can't get the needle to move at all, even in bright light, then there may be a fault with the camera. Simply turning it off will clear any exposure lock you might have accidentally set - there is no need to reset the camera to clear that - and we can probably assume you have turned it off since yesterday, so let's hope it was just too dark the other day.

Do let us know the result though. It will help others in the future who may come across a similar problem.

[mary13]

Thank you so much Scotty, Jodie and Soulman, you people are great.
Can't wait to get home and check my camera now.
Will let you know how I go.
Kind regards
Mary

[Scotty72]

Thank you so much Scotty, Jodie and Soulman, you people are great.

Awww! shucks

[Maezyra]

Can you tell me if you are still getting the -2, when framing other shots in different light? The exposure compensation dial I think is only relevant if you are shooting in Tv or Av because in Manual is your shutter/aperture/ISO combination is the exposure compensation dial.

I know that with my Nikon, Ev does affect Manual Mode. Please refer to my test under my own post about this very issue - http://www.ausphotography.net.au/for...-Over-Exposure

[kiwi]

I was about to say the usuall fix for a canon fault is to follow these steps

1/place canon camera on floor
2/ smash it with a hammer
3/ buy a nikon

Simple eh ?

[Kym]

[Maezyra]

I was about to say the usuall fix for a canon fault is to follow these steps

1/place canon camera on floor
2/ smash it with a hammer
3/ buy a nikon

Simple eh ?

Love your work!!

[FallingHorse]

Hi Mary
If you press 'Menu" then scroll over to the 3rd 'spanner' tab. "Clear settings' is the second on the list. When you press that you have a choice, "Clear all camera settings" or "Clear all Custom Functions"
"All camera settings" will revert to the factory setting mode and "Clear all custom Functions" will clear anything you have set as a Custom Function in the Custom Functions menu.
The other option is Cancel

Hope that helps

[Scotty72]

I was about to say the usuall fix for a canon fault is to follow these steps

1/place canon camera on floor
2/ smash it with a hammer
3/ buy a nikon

Simple eh ?

Typical camera envy humour by those lacking the judgement to not buy a Nikon.

[mary13]

Hi all
I am ready to try the usual fix for a Canon fault, LOL!
I have tried clearing all Camera settings back to default and have also cleared all Custom functions back to default and the needle is still sitting on the -2 and flashing.
Don't know what to try next, maybe I will give Canon a call tomorrow and see what they say.
I have tried changing the Shutter Speed and Aperture and it will not move even inside the house with the lights on.

[Scotty72]

Could u post a pic showing the rear screen - so we can see. ?

[Kym]

Seriously, I'm calling a camera fault. At least go to the local camera shop or Canon service and get the local tech to have a look

[Scotty72]

Seriously, I'm calling a camera fault. At least go to the local camera shop or Canon service and get the local tech to have a look

Increasingly, It would seem that way.

[mary13]

Scotty, can you believe I do not have another camera in the house to be able to take a picture of the rear screen, if I did I would. I will take the camera to work tomorrow and ask a friend to take a photo of it for me.
Kym, I am going to go to the Camera shop tomorrow after work and show them to see what they say, the guy at the local Camera House is very helpful.
Will be just my luck it will fix itself by then.

[Scotty72]

Don't u have a mobile ?

[agb]

Scotty, can you believe I do not have another camera in the house to be able to take a picture of the rear screen, if I did I would. I will take the camera to work tomorrow and ask a friend to take a photo of it for me.
Kym, I am going to go to the Camera shop tomorrow after work and show them to see what they say, the guy at the local Camera House is very helpful.
Will be just my luck it will fix itself by then.

Mary how did you get on with this? Has it been sorted out?

[Irru]

I find myself thinking how lucky I was/am to have had the canon g10 to do my initial learning on, where so much has a physical knob for it - including exposure comp.

If you're still confused, despite so many good posts trying to explain it, here is my suggestion for getting a good feel on the various modes, and the role of Ev in each. Hopefully your camera is able to do what I'm suggesting - because there is no better way to learn than by playing with the camera, and hopefully this explanation helps you to visualise it.

Set up the subject and the camera
1. Put it in 'live view' (which is where you look at the LCD screen rather than the viewfinder.
2. Put the live histogram into your live view. This should be a menu setting. The histogram shows the exposure of the whole image.
3. Set your Ev to 0.
4. Construct/find a scene in your house, to take pictures of, where you can get comfortable and even rest the camera on a pillow/table etc (or tripod if you have one). Try to pick a scene that is neither too bright nor too dark.

Next, put it in Av mode.
1. Look at the histogram. Most of the data ought to be represented in the middle of the histogram, perhaps a bit like a bell curve.
2. Adjust the aperture setting from one extreme to the other, and keep an eye on both the histogram and the shutter speed that the camera is automatically selecting. The histogram should stay roughly the same, while the shutter speed will change dramatically - and predictably. (The Ev indicator will stay on zero through this, except perhaps at the absolute extreme ends, which is the camera telling you that there is no way to take a correctly exposed picture with the aperture that small/large).
3. Now leave the aperture at one place, while adjusting Ev from one extreme to another. You should notice that the shutter speed changes a bit, while (for the first time) the histogram also changes. As you go to -Ev it should bunch to the left, and to +Ev it will 'bunch' to the right. With the picture itself also getting darker and lighter, respectively.

Next, try it in M mode
You will need to set both shutter speed and aperture yourself of course. Pick a neutral sort of aperture (F5-8, doesn't really matter). Now adjust the shutter speed back and forth, watching both the Ev indicator AND the histogram. They should appear to mimic each other, but they are slightly different.
The histogram is showing the actual exposure.
The Ev indicator is showing the exposure in relation to what the camera thinks it ought to be (zero). Adjust the shutter speed until the Ev indicator reaches 0. That shutter speed is what the camera would automatically have chosen for you if you picked the same aperture in Av mode. The histogram should resemble what you saw before, in Av mode.

Usefulness of the Ev indicator in M mode?
When looking through the viewfinder, when you don't have a histogram, it is your training wheels. It is the camera telling you, "Hey er, you're doing nicely and all, but I reckon you need to expose that more/less."

Truth is, M mode isn't really necessary unless you want to override what the camera wants to automatically do. If you're going to use M mode and expose with the Ev indicator at zero, you may as well just use Av/Tv mode instead.