DIGITAL SLR
ESSENTIALS
In this edition of Digital SLR Essentials we explain all you
need to know about making your camera a lit tle less auto
CANONSCHOOL
NCS
OFF
ON
Shutter^ Priority^
The^ aperture^ will^ change^ when^ you^
use exposure^ compensation^ in^ Tv.^
The^ aperture^ range^ of^ a^ lens^ is^
limited,^ so^ you^ may^ not^ get^ the^
results^ you^ expect.Aperture Priority
Exposure compensation
adjustments in Aperture
Priority cause the shutter
speed to change. Using
positive compensation gives a
slower shutter speed and the
risk of a blurred picture.Progra
m^
Here,^ expo
sure^
compensat
ion^ can^
change^ eith
er^ the^
shutter^ sp
eed^ or^ the^
aperture,^ d
epending^ on
the^ light^ av
ailable.^
Change^ th
e ISO^ to^ giv
e^
you^ more^ o
ptions.
84 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com
Canon camera is a
complicated device,
stacked with auto
features designed to
make life easier, but it
doesn’t always get things
right... Thankfully, there
are numerous ways to
override those pesky
auto features.
Exposure compensation is
perhaps the most familiar way
to take back control. Available
in three of the Creative Zone
modes – Aperture Priority
(Av), Shutter Priority (Tv) and
Program (P) – this allows you
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stops brighter, or darker, in
1/3 stop increments. The way
you make adjustments varies
across cameras: you can spin
the Quick Control Dial on
some EOS bodies, while others
require you to press the ‘Av
+/-’ button and rotate the
Main Dial. The exposure scaleLQWKHYLHZÀQGHURQO\UXQV
to two or three stops,
depending on the camera.
To make the next shot you
take darker, the indicator
should be moved to the left
of the scale, and to make it
brighter it needs to shift to
the right. Get into the habit of
resetting the compensation to
]HURZKHQÀQLVKHGVKRRWLQJ- it’s easy to forget and end up
with subsequent shots being
badly exposed. Some cameras,
including the EOS 200D and
800D, have got your back and
will automatically reset to zero
when you turn the camera off.
Consider deactivating Auto
Lighting Optimizer (ALO)
when you use exposure comp,
as it can give you a false
picture of what’s going on.
For instance, even if you use
negative exposure comp to
make a shot darker, it may still
look too bright if ALO is active.
YOU CAN’T use exposure comp in the same way in Manual (M) mode, as you
simply adjust the aperture, shutter speed or ISO to make a picture brighter or
darker. This can be a problem if you have set the ISO to Auto, as the camera
will change the ISO to maintain the same overall exposure for the selected
aperture and shutter speed. Many cameras do allow you to override this: for
example, you can apply exposure comp via the Quick Control Screen or the
‘Expo.comp./AEB’ option in the red Shooting menu. The ISO will be the
exposure setting that gets adjusted here, but only within the Auto ISO
range that has been set in the Shooting menu.What to do in Manual mode
Manual overrides
When, why and exactly how you should
be correcting your Canon EOS camera
A
MARCUS HAWKINS
PHOTO EXPERT
Marcus has been passionate about
photography for more than 25
years. A former editor of our sister
publication Digital Camera, he has
written about photography and
cameras for a wide range of clients,
including Canon and Jessops, and
uses a Canon EOS 5 D Mk III.0 EV^
- 1 EV^