04-25-2015 03:58 PM
I emailed Canon regarding lack of exposure compensation in manual mode on the 5D3. They sent me the reply below. Hoping for a firmware update to correct this issue. If anyone else has an issue with this, please consider letting Canon know your position. I find this seriously limits the camera's usefulness to me as a bird photographer.
"Thank you for contacting Canon product support regarding your EOS 5D Mark III. I understand you are interested in exposure compensation when shooting in manual mode. I am happy to assist you.
You are correct that this model does not have exposure compensation in manual mode. This is something that I can submit to our engineers for consideration and may be incorporated in a future firmware release. Please note that decisions to include a particular camera feature are made by our engineers and product designers in Japan, based on a number of factors. Consumer demand, technological limitations, and customer feedback are all taken in to consideration."
03-02-2018 04:21 PM
@ballkdwrote:The key to why the exposure compensation is needed for bird photography for example, relates to what you said: "to fine tune the metering on the fly for a faked reading to tell the Auto ISO not to use the setting it suggests but a new value."
The shutter speed and aperture can't be used to adjust the exposure compensation as these have to stay within range to get a focused shot of a subject that can be moving quickly within and across the frame.
The 'faked reading' is really just a bias that moves the histogram to the right to brighten up a small dark area, or darker details in the subject which is a bird that you have no control over. Therefore you only may get one chance for a shot or sequence of shots under poor conditions. Poor conditions could be bright back lighting, shadowing of the subject by some object, the subject distance making it relatively small compared to the whole frame.
The main thing being, that you need to bias the exposure to to overexpose some or most of the scene in order to get this one subject exposed well enough to bring out the detail you want.
Keep in mind that for this type of subject, the exact species of bird may not even be able to be identified if all you can't make out the details properly.
With practice a bird photographer can tell how much bias is needed for a starter setting that will increase the chances that the exposure of the subject will be within the ball park in the few seconds or less of the opportunity to take the shot, then post processing will be more successful, or even possible to get a useable result later.
I guess I see your point, but I'd maintain that the compensation is better done in post-processing, where you can brighten the dark areas with less risk of over-brightening the bright areas.
03-02-2018 06:13 PM
Three little words every serious photographer should know is, Raw and layers and masking.
02-03-2024 07:37 PM
Adjusting the EC results in the Auto-ISO model choosing a different ISO for the shot. Not the same as post-processing.
01-25-2020 11:50 PM
Hi, been a long time since you posted. Did you ever get this fixed? I'm in the same situation, exactly the same reason you explained here. Want to set a specific f stop and speed and let ISO float but need to compensate the exposure for snowy owls.
01-26-2020 05:39 AM
@jpdodel wrote:Hi, been a long time since you posted. Did you ever get this fixed? I'm in the same situation, exactly the same reason you explained here. Want to set a specific f stop and speed and let ISO float but need to compensate the exposure for snowy owls.
Canon has added exposure compensation only fairly recently. In Manual shooting mode, it only becomes available when ISO is set to Auto. I do not believe that the 5D3 has that option.
01-26-2020 10:38 AM
" In Manual shooting mode, it only becomes available when ISO is set to Auto."
WHich is ridiculous! If you want to shoot in manual mode you are the exposure comp. If you want auto, shoot in an auto mode. Simple.
01-26-2020 11:56 AM - edited 01-26-2020 11:59 AM
@ebiggs1 wrote:" In Manual shooting mode, it only becomes available when ISO is set to Auto."
WHich is ridiculous! If you want to shoot in manual mode you are the exposure comp. If you want auto, shoot in an auto mode. Simple.
Simply put If you do not like the feature, then do not use it. End of story.
That is how it works. If you have a problem with the feature, take it up with Canon. I don't want to hear it!
You have the ability to allow the camera to control any one, any two, or all three legs of the Exposure Triangle. What was missing from past cameras was the ability to dial in exposure compensation while the camera is controlling just ISO.
I think shooting in Manual with Auto ISO should be given a name, Exposure Priority.
02-16-2020 11:06 PM
Doesn't Pentax call it TvAv mode? They had it long before Canon did.
02-17-2020 05:13 PM
@MichaelGClark wrote:Doesn't Pentax call it TvAv mode? They had it long before Canon did.
It seems Pentax has a "TAv" mode. I have no idea how long it has been around. If I were to name it, then I would call it "Ev" mode, Exposure Priority. The Auto ISO always gives a 0 Ev exposure, that is until you dial in exposure compensation.
Canon has had Auto ISO in manual shooting modes, but only just recently added exposure compensation when you use it. The first body that I am aware of to have it its eh 7D Mark II, which is actually several years old.
02-03-2024 07:46 PM
Not ridiculous at all. Maybe you'll like it if you try it; I did. The workflow in my R6 in Manual mode with auto ISO is very natural. (1) Set aperture and shutter how I want them (2) camera tells me which ISO it chose. This much is the same on the 5D3. But then on the R6, I can then set EC to nudge the ISO up or down. On the 5D3, if you want a different ISO you have to set it manually. That's fine, we're all used to that, but it is faster to use the EC.
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