EOS R5 Mark II: BBF and AE Lock

[thegios]

I have triple BBF configured

- SHUTTER: Metering Start
- AF-ON: Metering and AF Start
- *: Metering and AF Start but with subject detecnion OFF
- FOCUS POINT SELECTION: Af with eye control

How do I lock exposure now?

I am asking because people keep on telling me that by half pressing shutter the exposure is supposed to be locked, but this is not the case in any metering mode and/or shooting mode and/or focusing mode.
Thx

[stevet1]

thegios,

What does your manual say about AE lock?

I know that on my camera, half-pressing the shutter takes an exposure reading, but doesn't lock it. That's done by pressing the * button.

Steve Thomas

[thegios]

R5 Mk2 (like also R5 and R6 Mk2 and many other Rx) have by default AE-LOCK assigned to * button and shutter button doing both metering adn AF. When you do BBF you remove AF from shutter and assign it to another button. In my case I have three buttoins doing BBF: AF-ON, * and focus-points selection (all three doing different Af stuff).
I am left with no buttons for AE lock.
I could assign AE Lock to shutter button, like Fuji cameras do, but KI am not sure if this makes sense.

[p4pictures]

There are other choices for where to put the AE lock, and even the type of lock you want. One option is to use the depth of field preview button, though actually I would suggest using AE-lock with hold on that one. You just have to remember to press it to lock the exposure and then press it again to unlock the exposure. 

Check this section of the manual to find out what buttons you can assign for the AE lock you want to use. 

https://cam.start.canon/en/C017/manual/html/UG-08_Customize_0030.html 

[stevet1]

thegios,

I have a T8i, which is not as sophisticated as your camera, but I have mine set up so that the shutter button does the metering, and the AF-ON button does the focusing. The * button locks the metering, and if I want to HOLD that lock for longer than the standard six seconds, I hold down on the AF-ON button.

I also use AI Servo exclusively.

Steve Thomas

[Waddizzle]

Welcome the Canon Community.

The default behavior for all Metering Modes when using One Shot AF is to lock exposure when focus locks.  

The default behavior for all Metering Modes when using Servo AF is to lock exposure when the shutter is fired.

When using default Meter Mode, Evaluative Metering, the entire scene is taken into account but the exposure is biased at the locked AF point.  This behavior helps to make sure your focused subject is getting the proper exposure setting.

[thegios]

Waddizle, yes thanks this I know but

1. What if in One Shot I want to take exposure in a point different from focus point? 

2.Whatbif in Servo I want to lock exposure regardless if subject being tracked moves?

By the way I have an R5 Mk2 with plenty of buttons but probably not enough 🙂

I could assign to shutter button the AE Lock but then the following won't work

3. In SERVO I want the exposure to be calculated each time I take a picture in burst while following the subject

[thegios]

Waddizle actually I have another question at this point

- servo

- spot metering

- subject tracking on

- I point center focus point on subject, subject gets in focus and tracked, I start shooting in burst, the subject moves out of the center but camera keeps on tracking him while I shoot: whe is the exposure calculated at each shot? Always at the center being in spot metering?

Remember I have an R5 Mk2 where this new option is available: https://cam.start.canon/en/C017/manual/html/UG-03_Shooting-1_0490.html

but only for Evaluative, while my scenario above is spit metering where subject is being tracked in the whole area: original metering is taken at focus point in the center where spit metering is, but then subject moves while still being tracked in focus.

[p4pictures]

When you select spot metering and also partial metering there is a grey circle overlaid in the viewfinder and on the LCD at the centre of the frame. This is indicating the area that the metering is using. It does not move from the centre of the frame even if the AF points move. 

I have to contradict @Waddizzle in the way EOS cameras automatically lock exposure.

When a camera is set to evaluative metering and one shot AF, exposure is automatically locked when the AF locks. For any other metering pattern; spot, partial or centre weighted there is no automatic exposure lock with one-shot AF, and the metering continues to update until the photo is taken. 

For servo AF there is no automatic exposure lock with any metering pattern.

This is the true for all EOS DSLR and EOS R series mirrorless models. 

When the EOS 6D Mark II was introduced Canon added a new custom setting that is now in many cameras that will change the above default AE-lock process. The custom function allows the photographer to choose which metering modes will have automatic exposure lock when using one-shot AF.

Here's some links to the relevant pages in the EOS R5 Mark II manual.

https://cam.start.canon/en/C017/manual/html/UG-03_Shooting-1_0480.html

Make sure to expand the note for the details.

https://cam.start.canon/en/C017/manual/html/UG-09_Custom_0030.html#Custom_0030_2-3 

Some cameras - EOS-1D series DSLRs mostly, but I expect the EOS R1 too - have a custom function that changes the behaviour of spot metering so that it is linked to the AF point position, not exclusively at the centre. Here's some pages from the EOS-1D X Mark III manual where this is covered. 

https://cam.start.canon/en/C001/manual/html/UG-03_Shooting-1_0270.html

https://cam.start.canon/en/C001/manual/html/UG-08_Custom_0030.html#Custom_0030_1-6

[thegios]

Yes correct, I forgot to mention this, since this is the very first thing I configured on my R5Mk2 (BTW: I've had an R for 6 years before).

Sometimes I wonder if Canon is over-engineering...

Let me recap:

• WHEN METERING IS LOCKED
  • ONE SHOT
    • EVALUATIVE: at focus
    • SPOT ETC: at shot unless forced by new option "AE lock meter. mode after focus"
  • SERVO
    • ALL: at shot
• WHERE METERING IS TAKEN
  • EVALUATIVE: whole area with abias on focus point(s)
    QUESTION 1: what does this option does then: https://cam.start.canon/en/C017/manual/html/UG-03_Shooting-1_0490.html
    I evaluative already has a bias on focus point(s) what's the purpoose of this "Detect priority AE while AF"?
  • SPOT ETC: at the center
    QUESTION 2: if I have SPOT METERING but also subject tracking on, if I point center of frame (the spot) on the subject and focus, the metering is taken at center on the subject, but then the subject moves off-center and since is being tracked the focus points follow the subject: where is now metering taken, still at the center?