Program EOS 70D to hold exposure

[moonlight33]

On the Canon EOS 70D, there is a button one can press to hold the exposure and then reframe the shot. It is unbearably difficult, because often I need to hold the focal point as well and it is hard not to accidentally press the shutter, etc.  When I utilized a Canon film camera, I could use the focal point to hold the focus AND the exposure point together by simply pressing the shutter halfway, then re-framing.  Please can someone help me to find a way to program this camera to always sync the exposure with the focal point so I do not have to press the little button (which is hard to not mess up due to there being 2 other little buttons in the same area)? Thank you so much, this is how I shoot all of my shots, it is not possible to work quickly without a way to program this.

[jrhoffman75]

I don't believe the 70D has the capability to set exposure to the selected focus point. That is a 1D series feature for DSLRs.

[Waddizzle]

---

@jrhoffman75 wrote:

I don't believe the 70D has the capability to set exposure to the selected focus point. That is a 1D series feature for DSLRs.

---

I disagree.  Just about any Canon DSLR can bind exposure to a locked AF point.  That is how Evaluative Metering works.  

It is crucial for the AF point to be active and locked when the shutter is fired.  Having [Metering Start] part of the shutter button functionality guarantees this precondition is always met.  

It is when people use BBF that the potential to not bind AF and Exposure can occur.  This is one of the reasons I reprogrammed BBF to be [AF-OFF].  Also, I only need to press one button to fire a burst of shots, which makes doing so while panning much easier.

[EDIT] This is not my first choice of articles.  There is/was a better one at DPReview that included this same illustration.

https://digital-photography-school.com/understanding-evaluative-metering-on-your-eos-camera/ 

Every AF Point was paired with its own metering sensor element.  This basic design still applies today, even though cameras can tens of thousands of metering points.

[moonlight33]

Thank you so much to everyone for your responses. I am reviewing and testing out these suggestions and will be back for a follow-up.  Yes, I am trying to connect my auto focus spot (with one shot) to my metering, 100% of the time, without having to find that tiny little button on the back.  I already tried the Metering Start setting as suggested, but this stopped my ability to auto-focus.  Will be continuing to review all of the helpful links.

[Anonymous]

You want metering start and AF start for the shutter button. If you select the trash can while programing the buttons, it will reset all the buttons back to default.

[moonlight33]

Hi, thank you for the response. I did go through the steps..in Operation/Others I proceeded to Custom Controls (#4), then moved to the Shutter butt. half-press Metering and AF start screen, then selected the icon on the upper left, then had the screen "Shutter butt. half-press" and selected the first one on the left with the "Metering and AF start", then hit "Set/OK. Then exited out of these menus by hitting the Menu option.  I then tried to shoot, but the same thing occurs, that the camera will not hold my exposure along with the focal point, when I reframe the shot. Of course, I am still holding the shutter button down halfway. I'd be thankful for any further suggestions to solve this.  Using the little button on the back is not possible with the type of photography I do.  I'm not shooting nature scenes and need to work quickly. Thank you so much for the help.

[Anonymous]

I would go back and check the shutter button programming again. Perhaps the change wasn't saved. You can also use the trash can button while in the custom button programming screen to reset all the buttons and controls back to default.

[jrhoffman75]

---

@moonlight33 wrote:

Thank you so much to everyone for your responses. I am reviewing and testing out these suggestions and will be back for a follow-up.  Yes, I am trying to connect my auto focus spot (with one shot) to my metering, 100% of the time, without having to find that tiny little button on the back.  I already tried the Metering Start setting as suggested, but this stopped my ability to auto-focus.  Will be continuing to review all of the helpful links.

---

Check your manual and read about the AE Lock (*) button. It has a 4 second timer (I believe) so you don't need multiple fingers. 

[Waddizzle]

---

@moonlight33 wrote:

Thank you so much to everyone for your responses. I am reviewing and testing out these suggestions and will be back for a follow-up.  Yes, I am trying to connect my auto focus spot (with one shot) to my metering, 100% of the time, without having to find that tiny little button on the back.  I already tried the Metering Start setting as suggested, but this stopped my ability to auto-focus.  Will be continuing to review all of the helpful links.

---

Reset custom control programming to factory defaults.  Use Evaluative Metering mode, which is the factory default and everything should fall into place.

Use just a single AF point.  The center AF point is the most accurate.  Binding exposure can work with any single AF point.  

However, Spot AF only works with the center AF point.  I only use Spot AF on a tripod.  It meters an area that is much larger than AF point.  Notice how the Spot AF circle shown in the above illustration touches at least 5 metering points.  I almost never use Spot Metering because of this.

Use One Shot AF because when it locks focus it will also lock the exposure.

[moonlight33]

Hello Waddizzle, thank you for the info. Re: evaluative, is this is my only option to avoid utilizing the exposure lock? I'm learning this camera system, but have been working with partial or spot metering in my attempts to recreate the way I used to work with my Canon film camera. I shoot mostly black & white backlit (natural light) with models/people as my subjects (or journalism) in AV mode. I want to control the way the light appears for the creative work. The only workaround I can come up with, is to use evaluative along with exposure compensation, to allow more light in (or less).  This is frustrating for circumstances in which I would like to have a very black background and need spot metering and need to work quickly.  Is there any other way for me to link the partial metering with the focal point and hold that exposure when reframing? And if not, I've read that evaluative metering still concentrates on the focal point, but I wouldn't think it would be as accurate as the partial metering. Thank you for your help!