Trouble with manual mode of Canon 70d

[LivCo]

Camera Details: Body-EOS 70D Lens-EFS 18-55mm (58mm)

Background: I'm a novice photographer and have been shooting most modes (mainly P, Av, Tv), except manual. Admitedly I'm not all too familiar with the settings (I know the basics), but I was doing a few test shots and they were so under exposed, you could hardly make out the picture. I noticed the Exposure comp. always adjusted any time I wanted to bring up the shutter speed or adjust the aperature. For example my settings would be: Fstop- 5.6 Shutterspeed:1/30 iSO-100 Location:Indoors. With these settings I get a fairly decent close up shot. Now if I wanted to move, change to a faster shutter speed, like 1/100 and an Fstop of 16, The meter, moves all the way to the left (past -3), resulting in a relatively black photo. 

Question: Is it possible to disable the exposure comp. and gain full control of the camera in manual? Or am I doing something wrong in terms of my choice of settings?

Thanks!

[cicopo · Accepted solution]

If I understand your question correctly you are not doing things correctly. The idea is to center the meter reading by adjusting either or both the Tv / Av setting. When the meter is centered that's what the light meter thinks will make a correct exposure. If you can't find a pair of settings that work you then also need to raise or lower the ISO.

IF a Tv of 1/500 gives a nice exposure at an Av of f 8 at a given ISO then these settings will do the same

1 stop slower is 1/250 which doubles how much light is now hitting the sensor SO you compensate with a smaller aperture by 1 stop which is f 11  OR you could lower the ISO 1 full stop. If the ISO was at 400 1 stop lower is ISO 200.

Take a look at this Canon tutorial for a bit more help.     http://www.canonoutsideofauto.ca/

[diverhank · Accepted solution]

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@LivCo wrote:

Camera Details: Body-EOS 70D Lens-EFS 18-55mm (58mm)

Background: I'm a novice photographer and have been shooting most modes (mainly P, Av, Tv), except manual. Admitedly I'm not all too familiar with the settings (I know the basics), but I was doing a few test shots and they were so under exposed, you could hardly make out the picture. I noticed the Exposure comp. always adjusted any time I wanted to bring up the shutter speed or adjust the aperature. For example my settings would be: Fstop- 5.6 Shutterspeed:1/30 iSO-100 Location:Indoors. With these settings I get a fairly decent close up shot. Now if I wanted to move, change to a faster shutter speed, like 1/100 and an Fstop of 16, The meter, moves all the way to the left (past -3), resulting in a relatively black photo. 

Question: Is it possible to disable the exposure comp. and gain full control of the camera in manual? Or am I doing something wrong in terms of my choice of settings?

Thanks!

---

There is no exposure compensation in M mode, even with Auto ISO.  You are the compensator :), so to speak.  The so-called "Exposure Comp" you speak of is actually just the metering telling you whether you're too dark (mark left of center) or too bright (right of center).  This metering is what makes the use of M so awesomely easy.

The metering tells you the ball park (basically the average of light across the entire frame - depending on the metering mode).   If the background is too bright, the metering will usually tell you it's right on when you subject will actually be too dark because it's fooled.  Vice versa, you object will be too bright if the background is too dark.  You know this since you've been using exposure compensation in Av and Tv mode.    In M mode, you have a choice either just to dial the settings until the mark shows a bit to the right for bright background and a bit to the left if background is dark.

Take full advantage of Live View (make sure Simulation is enabled).  Use full M mode (all 3 Av, Tv and ISO manually set) and you will be able to see the effect of everything you set before you take the picture.  Live View is a great learning tool for this sort of thing.  You will soon develop a feel for it without thinking much about it.  For this reason, I almost exclusively shoot in M mode without breaking a sweat.  It's great for a control freak like me.    I do have a separate meter but I hardly ever used it (I only use it to measure flashes)  because the camera metering is adequate - as long as you understand its limitations  

For any shoot, for a typical scene, I usually turn on live view and get a feel of the lighting and the required settings (as a basis before I change them to suit my needs)  then turn live view off because it eats battery and it's very slow.

[cicopo · Accepted solution]

If I understand your question correctly you are not doing things correctly. The idea is to center the meter reading by adjusting either or both the Tv / Av setting. When the meter is centered that's what the light meter thinks will make a correct exposure. If you can't find a pair of settings that work you then also need to raise or lower the ISO.

IF a Tv of 1/500 gives a nice exposure at an Av of f 8 at a given ISO then these settings will do the same

1 stop slower is 1/250 which doubles how much light is now hitting the sensor SO you compensate with a smaller aperture by 1 stop which is f 11  OR you could lower the ISO 1 full stop. If the ISO was at 400 1 stop lower is ISO 200.

Take a look at this Canon tutorial for a bit more help.     http://www.canonoutsideofauto.ca/

[diverhank · Accepted solution]

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@LivCo wrote:

Camera Details: Body-EOS 70D Lens-EFS 18-55mm (58mm)

Background: I'm a novice photographer and have been shooting most modes (mainly P, Av, Tv), except manual. Admitedly I'm not all too familiar with the settings (I know the basics), but I was doing a few test shots and they were so under exposed, you could hardly make out the picture. I noticed the Exposure comp. always adjusted any time I wanted to bring up the shutter speed or adjust the aperature. For example my settings would be: Fstop- 5.6 Shutterspeed:1/30 iSO-100 Location:Indoors. With these settings I get a fairly decent close up shot. Now if I wanted to move, change to a faster shutter speed, like 1/100 and an Fstop of 16, The meter, moves all the way to the left (past -3), resulting in a relatively black photo. 

Question: Is it possible to disable the exposure comp. and gain full control of the camera in manual? Or am I doing something wrong in terms of my choice of settings?

Thanks!

---

There is no exposure compensation in M mode, even with Auto ISO.  You are the compensator :), so to speak.  The so-called "Exposure Comp" you speak of is actually just the metering telling you whether you're too dark (mark left of center) or too bright (right of center).  This metering is what makes the use of M so awesomely easy.

The metering tells you the ball park (basically the average of light across the entire frame - depending on the metering mode).   If the background is too bright, the metering will usually tell you it's right on when you subject will actually be too dark because it's fooled.  Vice versa, you object will be too bright if the background is too dark.  You know this since you've been using exposure compensation in Av and Tv mode.    In M mode, you have a choice either just to dial the settings until the mark shows a bit to the right for bright background and a bit to the left if background is dark.

Take full advantage of Live View (make sure Simulation is enabled).  Use full M mode (all 3 Av, Tv and ISO manually set) and you will be able to see the effect of everything you set before you take the picture.  Live View is a great learning tool for this sort of thing.  You will soon develop a feel for it without thinking much about it.  For this reason, I almost exclusively shoot in M mode without breaking a sweat.  It's great for a control freak like me.    I do have a separate meter but I hardly ever used it (I only use it to measure flashes)  because the camera metering is adequate - as long as you understand its limitations  

For any shoot, for a typical scene, I usually turn on live view and get a feel of the lighting and the required settings (as a basis before I change them to suit my needs)  then turn live view off because it eats battery and it's very slow.

[ebiggs1 · Accepted solution]

Both of these posts are spot on.  You might want to reread them a couple times.  I found over the years, and I have become fairly good at it, I can judge an exposure. Yeah, guess is a better word I 'guess'!  You can keep in mind the Sunny 16 Rule.  It states on a sunny daylighted day your exposure will be f16, SS1/100 and ISO 100.  Your eye will become used to what this looks like.  Also as you move to a shady or cloudy area, you will know to move the exposure a bit. Maybe f8, SS 1/100 and ISO 100.

Of course other factors are going to alter these very basic settings but with experience you too will learn what f16, 1/00, ISO 100 looks like.