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5D3: No exposure compensation in manual mode.

MLS
Apprentice

 

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."

23 REPLIES 23

Peter
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Authority

My 6D, 7D and 1000D have exposure compensation indicatore in M-mode. Is it really not there in 5DIII?

TTMartin
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@MLS wrote:

 

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."


I assume you mean exposure compensation in Manual with Auto ISO. 

 

With my 7D, I just don't worry about it, using evaluative metering which links to the active AF point, I find exposure is close enough that there is enough exposure latatude even with the classic 7D. I just shoot RAW and lift the exposure as needed during post processing.

I've read this complaint before & simply don't understand the idea. In Manual mode you control the shutter speed with one wheel & the aperture with the other dial. If you need to add a bit more light you roll one of those dials to do it either by using a bit wider aperture or slower shutter speed OR the reverse of that for less exposure. What else do you need to do & what are you going to use to do it? Both wheels are already assigned to their respective duties. 

"A skill is developed through constant practice with a passion to improve, not bought."

With Av you can set a fixed aperture. With Tv you can set a fixed Shutter speed. But in many situation, especially for bird and wildlife photography, you may want a fixed aperture AND shutter speed. So you put it on Manual. But light may change rapidly, and so you want the camera to do all the calculation for you so you use AUTO ISO. This way, you can have everything fixed accept for ISO. But without Compesantion, in some situation (against light/dark background for example) the camera will give incorrect exposure. Thus, there is a need for exposure compensation in Manual mode when using Auto ISO.

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Weekend Travelers Blog | Eastern Sierra Fall Color Guide

And just how do you propose the compensation be done? Im manual mode the TV, Av & ISO are being set, even in Auto ISO the camera adjusts the ISO as the lighting changes to match what the camera thinks will be a "good" exposure for the Av & Tv selected. You would need 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. How many more dials are you going to add to the camera & where are you going to put them to make these changes on the fly. I'd rather deal with this while processing the RAW file so I can concentrate on getting the shot.

"A skill is developed through constant practice with a passion to improve, not bought."

hehe, I don't use it. I don't even use AutoISO. I don't have a need for it. But I was wondering the same thing and it was explained to me why [they] need it. So I just relay it back hehe. I agree with you, but I guess people are not happy unless it is truly point and shoot.

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Weekend Travelers Blog | Eastern Sierra Fall Color Guide

Some would find EC in manual mode useful. I for one would like to see this in the 5D3 and 6D.  It's in the 1DX, guess that's one expensive point&shoot. 

"... the only response is a newly adjusted ISO to compensate and continue to provide this camera-defined “normal” exposure level."

 

I guess!  But I hardly call this "manual" mode.  Do you?  Smiley Frustrated

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

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.

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