Getting set up for exposure compensation

How to get a brighter or darker exposure by overriding the camera’s selected Auto ISO sensitivity

Shutter speed

If you’re shooting without a tripod or other camera support, consider setting a shutter speed that is the same as the focal length or zoom position of the lens. This will help to combat the effects of camera shake. To freeze a moving subject you might need to set a faster shutter speed. As long as there’s enough light available, Auto ISO will then attempt to maintain this shutter speed.

Aperture

With Auto ISO enabled, you’re free to choose an aperture that may not produce a standard exposure with the selected shutter speed – Auto ISO will increase or decrease the sensitivity to compensate for a large or small aperture. Once you’ve set your combination of shutter speed and aperture, they stay locked in, but Auto ISO will change to maintain your exposure as the light changes.

Compensation

Auto ISO sets a sensitivity based on the camera’s light meter reading, but this can be fooled into giving an incorrect exposure. The camera may set an ISO that’s too low (producing an image that’s too dark) or an ISO that’s too high (resulting in a image that’s too bright). Use exposure compensation to correct this – the camera will then increase or decrease the ISO accordingly.

Custom controls

Although you can set exposure compensation on the Quick Control screen, this can interrupt the flow of photography. To react quicker, you can use the Custom Controls menu to assign exposure compensation to the SET button. Some cameras have an extra button which can be given the same function. You’ll need to press the button and rotate the Main Dial to set the compensation.