Refine the brightness
How to fine-tune your exposure in-camera
Exposure compensation allows you to override the camera meter to make the next shot you take either brighter or darker than the camera’s standard exposure. The exposure scale on the camera screens and in the viewfinder acts as a guide to how much compensation you’re dialling in. When the indicator is in the middle of the scale, the image will be recorded at the camera’s standard exposure. If the indicator moves to the right – the bright side – then the exposure will be increased and the image will be brighter. Move the indicator to the left of the centre mark to reduce the exposure and get a darker shot.
There are numerous ways that you can set the exposure compensation value. Using your thumb to rotate the Quick
Control dial on the back of the camera (if it has one) is a fast option when you’re composing a shot through the viewfinder. You can also assign the function to the customisable control ring which is available on many Canon RF lenses. Exposure compensation can also be set via the Quick Control Screen or main menu.
The exposure scale only goes up to -/+2 or -/+3 stops, but you can actually set up to -/+5 stops of compensation. You can even hit -/+8 stops if you also activate Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB). This is designed to help you capture a sequence of images that cover a wider range of exposure values, which can then be combined to create a high dynamic range image. Using exposure compensation will alter the exposure settings. If you increase the exposure while shooting in Aperture Priority, for example, the shutter speed will change. This creates a risk of blurred images if the shutter speed is too slow to freeze movement.