All I want to know is if your camera "tells you" some how that the photo you're about to take is going to be over exposed or under exposed. I'm finding it kind of annoying having to take 2-3 photos just to get the right exposure. I know what settings to change, I just don't know whether it's going to be underexposed or overexposed before taking the picture. Could someone help me out? I am not sure if it says on the screen I'm looking through or what....

I couldn't tell you with a Canon, but on a Nikon you can see with the built in light meter if it's over or underexposed.

I'm pretty sure most newer Canon models have that on them too.

There is actually a exposure level indicator when you look through the viewfinder:



I THINK if the indicator is in the middle then you are getting the right exposure and if it's to the left then it's going to underexpose.

This post was edited by Futurama on May 20 2009 02:23pm

use right metering mode and u get right exposure by meter

I know what you are asking but I personally don't rely on what some computer engineer programmed 5 years ago into my camera.

I am familiar enough to come within a 1/3 stop of it being perfect in full manual - that's adjusting both the shutter and aperture while keeping my ISO anywhere from 100-400 ...

But the engineer created bracketing if the shot really matters or you don't want to think of it at that moment. Bracketing is also useful for exposure blending or HDR in the post processing phase.

Other than that you can always look, as others said, at the histogram. Also, my camera as I imagine others, have an overexposure/under mode when reviewing images that highlights the portion that it thinks is under or over ...

Yeah that makes sense....



I'm not sure how to get this? I do prefer using manual mode.. not sure if that's possible?



Hmm - yeah, I use full manual mode and that's the issue I'm having... there's just no way I can set the settings to what it should be to get the correct exposure without something telling me approx that it's going to be under/over exposed... Unless I want to waste time and take 2-3 pictures to find out. I don't want to have to take 2-3 pictures to get the right exposed one, because I might miss out on something. I don't want them to be "wow" pictures, but I would at least like it so you don't notice whether it's too light or too dark.

I'm using a Canon 400D, and I just realized it does have the exposure level indicator.

I find the meter to be quite accurate - the only time it has been way off is when I'm shooting in the middle of the night or something extreme like that.

Okay - good to know. Thanks!

How does it work? Like any light meter? In the middle = good?

Edit: NVM! I played with it and figured it out lol - FUN STUFF! Thanks guys!

This post was edited by chantal7 on May 20 2009 07:33pm

in manual u can still choose different metering modes

meter shows -2, -1 2/3, -1 1/3, -1, - 2/3, -1,3. 0, +1/3, +2/3, +1, +1 1/3, +1 2/3, +2

0is right exposure - is under + is over

This post was edited by Antichrist- on May 20 2009 07:34pm