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SmilingDog · 03-04-2013, 06:18 AM

This is my first post to this forum. Got my K-30 with Sigma 17-50 2.8 lens a couple months ago and have been learning.

Regarding AE lock, I'm just looking for real world examples - when do you all use the AE lock, and in which metering method (multi-segment, center weighted, or spot)?

Have the results been as expected?

Thanks.

Na Horuk · 03-04-2013, 07:54 AM

Welcome.
One example when to use AE lock is if you are using spot metering to make sure that one object is correctly exposed and don't really care about other objects in the frame. Then you recompose, but keep the AE locked, so that object stays at "EV 0" even though it is now in a different place in the frame.
You can also use AE lock when there is a lot of contrast, for example if you want the sky to stay blue (and not turn white) you can expose for the sky, hold AE lock and then recompose to include more of the landscape.
Or if you are shooting a very bright white object (like a wedding dress), you might want to meter for the scene without the dress and use AE lock, so that the white dress doesn't fool the camera into thinking the scene is brighter than it actually is (which would make everything else look darker and make the dress look greyish)
But with digital cameras, using things like manual mode with green button metering, looking at the histogram, exposure compensation, live view.. AE lock is not that important because you can use other things to get essentially the same result. And with digital, you can usually take a bunch of shots until you get what you want.
About metering,.. you usually want to use center weighted or multi segment. Spot is really useful, too, but you have to know how to use it properly. Spot just means it only takes into account the object at that AF point, multi segment is the most modern and will give you an overall metering for the whole frame. Center weighted is usually a sort of compromise.

SteveB · 03-04-2013, 11:44 AM

It's handy for panoramas as well.

curlednoodles · 03-04-2013, 07:51 PM

Do you have to hold down the AE lock button or do you just press it once and it locks the exposure until you press it again?
Thanks.

twitch · 03-04-2013, 07:55 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by curlednoodles

Do you have to hold down the AE lock button or do you just press it once and it locks the exposure until you press it again?
Thanks.

Just push it once, the * sign in the viewfinder and on the LCD gives it away that the exposure is locked.

curlednoodles · 03-04-2013, 07:58 PM

Originally posted by twitch

Just push it once, the * sign in the viewfinder and on the LCD gives it away that the exposure is locked.

ok, thank you

mikeSF · 03-04-2013, 09:36 PM

I sometimes use it when shooting splashing waves while in M mode when I want to vary my shutter speed to get the optimum wave rendering. I will expose for the scene then press AE lock and then I can speed up or slow down my shutter slightly and the camera will adjust another parameter, ie aperture accordingly to maintain the same exposure. It has come in handy a few times.

SmilingDog · 03-05-2013, 04:34 AM

Thanks, everyone, for your replies. I'm thinking of using AE lock on sunrises and on moody cloud scenes.

By the way, does anyone know what the sunset scene mode actually does? Does it add color, or adjust exposure? The manual simply says, "For capturing sunrises or sunsets in beautiful, vivid color." Not sure how it differs from landscape scene mode.

curlednoodles · 03-05-2013, 04:09 PM

Originally posted by SmilingDog

By the way, does anyone know what the sunset scene mode actually does? Does it add color, or adjust exposure? The manual simply says, "For capturing sunrises or sunsets in beautiful, vivid color." Not sure how it differs from landscape scene mode.

I think it changes the white balance?

Na Horuk · 03-06-2013, 11:01 AM

Originally posted by SmilingDog

By the way, does anyone know what the sunset scene mode actually does? Does it add color, or adjust exposure? The manual simply says, "For capturing sunrises or sunsets in beautiful, vivid color." Not sure how it differs from landscape scene mode.

i wish Pentax would give us detailed explanations on the scene modes. Some can be helpful. I think that one basically keeps the photo at a certain exposure and a nice orange white balance.

SmilingDog · 03-07-2013, 04:57 AM

Originally posted by Na Horuk

i wish Pentax would give us detailed explanations on the scene modes. Some can be helpful. I think that one basically keeps the photo at a certain exposure and a nice orange white balance.

Same here. I tried the Blue Sky scene mode and a photo without it, and can't really tell any difference.

Na Horuk · 03-07-2013, 11:36 AM

I like to use the landscape scn sometimes, because it keeps the shutter speed at something decent and stops down to around f8-11. This can be useful for when you want some automation, but also want a wide DoF.

adwb · 03-08-2013, 03:33 AM

Originally posted by Na Horuk

i wish Pentax would give us detailed explanations on the scene modes. Some can be helpful. I think that one basically keeps the photo at a certain exposure and a nice orange white balance.

long long ago someone did that for the k100d scene modes. I would bet that that info would mostly apply to the current scene modes.
You will have to search the forums for it and I have no idea what key words would retreive it.

03-04-2013, 06:18 AM	#1
SmilingDog New Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 8	AE Lock This is my first post to this forum. Got my K-30 with Sigma 17-50 2.8 lens a couple months ago and have been learning. Regarding AE lock, I'm just looking for real world examples - when do you all use the AE lock, and in which metering method (multi-segment, center weighted, or spot)? Have the results been as expected? Thanks.

03-05-2013, 04:34 AM	#8
SmilingDog New Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 8 Original Poster	AE lock Thanks, everyone, for your replies. I'm thinking of using AE lock on sunrises and on moody cloud scenes. By the way, does anyone know what the sunset scene mode actually does? Does it add color, or adjust exposure? The manual simply says, "For capturing sunrises or sunsets in beautiful, vivid color." Not sure how it differs from landscape scene mode.

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03-04-2013, 07:54 AM	#2
Na Horuk Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Slovenia, probably Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,186	Welcome. One example when to use AE lock is if you are using spot metering to make sure that one object is correctly exposed and don't really care about other objects in the frame. Then you recompose, but keep the AE locked, so that object stays at "EV 0" even though it is now in a different place in the frame. You can also use AE lock when there is a lot of contrast, for example if you want the sky to stay blue (and not turn white) you can expose for the sky, hold AE lock and then recompose to include more of the landscape. Or if you are shooting a very bright white object (like a wedding dress), you might want to meter for the scene without the dress and use AE lock, so that the white dress doesn't fool the camera into thinking the scene is brighter than it actually is (which would make everything else look darker and make the dress look greyish) But with digital cameras, using things like manual mode with green button metering, looking at the histogram, exposure compensation, live view.. AE lock is not that important because you can use other things to get essentially the same result. And with digital, you can usually take a bunch of shots until you get what you want. About metering,.. you usually want to use center weighted or multi segment. Spot is really useful, too, but you have to know how to use it properly. Spot just means it only takes into account the object at that AF point, multi segment is the most modern and will give you an overall metering for the whole frame. Center weighted is usually a sort of compromise.

03-04-2013, 11:44 AM	#3
SteveB Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: U.K. Posts: 685	It's handy for panoramas as well.

03-04-2013, 07:51 PM	#4
curlednoodles Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Far North Qld, Australia Posts: 184	Do you have to hold down the AE lock button or do you just press it once and it locks the exposure until you press it again? Thanks.

03-04-2013, 07:55 PM - 1 Like	#5
twitch Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 4,571	Originally posted by curlednoodles Do you have to hold down the AE lock button or do you just press it once and it locks the exposure until you press it again? Thanks. Just push it once, the * sign in the viewfinder and on the LCD gives it away that the exposure is locked.

03-04-2013, 07:58 PM	#6
curlednoodles Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Far North Qld, Australia Posts: 184	Originally posted by twitch Just push it once, the * sign in the viewfinder and on the LCD gives it away that the exposure is locked. ok, thank you

03-04-2013, 09:36 PM	#7
mikeSF Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: East Bay Area, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,622	I sometimes use it when shooting splashing waves while in M mode when I want to vary my shutter speed to get the optimum wave rendering. I will expose for the scene then press AE lock and then I can speed up or slow down my shutter slightly and the camera will adjust another parameter, ie aperture accordingly to maintain the same exposure. It has come in handy a few times.

03-05-2013, 04:09 PM	#9
curlednoodles Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Far North Qld, Australia Posts: 184	Originally posted by SmilingDog By the way, does anyone know what the sunset scene mode actually does? Does it add color, or adjust exposure? The manual simply says, "For capturing sunrises or sunsets in beautiful, vivid color." Not sure how it differs from landscape scene mode. I think it changes the white balance?

03-06-2013, 11:01 AM	#10
Na Horuk Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Slovenia, probably Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,186	Originally posted by SmilingDog By the way, does anyone know what the sunset scene mode actually does? Does it add color, or adjust exposure? The manual simply says, "For capturing sunrises or sunsets in beautiful, vivid color." Not sure how it differs from landscape scene mode. i wish Pentax would give us detailed explanations on the scene modes. Some can be helpful. I think that one basically keeps the photo at a certain exposure and a nice orange white balance.

03-07-2013, 04:57 AM	#11
SmilingDog New Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 8 Original Poster	Originally posted by Na Horuk i wish Pentax would give us detailed explanations on the scene modes. Some can be helpful. I think that one basically keeps the photo at a certain exposure and a nice orange white balance. Same here. I tried the Blue Sky scene mode and a photo without it, and can't really tell any difference.

03-07-2013, 11:36 AM	#12
Na Horuk Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Slovenia, probably Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,186	I like to use the landscape scn sometimes, because it keeps the shutter speed at something decent and stops down to around f8-11. This can be useful for when you want some automation, but also want a wide DoF.

03-08-2013, 03:33 AM	#13
adwb Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bristol UK Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,636	Originally posted by Na Horuk i wish Pentax would give us detailed explanations on the scene modes. Some can be helpful. I think that one basically keeps the photo at a certain exposure and a nice orange white balance. long long ago someone did that for the k100d scene modes. I would bet that that info would mostly apply to the current scene modes. You will have to search the forums for it and I have no idea what key words would retreive it.

AE Lock

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