[lurchlarson]

I find that I tend to do much of my shooting by dialing the exposure compensation to
-0.3 to get the look I like. Granted that isn't always the case, I just find that that is what I do to get the images I like.

What about you.

BTW I'm shooting a k200d

[K McCall]

I'm lazy, so I just went to flickr to see what my last few shots were by clicking on the "More Properties" link they provide for each photo. Oddly enough, though, they show "Exposure" AND "Exposure Bias." I'm not sure which one indicates the EV Compensation for the shot. Any ideas?

For what it's worth, the numbers rarely line up. For instance, a shot with an "Exposure" of +.76 might have an "Exposure Bias" of -.3. I usually shoot in manual mode and pay no heed to EV comp, so I don't remember what the camera itself said.

[newarts]

K100D +.5 with A lens, +1.0 with preset lens. (thirds not available?)

[K McCall]

This one I know! On the K100D, you can change the EV steps in the menu. At least, I'm about 85% sure you can (I have one, but my mother has been borrowing it for some time now).

[pingflood]

That's a pretty broad question. My default on any camera would be 0 if I'm shooting RAW, -1/3 if I am shooting jpeg. But in reality I would adjust it according to the situation, or shoot manual.

[Marc Sabatella]

Seems like an odd question - like asking, "do you usually shoot light colored objects (which require positive compensation) or dark ones (which require negative)". But in any case, I never use exposure compensation, because it doesn't have relevance in "M" mode, which is all I use. I can see the exposure reading when I shoot, and I'd say it spends a lot of time at -0.5 EV (center weighted metering). But it varies according to the scene, of course.

[Russell-Evans]

but in any case, I never use exposure compensation, because it doesn't have relevance in "M" mode, which is all I use.

Depends on the camera body. With the istD and the K20D, exposure compensation does effect the green button in M mode.

Thank you
Russell

[celetron]

K20D at Av mainly for portraits:
daylight in shadow +0.7
afternoon +0.3
indoors 0.0
lowlight -0.3 or less depending on the light condition...

[Class A]

On the K100D, you can change the EV steps in the menu. At least, I'm about 85% sure you can...

Add another 15%.

[maxwell1295]

No clearcut answer to this one. A lot depends on the subject you're shooting and understanding how the camera's metering is going to react. Shooting something with a lot of sky in it often requires a +1 to +1.5 to prevent underexposure.

[Marc Sabatella]

Depends on the camera body. With the istD and the K20D, exposure compensation does effect the green button in M mode.

True, and as I was writing up that response, I thought about clarifying that I meant the cameras that *I've* used regularly (K200D and *istDS).

[bymy141]

No clearcut answer to this one. A lot depends on the subject you're shooting and understanding how the camera's metering is going to react. Shooting something with a lot of sky in it often requires a +1 to +1.5 to prevent underexposure.

This is how I work as well.

I hardly use manual mode, I use; P, Sv or Tav modes.
Been there, I often take a picture in a split second. My manual skills (+30 years) are still to slow.
I use the top display to predict the Ev compensation, mostly guessing. Also I only shoot RAW, gives more headroom.

There have been a lot of complaints about the K10D underexposing images (and Pentax DSLR's in general).
However, the longer I work with the camera, the more I feel that its exposure is right.
More aimed at reality then trying to get enough light in to expose all of the image at a certain minimum level, creating an effect that does not reflect the reality of the scene captured.
Often it is darkness what we see, so let it be a dark image. It's only to compensate for too much sky or shooting against the light that I compensate and thus always +X Ev.

- Bert

[quantum]

I usually shot at -0.7 (to get more highlight range) all the time except when I have to use ISO 1600 (+0.3 here) but it all depends on the light.

[georgweb]

Around +1.3 EV on K100D with M42 lenses and isolated backs, almost exclusively in AV-mode.

Will diminish with blank backs and/or very fast lenses. Will increase with slow and/or isolated lenses.

If +2.0 is not enough (cam won't go higher) I start twiddling with aluminium foil or go to M-mode. Obiously I generally have to enter less +EV at full open and more of it the more I stop down on any lens. I'm always trying to pull the exposure / expose to the right.

Never thought it would work like that but it works well.

[audiobomber]

Mostly I don't use compensation. I almost never use -EV. For shots with backlighting or lots of sky I use +3 or +7. More than that and it starts to look weird. I often spot meter shots that have tricky lighting.