Need some help with my K100D and shadows

RollsUp · 01-27-2010, 09:58 PM

The exposure meter on the K100D is shown as numbers rather than as bars in the viewfinder. When the camera thinks the exposure is correct it'll show 0.0, over exposures will be shown as .5, 1.0 etc., while under exposures will show -0.5, -1.0 etc.

In the Custom menu you can set the AE-L button in Manual mode to three settings, Program Line, Tv Shift or Av Shift. If you choose Tv Shift the camera will change the shutter speed to what it thinks will be the right exposure, in Av Shift it'll be the aperture that changes, when you press the AE-L button after choosing the shutter speed or the aperture you want to use.

I hope this helps some.

photolady95 · 01-27-2010, 10:27 PM

The viewing, is that only if you have the camera set on Tv or Av mode? Reason I asked is, I've never seen those numbers while in full manual mode.

Damn Brit · 01-27-2010, 10:29 PM

Originally posted by photolady

The viewing, is that only if you have the camera set on Tv or Av mode? Reason I asked is, I've never seen those numbers while in full manual mode.

That's right because the camera is giving over full control to you.

photolady95 · 01-27-2010, 10:34 PM

Testing Rollsup statement, I put the camera in Av mode. Still no numbers. It told me I needed to use the flash, but no numbers are showing.

I don't know if firmware makes a difference in this camera's functions, but when I got this camera someone had already flashed the firmware to the lastest ver. 1.02.

I guess what I really need to ask also is, someone with a K100D tell me which options they have set through the controls on theirs. Some of the settings I'm not sure what to set them as.

K McCall · 01-27-2010, 10:44 PM

I went and dug out my K100D just to see what was going on.

photolady, I have to agree that I think you might have some of your terms mixed up.

To wit:
When I put my K100D in Manual (exposure) mode, I am determining both the aperture and the shutter speed. When I look through the viewfinder, I see three numbers across the bottom in green: The first is the shutter speed. I can adjust that by moving the thumb dial on the back. The second number is the aperture. I can adjust that by holding the "Av" button on the front and rotating the thumb dial at the same time. The third is the camera telling me what it thinks the photo is going to look (i.e., it's flash -3.0 because I have the lens cap on and it knows it's going to be WAY underexposed).

Manual mode has NOTHING to do with autofocus. Focus is controlled only by the switch on the bottom left-hand corner of the front of the body. "AF" means the camera will autofocus, "MF" means that I will have to manually focus. Regardless of whichever one you have the switch set to, the red rectangle will flash in the viewfinder when the camera thinks that something is in focus.

As for the top LCD: in Manual mode it shows you the shutter speed (time value) first, then the aperture, then the shots remaining. So far as I can tell, you cannot customize the K100D to show you the ISO at the same time, but you can choose in the settings to make the "OK" button in the middle of your controller show you the ISO when you press it (that works for the top LCD and the viewfinder).

K McCall · 01-27-2010, 10:50 PM

I think this is where Alfisti thought you were confusing metering with autofocus:

Originally posted by photolady

That setting came from the autofocus I was using to try and meter the area.

Autofocus has nothing to do with metering. You can put the camera in any mode you wish and see what settings it chooses by looking at the top of the LCD screen if you can't see the numbers in the viewfinder. But the red focus light means nothing in terms of exposure settings.

Originally posted by photolady

Actually at one time the autofocus metering

See, the term "autofocus metering" does not exist. It's either auto-metering or just plain old autofocus, but those terms do not mean the same thing at all.

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm attacking you; I'm really just trying to help. If your viewfinder isn't displaying the metering numbers, then either something might be broken or you might be covering them up with the way you hold the camera to your eye (you kind of have to look down to see them, depending on your eyecup and your eye's position).

Damn Brit · 01-27-2010, 10:53 PM

The only time you get those numbers in the top LCD is in Av mode when you press the Av button to set exposure compensation (they will also appear in the viewfinder). I think we've all been getting confused.

K McCall · 01-27-2010, 10:56 PM

Gary, I'm looking at my K100D right now in Av mode, and the top LCD shows the aperture and the # of shots remaining. As soon as I tap on the shutter, it shows me the shutter speeds it's choosing.

To be fair, I don't know what version firmware is on this camera.

Damn Brit · 01-27-2010, 11:07 PM

Originally posted by K McCall

Gary, I'm looking at my K100D right now in Av mode, and the top LCD shows the aperture and the # of shots remaining. As soon as I tap on the shutter, it shows me the shutter speeds it's choosing.

To be fair, I don't know what version firmware is on this camera.

And I don't have a manual. Press the Av button when in Av mode and you'll see 0.0 appear in the bottom right corner of the LCD.

photolady95 · 01-27-2010, 11:11 PM

How can I make you all understand I am not confusing autofocus with metering. I didn't mean for that to sound like you all are thinking I meant to say. I just meant I had the camera set on AF.

This is what I did today because I wanted to know what all auto settings on the camera would show me once the photo was taken. I set the camera on AF (autofocus), then Av mode, then put the lens on the "A" and went outside to do some photo shooting. When I got back inside, I moved the photos I had taken to my folder I had setup for today. I used FastStone Image viewer to check the "image properties" where in there I can view "details" and it shows me which F stop, and which shutter speed was used for each photo I took. I took photos in different locations around my yard.

Now what I see in the viewfinder is: Shutter speed, F_ _ and number of shots left. Also the little hand for shake reduction.

RollsUp · 01-27-2010, 11:12 PM

Originally posted by photolady

Testing Rollsup statement, I put the camera in Av mode. Still no numbers. It told me I needed to use the flash, but no numbers are showing.

I was referring to the settings in M mode.

What happens when you turn on the camera, look through the viewfinder and half press the shutter button?

photolady95 · 01-27-2010, 11:15 PM

Gary, I just did what you said. I turned on the camara, put it in Av mode, and pressed the Av button, I saw in the top LCD 0.0. And it's dark in my room, so why is there no other numbers showing?

I just said what I see in there. In M mode, I see shutter speed, and F_ _ it does not shot aperture settings with manual mode.

K McCall · 01-27-2010, 11:20 PM

Originally posted by photolady

I just said what I see in there. In M mode, I see shutter speed, and F_ _ it does not shot aperture settings with manual mode.

You DO see your aperture settings then; that's what the F_ _ is. If if says F5.6, then that's your aperture setting.

photolady95 · 01-27-2010, 11:21 PM

And keitha, I do appreciate your jumping in but you all might want to read what I said in post #40. I know the difference between auto focusing and manual focusing, I also know that auto focusing has nothing to do with metering, it only auto focuses if I set the camera to full auto mode.

I know what the F_ _ means, I just meant it doesn't show the actual numbers. f stop...........

Damn Brit · 01-27-2010, 11:39 PM

Originally posted by photolady

Gary, I just did what you said. I turned on the camara, put it in Av mode, and pressed the Av button, I saw in the top LCD 0.0. And it's dark in my room, so why is there no other numbers showing?

Ok, that's not going to help you with your immediate concern but remember it because Exposure Compensation is useful when you find that the exposure is off by just a little bit. You can adjust it in 1/2 or 1/3 stops (you choose which of the two in your custom menu).

Unfortunately this thread is becoming a bit of a 'too many cooks' situation.

Now for your immediate concern - Sorry if I'm repeating someone else.
Correct me if I'm wrong but, according to your very first post in this thread, I'm getting the impression you were setting exposure and aperture according to what you thought they should be not what the camera thought.
Based on that, the way to meter is to look in the viewfinder you will see three sets of numbers, Shutter speed, Fxx and the numbers on the right represent the camera meter. When those numbers are set to 0.0 that is when the camera thinks exposure is correct. If you turn the thumb wheel to change shutter speed (or press Av button and turn wheel to change aperture) you will see those numbers change. So if those numbers aren't 0.0 you just turn the wheel until they are. That's your exposure adjustment.

Are we getting to the bottom of this now?

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01-27-2010, 09:58 PM	#31
RollsUp Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: AK USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,766	The exposure meter on the K100D is shown as numbers rather than as bars in the viewfinder. When the camera thinks the exposure is correct it'll show 0.0, over exposures will be shown as .5, 1.0 etc., while under exposures will show -0.5, -1.0 etc. In the Custom menu you can set the AE-L button in Manual mode to three settings, Program Line, Tv Shift or Av Shift. If you choose Tv Shift the camera will change the shutter speed to what it thinks will be the right exposure, in Av Shift it'll be the aperture that changes, when you press the AE-L button after choosing the shutter speed or the aperture you want to use. I hope this helps some.

01-27-2010, 10:27 PM	#32
photolady95 Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Cruising the forum watching his back Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,712 Original Poster	The viewing, is that only if you have the camera set on Tv or Av mode? Reason I asked is, I've never seen those numbers while in full manual mode.

01-27-2010, 10:29 PM	#33
Damn Brit Guest	Originally posted by photolady The viewing, is that only if you have the camera set on Tv or Av mode? Reason I asked is, I've never seen those numbers while in full manual mode. That's right because the camera is giving over full control to you.

01-27-2010, 10:34 PM	#34
photolady95 Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Cruising the forum watching his back Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,712 Original Poster	Testing Rollsup statement, I put the camera in Av mode. Still no numbers. It told me I needed to use the flash, but no numbers are showing. I don't know if firmware makes a difference in this camera's functions, but when I got this camera someone had already flashed the firmware to the lastest ver. 1.02. I guess what I really need to ask also is, someone with a K100D tell me which options they have set through the controls on theirs. Some of the settings I'm not sure what to set them as.

01-27-2010, 10:44 PM	#35
K McCall Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Dallas, TX Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 808	I went and dug out my K100D just to see what was going on. photolady, I have to agree that I think you might have some of your terms mixed up. To wit: When I put my K100D in Manual (exposure) mode, I am determining both the aperture and the shutter speed. When I look through the viewfinder, I see three numbers across the bottom in green: The first is the shutter speed. I can adjust that by moving the thumb dial on the back. The second number is the aperture. I can adjust that by holding the "Av" button on the front and rotating the thumb dial at the same time. The third is the camera telling me what it thinks the photo is going to look (i.e., it's flash -3.0 because I have the lens cap on and it knows it's going to be WAY underexposed). Manual mode has NOTHING to do with autofocus. Focus is controlled only by the switch on the bottom left-hand corner of the front of the body. "AF" means the camera will autofocus, "MF" means that I will have to manually focus. Regardless of whichever one you have the switch set to, the red rectangle will flash in the viewfinder when the camera thinks that something is in focus. As for the top LCD: in Manual mode it shows you the shutter speed (time value) first, then the aperture, then the shots remaining. So far as I can tell, you cannot customize the K100D to show you the ISO at the same time, but you can choose in the settings to make the "OK" button in the middle of your controller show you the ISO when you press it (that works for the top LCD and the viewfinder).

01-27-2010, 10:50 PM	#36
K McCall Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Dallas, TX Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 808	I think this is where Alfisti thought you were confusing metering with autofocus: Originally posted by photolady That setting came from the autofocus I was using to try and meter the area. Autofocus has nothing to do with metering. You can put the camera in any mode you wish and see what settings it chooses by looking at the top of the LCD screen if you can't see the numbers in the viewfinder. But the red focus light means nothing in terms of exposure settings. Originally posted by photolady Actually at one time the autofocus metering See, the term "autofocus metering" does not exist. It's either auto-metering or just plain old autofocus, but those terms do not mean the same thing at all. I hope it doesn't sound like I'm attacking you; I'm really just trying to help. If your viewfinder isn't displaying the metering numbers, then either something might be broken or you might be covering them up with the way you hold the camera to your eye (you kind of have to look down to see them, depending on your eyecup and your eye's position).

01-27-2010, 10:53 PM	#37
Damn Brit Guest	The only time you get those numbers in the top LCD is in Av mode when you press the Av button to set exposure compensation (they will also appear in the viewfinder). I think we've all been getting confused.

01-27-2010, 10:56 PM	#38
K McCall Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Dallas, TX Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 808	Gary, I'm looking at my K100D right now in Av mode, and the top LCD shows the aperture and the # of shots remaining. As soon as I tap on the shutter, it shows me the shutter speeds it's choosing. To be fair, I don't know what version firmware is on this camera.

01-27-2010, 11:07 PM	#39
Damn Brit Guest	Originally posted by K McCall Gary, I'm looking at my K100D right now in Av mode, and the top LCD shows the aperture and the # of shots remaining. As soon as I tap on the shutter, it shows me the shutter speeds it's choosing. To be fair, I don't know what version firmware is on this camera. And I don't have a manual. Press the Av button when in Av mode and you'll see 0.0 appear in the bottom right corner of the LCD.

01-27-2010, 11:11 PM	#40
photolady95 Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Cruising the forum watching his back Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,712 Original Poster	How can I make you all understand I am not confusing autofocus with metering. I didn't mean for that to sound like you all are thinking I meant to say. I just meant I had the camera set on AF. This is what I did today because I wanted to know what all auto settings on the camera would show me once the photo was taken. I set the camera on AF (autofocus), then Av mode, then put the lens on the "A" and went outside to do some photo shooting. When I got back inside, I moved the photos I had taken to my folder I had setup for today. I used FastStone Image viewer to check the "image properties" where in there I can view "details" and it shows me which F stop, and which shutter speed was used for each photo I took. I took photos in different locations around my yard. Now what I see in the viewfinder is: Shutter speed, F_ _ and number of shots left. Also the little hand for shake reduction.

01-27-2010, 11:12 PM	#41
RollsUp Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: AK USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,766	Originally posted by photolady Testing Rollsup statement, I put the camera in Av mode. Still no numbers. It told me I needed to use the flash, but no numbers are showing. I was referring to the settings in M mode. What happens when you turn on the camera, look through the viewfinder and half press the shutter button?

01-27-2010, 11:15 PM	#42
photolady95 Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Cruising the forum watching his back Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,712 Original Poster	Gary, I just did what you said. I turned on the camara, put it in Av mode, and pressed the Av button, I saw in the top LCD 0.0. And it's dark in my room, so why is there no other numbers showing? I just said what I see in there. In M mode, I see shutter speed, and F_ _ it does not shot aperture settings with manual mode.

01-27-2010, 11:20 PM	#43
K McCall Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Dallas, TX Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 808	Originally posted by photolady I just said what I see in there. In M mode, I see shutter speed, and F_ _ it does not shot aperture settings with manual mode. You DO see your aperture settings then; that's what the F_ _ is. If if says F5.6, then that's your aperture setting.

01-27-2010, 11:21 PM	#44
photolady95 Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Cruising the forum watching his back Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,712 Original Poster	And keitha, I do appreciate your jumping in but you all might want to read what I said in post #40. I know the difference between auto focusing and manual focusing, I also know that auto focusing has nothing to do with metering, it only auto focuses if I set the camera to full auto mode. I know what the F_ _ means, I just meant it doesn't show the actual numbers. f stop...........

01-27-2010, 11:39 PM	#45
Damn Brit Guest	Originally posted by photolady Gary, I just did what you said. I turned on the camara, put it in Av mode, and pressed the Av button, I saw in the top LCD 0.0. And it's dark in my room, so why is there no other numbers showing? Ok, that's not going to help you with your immediate concern but remember it because Exposure Compensation is useful when you find that the exposure is off by just a little bit. You can adjust it in 1/2 or 1/3 stops (you choose which of the two in your custom menu). Unfortunately this thread is becoming a bit of a 'too many cooks' situation. Now for your immediate concern - Sorry if I'm repeating someone else. Correct me if I'm wrong but, according to your very first post in this thread, I'm getting the impression you were setting exposure and aperture according to what you thought they should be not what the camera thought. Based on that, the way to meter is to look in the viewfinder you will see three sets of numbers, Shutter speed, Fxx and the numbers on the right represent the camera meter. When those numbers are set to 0.0 that is when the camera thinks exposure is correct. If you turn the thumb wheel to change shutter speed (or press Av button and turn wheel to change aperture) you will see those numbers change. So if those numbers aren't 0.0 you just turn the wheel until they are. That's your exposure adjustment. Are we getting to the bottom of this now?