[smhsmom]

I am new to photography so forgive me if this seems like a ridiculous question.
Is there a way to change the settings so my Metering bar shows up in the viewfinder in other modes besides M. I checked the manual but didn't see anything avail. in the custom menu.
I am taking a photography class an my teacher thinks it's quite strange that I don't see the meter in TV/AV modes.

Thanks!

[RBellavance]

In the automatic and semi-automatic modes (including Tv & Av), the EV "bar" is used to show the EV compensation you have dialed in, if any. It has no use otherwise, since the camera is adjusting the parameters to have a neutral metering anyway (i.e. the display would remain at 0 unless you dialed some compensation in).

It is shown all the time in M mode to guide the photographer in setting up aperture, shutter & ISO to get the desired exposure. Naturally, EV compensation is not available in M mode because you can adjust exposure directly with aperture, shutter & ISO combination.

I can't understand why your teacher finds it strange...

[travis_cooper]

I guess I need to check when I get home to see what happens, but I thought it did show up if you have adjusted it. If you have it at 0, as was said above, what is the point in showing it? The camera will adjust the opposite value to always make it 0. I just thought that it showed up if you have made a change, so if you go to -1 then it will show you that, but I could be wrong. Maybe I'm thinking about my K110D, or maybe it just shows it in the top LCD and I'm imagining things thinking it is in the view finder.

[Workingdog]

Well, I'm relatively new to the K10D myself but I would think that in any of the auto modes the camera determines the exposure so that the EV bar would be in the middle so why show it? I too think it would be useful to see when you get the infamous flashing aperature and/or shutter speed as you would know how far off you are on the settings and in what direction.
To see the EV bar in the auto modes just press and hold the EV compensation button and you'll see it's in the middle. If you rotate the front e-dial to set a + or - compensation I think it stays on.

[smhsmom]

Well, the topic came up, when I had a question about why my pictures were underexposed.
I was shooting in TV mode (a 2 year old, running around) and they were really dark it was later in the evening in a shaded back yard.
I asked her about it and she explained why- shutter speed too fast, not enough light but asked if my meter showed that my exposure was wrong. So, then I explained that I didn't have a meter in my viewfinder, hence our conversation. She found it very strange that i had no reading in the viewfinder.
I hope I am explaining this right. I am a total newbie.....

[Gooshin]

TV mode means you set the shutter speed and iso, and the camera will choose an aperture

whatever yo were shooting, the camera most likely wanted to select an aperture that the lens could not give, so by default it selected the largest one and fired away, only it wasnt enough, so you got a dark shot.

there is no "exposure meter"

there is a display for EV compensation, which doubles as a warning signal for when the camera cannot expose properly under the limitations that you forced upon it.

who is your teacher, and what are his/her credentials?

[smhsmom]

She's a local photographer in my area.
I realize that I chose too fast a shutter speed for the light conditions but going forward I want to know if there is a way I can determine that through my view finder BEFORE I start shooting?? Since I am new I am not always sure of the settings I chose.

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Last edited by smhsmom; 02-20-2008 at 02:27 PM.

[BPT]

If you are in TV mode and you have too fast of a shutter speed you will see the aperture number flashing in the viewfinder since it cant open any wider