[domfijac]

Is there a function where i can select aperture, shutter speed, sensitivity and exposure compensation without one taking priority over the other. I can select Sensitivity, aperture and Ev but not also shutter speed all at once. Am i doing something wrong or not getting something?

[res3567]

Manual mode maybe?

[domfijac]

If i select manual mode then i can select ISO but the other three seem to change depending on what i select of the others for example if i select ISO 800. f1.7 at 1/125 then the Ev changes t0 say 1.0, if i select ISO 800 f2.4 at Ev 0.0 then the shutter speed automatically goes to say 1/60.

I don't know if i'm not doing something i should be. i think i need the extra dial of the k20d.

[res3567]

The EV(exposure copensation) is there to tell you about your settings in manual mode. It will change, based on what you adjust. The shutter speed or the apeture or the ISO will determine what your EV will see and thus it will change. The other three can be changed in manual. Remember, in manual you do it all. The EV is mesuring the light based on your settings and telling you what it sees based on what you choose. In other modes, it will allow you to compensate by lightening or darkening and, depending on what mode you are in, it will change the shutter speed or the apeture. Consider the EV as your meter graph in manual mode.

[domfijac]

Thanks res,

Does that mean if i take the shot in RAW it doesn't really matter what the Ev says it is simply a meter of how much light is getting in or lack thereof? And i can mess with that PP in lightroom or whatever?

[res3567]

Yes. Don't worry about EV in manual mode, unless you want to use it as a meter. When you are in manual, you want to achieve a specific look; lighter or darker, blur or freeze. Look to the other modes for what they are designed for. TV for shutter speed( blur or freeze action). AV for aputere( to select focus or increase depth of field), P(lets the camera choose but you can change settings), and SV( changes the ISO. Beware of noise at higher ISO'S). Raw allows you to fix mistakes made in exposure and WB settings. However, it is not a fix all. Concentrate on getting the right exposure first; that is your ultimate priority.

[domfijac]

Cheers thanks for that i'll have to play around with it a bit more. until now i've been focusing on Av and Tv and EV sometimes playing with ISO when i need more light...

[Quension]

This is the same thing res said, but I think it can be said in a clearer way for anyone else stumbling upon the thread, so...:

There are 3 settings controlling exposure: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.

In any of the automatic modes, the camera is controlling at least one of those settings, based on the amount of light it measures in the scene. Exposure compensation just tells the camera you want the scene to be exposed "lighter" or "darker", and it makes the appropriate changes to the settings it's controlling.

In Manual mode, you control all 3 settings yourself, so there is no such thing as "exposure compensation". Instead, that area of the display is used for the camera's light meter. It is still measuring the scene, and 0.0 is what it considers the ideal exposure. If it's positive, it's telling you that your settings are exposing brighter, and obviously negative means darker. It's only there as a guide, and you can use or ignore it at will, since you know what you're trying to get out of the scene better than the camera does.

[domfijac]

perfect.

That's what i thought from Res's post but you've just confirmed it.

thanks

[Marc Sabatella]

Just to put it one more way in case it helps:

ISO, shutter speed and aperture are the *only* things that can be controlled in exposure. The "EV" reading in M mode is a *result* of your settings of those three exposure parameters. Every change you make to one setting will have a corresponding change in the resulting EV reading. When it reads "0", you know you've selected exposure settings the camera think are good.

In auto modes, the EV setting is *how* you control the other parameters. Eg, in Av mode, you select aperture, camera selects shutter to make EV reads 0. But you can override the EV reading to force the camera to select a *different* shutter speed - one that makes the EV result in +1.0, for example. Still, the only thing thing that is really changing it aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.

[res3567]

Cheers thanks for that i'll have to play around with it a bit more. until now i've been focusing on Av and Tv and EV sometimes playing with ISO when i need more light...

Just keep playing with all of the modes and see the results of your actions. I learned on a K1000 film era camera, and there was a cost involved; processing film.

A lot of film was wasted, but not in vain.

When I did start shooting events for family and friends, I looked like a "pro" in their eyes because usually I was the only one with an SLR at those fuctions. But I knew excactly what I was doing, and my film yielded great results.

With the D-SLR, you see the results instantly, and you can learn and master your camera more quickly.

It is obvious you do not want to be a green auto mode snapshooter, but a photographer who controlls the camera to get the desired results based on what you invision.

This forum will assist you greatly as you can see by the responses, we are here to help you. Feel free at any time to ask questions.