Auto EV Compensation

Workingdog · 02-14-2008, 11:31 AM

In the custom menu on the K10D there's something called "Auto EV Compensation" described as "Sets whether to compensate automatically when proper exposure cannot be determined"
What? What? What?
I'm generally a pretty intelligent guy and have a reasonable command of the English language, but I can't figure this one out. I mean how can the camera automatically compensate if it can't determine the proper exposure?
If anyone out there knows what this feature is, what it does, when to use it, please enlighten me.

Leaf Fan · 02-14-2008, 12:00 PM

I think it has to do with multiple exposures to create one image, the camera won't let overexposure occur when several exposures are combined to create one single image. I've never tried it, but thought I read about it in one of the Magic Lantern Guides to the Pentax K10D.

travis_cooper · 02-14-2008, 12:02 PM

Is this in the mutliple exposure menu? If so it sets it so that each shot makes up a part of the entire exposure. So if you are taking 5 shots of a stream and you turn on the auto exposure, it will expose each frame so that the 5 frames together make up the correct exposure. If you were shooting a building, then shooting the moon, you probably wouldn't want this turned on, because you would want the building exposed differently from the moon.

blende8 · 02-14-2008, 01:49 PM

That's an "idiot mode".

Lets say you are in Tv and set a time of 1/1000 s, but it is way to dark for that.
Then the camera automatically adjusts for the error and sets a longer time.

Leaf Fan · 02-14-2008, 02:03 PM

That doesn't make any sense. If I Set 1/1000 that's what I want, for whatever reason, and maybe I'm willing to accept an underexposed frame just to capture the moment, if the camera thinks I'm a dummy (which I might concede) and sets the longer exposure I won't get the stop motion I may be seeking. Am I missing something?

blende8 · 02-14-2008, 02:23 PM

Originally posted by Leaf Fan

That doesn't make any sense. If I Set 1/1000 that's what I want, for whatever reason, and maybe I'm willing to accept an underexposed frame just to capture the moment, if the camera thinks I'm a dummy (which I might concede) and sets the longer exposure I won't get the stop motion I may be seeking. Am I missing something?

No.
That's the reason why you can turn it off in the menu, which is also the default btw.
I don't know exactly why they added this feature.
But I can imagine that it may be helpful when you give the camera to your 10 year old daughter and she is playing with the buttons. She is still getting a decent shot.

Jodokast96 · 02-14-2008, 02:35 PM

Originally posted by blende8

No.
I don't know exactly why they added this feature.

Because it rocks with the Multi-Exposure.

blende8 · 02-14-2008, 02:42 PM

That's something else.

Workingdog · 02-14-2008, 04:31 PM

Well, it seems like there are different opinions on this. I suppose it just shows that the manual is not much help in this regard. I could understand that it might be an "idiot mode" but the camera already flashes the aperature value in the viewfinder if it's already wide open and I choose too high a shutter speed in Tv. Then again, if I ignore the flashing and have Auto EV Compensation activated the camera will say "If you're too stupid to pay attention to the flashing I will take control from you." It's believable.
Also believable is the multi-exposure explanation. It sounds like Jodokast96 has some hands-on experience in this regard.
Maybe it's both?

thatemailname · 02-14-2008, 08:44 PM

Originally posted by Workingdog

In the custom menu on the K10D there's something called "Auto EV Compensation" described as "Sets whether to compensate automatically when proper exposure cannot be determined"
What? What? What?
I'm generally a pretty intelligent guy and have a reasonable command of the English language, but I can't figure this one out. I mean how can the camera automatically compensate if it can't determine the proper exposure?
If anyone out there knows what this feature is, what it does, when to use it, please enlighten me.

Somewhere on the Pentax DSLR forum on dpreview, there's a great discussion of this mode. That's where I learned how powerful it can be.

Let's say we're at 100 ISO and the meter says the corret exposure is 1/250 at f8. If you then use the multiple exposure mode and take, say, 5 exposures on the same "frame" at those settings, with the "Auto EV Compensation" OFF, you would have just over-exposed the image by 5 times. BUT - if you do the same thing wtih the "Auto EV Compensation" ON, then the image will not be overexposed! What you'll end up with is a "psuedo-HDR" image, with the highlights not blown, but with more detail in the shadows!

It's pretty cool and is an under-utilized feature of the camera. No wonder with that lousy explanation in the manual!

KungPOW · 02-15-2008, 12:18 AM

Thatemailname,

Thank you!

Gimbal · 02-15-2008, 12:40 AM

I’ve tried the multiexposure thing too, taking 9 pictures of a small waterfall and combining them in the camera and effectively ending up with a picture with 9 times as long exposure as was possible with a single frame. Nice effect. Without auto exposure they would have been overexposed when combined, as every frame was properly exposed when shoot.

RodConn · 02-15-2008, 12:54 AM

Originally posted by Workingdog

Well, it seems like there are different opinions on this. I suppose it just shows that the manual is not much help in this regard. I could understand that it might be an "idiot mode" but the camera already flashes the aperature value in the viewfinder if it's already wide open and I choose too high a shutter speed in Tv. Then again, if I ignore the flashing and have Auto EV Compensation activated the camera will say "If you're too stupid to pay attention to the flashing I will take control from you." It's believable.
Also believable is the multi-exposure explanation. It sounds like Jodokast96 has some hands-on experience in this regard.
Maybe it's both?

RTFM

Jodokast96 is talking about a choice in the multiexposure dialog window labeled 'Auto EV Adjust' - see p166 of the manual.

This has nothing to do with what you and Blende8 are discussing. This is the item in the custom menu labeled 'Auto EV Compensation' which has exactly the function described by Blende8. It is interesting in Tv to set 1/250th in my office and to see the VF display flick to 1/10th at the same wide open aperture as you press the shutter and get an OK image.

Rod

Arpe · 02-15-2008, 02:12 AM

That just sounds dumb. If you're in an auto mode, the camera should be picking the right settings in the first place, if you're in manual, it shouldn't override them. Or am I missing something?

RodConn · 02-15-2008, 03:23 AM

Originally posted by Arpe

That just sounds dumb. If you're in an auto mode, the camera should be picking the right settings in the first place, if you're in manual, it shouldn't override them. Or am I missing something?

Take a look at post's #5 and #6 in this thread (just up the page).

Rod

02-14-2008, 11:31 AM	#1
Workingdog Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: York, PA Photos: Gallery Posts: 736	Auto EV Compensation In the custom menu on the K10D there's something called "Auto EV Compensation" described as "Sets whether to compensate automatically when proper exposure cannot be determined" What? What? What? I'm generally a pretty intelligent guy and have a reasonable command of the English language, but I can't figure this one out. I mean how can the camera automatically compensate if it can't determine the proper exposure? If anyone out there knows what this feature is, what it does, when to use it, please enlighten me.

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02-14-2008, 12:00 PM	#2
Leaf Fan Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Canada eh! Photos: Gallery Posts: 673	I think it has to do with multiple exposures to create one image, the camera won't let overexposure occur when several exposures are combined to create one single image. I've never tried it, but thought I read about it in one of the Magic Lantern Guides to the Pentax K10D.

02-14-2008, 12:02 PM	#3
travis_cooper Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 300	Is this in the mutliple exposure menu? If so it sets it so that each shot makes up a part of the entire exposure. So if you are taking 5 shots of a stream and you turn on the auto exposure, it will expose each frame so that the 5 frames together make up the correct exposure. If you were shooting a building, then shooting the moon, you probably wouldn't want this turned on, because you would want the building exposed differently from the moon.

02-14-2008, 01:49 PM	#4
blende8 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bremen, Germany Photos: Albums Posts: 1,521	That's an "idiot mode". Lets say you are in Tv and set a time of 1/1000 s, but it is way to dark for that. Then the camera automatically adjusts for the error and sets a longer time.

02-14-2008, 02:03 PM	#5
Leaf Fan Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Canada eh! Photos: Gallery Posts: 673	That doesn't make any sense. If I Set 1/1000 that's what I want, for whatever reason, and maybe I'm willing to accept an underexposed frame just to capture the moment, if the camera thinks I'm a dummy (which I might concede) and sets the longer exposure I won't get the stop motion I may be seeking. Am I missing something?

02-14-2008, 02:23 PM	#6
blende8 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bremen, Germany Photos: Albums Posts: 1,521	Originally posted by Leaf Fan That doesn't make any sense. If I Set 1/1000 that's what I want, for whatever reason, and maybe I'm willing to accept an underexposed frame just to capture the moment, if the camera thinks I'm a dummy (which I might concede) and sets the longer exposure I won't get the stop motion I may be seeking. Am I missing something? No. That's the reason why you can turn it off in the menu, which is also the default btw. I don't know exactly why they added this feature. But I can imagine that it may be helpful when you give the camera to your 10 year old daughter and she is playing with the buttons. She is still getting a decent shot.

02-14-2008, 02:35 PM	#7
Jodokast96 Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Erial, NJ USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,134	Originally posted by blende8 No. I don't know exactly why they added this feature. Because it rocks with the Multi-Exposure.

02-14-2008, 02:42 PM	#8
blende8 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bremen, Germany Photos: Albums Posts: 1,521	That's something else.

02-14-2008, 04:31 PM	#9
Workingdog Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: York, PA Photos: Gallery Posts: 736 Original Poster	Well, it seems like there are different opinions on this. I suppose it just shows that the manual is not much help in this regard. I could understand that it might be an "idiot mode" but the camera already flashes the aperature value in the viewfinder if it's already wide open and I choose too high a shutter speed in Tv. Then again, if I ignore the flashing and have Auto EV Compensation activated the camera will say "If you're too stupid to pay attention to the flashing I will take control from you." It's believable. Also believable is the multi-exposure explanation. It sounds like Jodokast96 has some hands-on experience in this regard. Maybe it's both?

02-14-2008, 08:44 PM	#10
thatemailname New Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New Jersey Posts: 3	Originally posted by Workingdog In the custom menu on the K10D there's something called "Auto EV Compensation" described as "Sets whether to compensate automatically when proper exposure cannot be determined" What? What? What? I'm generally a pretty intelligent guy and have a reasonable command of the English language, but I can't figure this one out. I mean how can the camera automatically compensate if it can't determine the proper exposure? If anyone out there knows what this feature is, what it does, when to use it, please enlighten me. Somewhere on the Pentax DSLR forum on dpreview, there's a great discussion of this mode. That's where I learned how powerful it can be. Let's say we're at 100 ISO and the meter says the corret exposure is 1/250 at f8. If you then use the multiple exposure mode and take, say, 5 exposures on the same "frame" at those settings, with the "Auto EV Compensation" OFF, you would have just over-exposed the image by 5 times. BUT - if you do the same thing wtih the "Auto EV Compensation" ON, then the image will not be overexposed! What you'll end up with is a "psuedo-HDR" image, with the highlights not blown, but with more detail in the shadows! It's pretty cool and is an under-utilized feature of the camera. No wonder with that lousy explanation in the manual!

02-15-2008, 12:18 AM	#11
KungPOW Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Vancouver, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,699	Thatemailname, Thank you!

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02-15-2008, 12:40 AM	#12
Gimbal Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Sweden Posts: 2,106	I’ve tried the multiexposure thing too, taking 9 pictures of a small waterfall and combining them in the camera and effectively ending up with a picture with 9 times as long exposure as was possible with a single frame. Nice effect. Without auto exposure they would have been overexposed when combined, as every frame was properly exposed when shoot.

02-15-2008, 12:54 AM	#13
RodConn Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Australia Posts: 69	Originally posted by Workingdog Well, it seems like there are different opinions on this. I suppose it just shows that the manual is not much help in this regard. I could understand that it might be an "idiot mode" but the camera already flashes the aperature value in the viewfinder if it's already wide open and I choose too high a shutter speed in Tv. Then again, if I ignore the flashing and have Auto EV Compensation activated the camera will say "If you're too stupid to pay attention to the flashing I will take control from you." It's believable. Also believable is the multi-exposure explanation. It sounds like Jodokast96 has some hands-on experience in this regard. Maybe it's both? RTFM Jodokast96 is talking about a choice in the multiexposure dialog window labeled 'Auto EV Adjust' - see p166 of the manual. This has nothing to do with what you and Blende8 are discussing. This is the item in the custom menu labeled 'Auto EV Compensation' which has exactly the function described by Blende8. It is interesting in Tv to set 1/250th in my office and to see the VF display flick to 1/10th at the same wide open aperture as you press the shutter and get an OK image. Rod

02-15-2008, 02:12 AM	#14
Arpe Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: New Zealand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,452	That just sounds dumb. If you're in an auto mode, the camera should be picking the right settings in the first place, if you're in manual, it shouldn't override them. Or am I missing something?

02-15-2008, 03:23 AM	#15
RodConn Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Australia Posts: 69	Originally posted by Arpe That just sounds dumb. If you're in an auto mode, the camera should be picking the right settings in the first place, if you're in manual, it shouldn't override them. Or am I missing something? Take a look at post's #5 and #6 in this thread (just up the page). Rod