Bad copy of 30D? (last post for today, I promise!)

[felix_ing]

Hi,

 

I'm also finding this prob:

 

Weird settings - whenever I'm in the "creative modes" (Av, Tv; safty shift

disabled), the metering is giving me crazy readings: i.e E.V. set to +1 but

meter giving me -1/3. It's making me do manual adjustments. Isn't the camera

supposed to help me adjust the other settings to compensate to achieve the

desired exposure?

 

Thx

[jake_v]

Hey Felix,

 

I'm not quite sure I comprehend your problem.

 

Are you meaning a separate meter is telling you -1/3?

 

The way it should work in AV is... you pick your apeture, and the camera makes its shutter speed selection based on your desired apeture. So if you wanted to shoot at F4, the camera would change the shutter speed to be (for example) 1/100 of a second (based on apeture and ISO). THEN, if you change the apeture in this example to F5.6, the shutter speed would go down to 1/50... both exposures would be the same brightness.

 

What you MIGHT be having issues with is your metering mode. You can chose spot, partial, center, etc. metering modes, which evaluate the scene differently. So if your external meter is taking a reading based off the brightest thing it sees, you will get a different result in the camera if you are either using a different metering mode, or if you aren't properly metering with the mode you are using.

 

Hope that explains a little bit for you.

[felix_ing]

Camera set to +1 E.V., camera's internal reading (evaluative) gave a -1/3

[picturesque]

Well I still don't understand what you're doing. Perhaps you should give a specific example. Example: in AV, set ambient exposure compensation to +1, note settings, then switch to M, set same settings, evaluative camera internal meter gives -1/3 (or whatever you are doing or is going on).

[james_castagno]

I think he is saying that he has dialed in +1 exposure compensation but the meter in the camera is giving him a reading of -1/3 for the overall exposure. What you dial in on compensation has nothing to do with what/how the meter reads the scene, you are assuming the meter will hit the exposure which is not always the case. If I have misunderstood your problem ignore my post!

[jake_v]

I still don't follow...

 

If you are in AV or TV mode, you set the compensation anywhere from -2 to +2 exposure.

 

There is no meter reading visible in these modes. All it shows you is what you have set the exposure compensation to.

 

You would have to switch out of AV/TV and plug the settings into M mode to get an actual meter reading, or use an external meter.

 

Are you sure you're not setting the FEC to +1 and have the overall exposure set at -1/3? Because in AV/TV there isn't a meter to look at.

[jake_v]

Perhaps it would help if you gave us a step-by-step rundown of what you're doing, and what the camera is showing. Example:

 

(1) set ISO to 400, Spot meter, AV mode, A at 5.6

(2) Set EV (push shutter halfway down and turn tumb wheel) to +1

(3) Meter & focus off subjects face in cener of screen

(4) Press shutter button completely

(5) Observe histogram showing slightly bright (+1) subject's face (since I spot metered off their face at +1)

 

That is how AV/TV should work, nowhere in this have I ever noticed a meter showing you the overall exposure reading.

 

Anyhow, if you could step thru this with us and tell us when/where you see the meter reading, and what you're actually doing, it might be a bit easier to answer your question.

 

Thanks