F3 exposure compensation dial

[mark_winter3]

If you set your F3 to "Aperture Priority" and adjust the exposure compensation

dial to '-1' or a '-1/3' example, will the camera read the compensation

changes, or must you be in manual mode?

 

thank you.

Mark

[Ed_Ingold]

The shutter speed, as read in the viewfinder, will change corresponding to the compensation setting. You must be in Auto mode and be reading the same scene. It's easier to observe if the camera is on a tripod. An F3 is either "Aperture Priority" or manual. Only the shutter is ever controlled automatically.

[photo5]

Rather than do this, when I shot slide film with my F3HP, I would set the ISO to 125 instead of ISO 100, and exposures would come out perfectly every time. An amazing camera.

[richard_cochran]

It's no accident that the F3's exposure compensation dial is concentric with the film speed dial. They do exactly the same thing. Setting the dial to ISO 400 with a +1 compensation is exactly like setting the dial to ISO 200.

<p>

The exposure compensation just changes the setpoint of the meter. If you're in aperture priority, the meter will control the shutter speed, so setting exposure compensation will change the shutter speed for you. If you're in manual, setting exposure compensation won't directly affect exposure, but it'll change the point where the meter indicates correct exposure, so if you adjust the dials to "center the needle (get the +/- indication on the F3), it'll affect exposure.

[Ed_Ingold]

Sure you can change the exposure in several ways - don't forget neutral density filters and waiting for the sun to go down. The fact is that the zero-centered exposure compensation dial is clearer in concept than most other methods. It is another step, however, and I usually find it just as easy to bump the shutter or aperture. It's OK to do things differently depending on the circumstances.

 

Is it just Velvia that you wish to overexpose by 1/3rd stop (e.g., using ISO 40), or all reversal film. Do you do it all the time, or is it just temporarily based on the film and lighting conditions - stage lighting responds well to a -2 stop compensation, room light can use +1 compensation with negative film to unblock shadows, etc.