Procedure for AE lock on EOS 7n

[paul_heagen]

<p>I have read the manual on this and I feel like it is missing a step that is causing me some confusion. Assume for this thread that I am shooting a foreground object with fill flash and need to balance the exposure with a relatively lower-lighted background in the near distance. <br>

Here is basically what it says to do AE Lock:<br>

1. Point camera to where you want to meter (my background) and press shutter halfway down. <br>

2. Press the * AE Lock button to lock in that exposure<br>

3. Recompose the frame (pointing one of the AF areas at my foreground) and take the picture. <br>

My questions:<br>

1. It does not say whether I should continue to hold the shutter halfway down while I press the * AE Lock button or whether I should release it after pressing the * AE Lock button.<br>

2. How would the camera know to reset focus on my foreground object when I re-compose the frame when it normally locks focus the first time on the background?<br>

3. If I do all of this, how would I reduce the output of my 430 Speedlite using the FEC on the camera? I'm running out of hands. </p>

<p>Thanks for any help. </p>

<p> </p>

[h_s1]

<p>The manual should mention some place nearby the instructions you listed that once you press the AE lock (*) button, the AE remains locked for a fixed number of seconds. In all the EOS cameras that I have used, the AE lock functions the same way.</p>

<p>The way I understand this is that the half click is just to meter the scene. You do not need to keep it pressed. Pressing the AE lock button locks the exposure. The lock, IIRC, remains in effect for several seconds. The manual also says that to take several pictures with the locked exposure, you need to keep the AE lock button pressed. Also, my understanding is that while the AE lock symbols is shown in the viewfinder, the half click does not change the exposure.</p>

<p>You could actually try it out yourself. Point to a bright scene, lock exposure, and point to a dark scene and release the shutter. The exposure shown in the viewfinder should not have changed.</p>

<p>Just for completeness, here is the PDF (makes searching a topic much easier than on a paper copy) of the manual: <cite>www.usa.canon.com/app/pdf/slr/elan7n_<strong>instructions</strong>.pdf</cite></p>

<p>Wonderful camera, btw!</p>

<p> </p>

[scott_ferris]

<p>Paul,</p>

<p>This is the type of situation where simple is better, well it is for me. There are so many combinations of knobs and buttons it gets too much. If I am working a dim room with flash then here is what I do. Camera in manual, set aperture and flash to get the subject exposure and adjust subject compensation via aperture, get the background exposure via shutter speed and bring that up or down via shutter speed.</p>

<p>So for example, f8 on camera and 1/4 power flash give me a good subject exposure, adjust shutter speed to get the background exposure I want, say 1/60. If I want the background darker by one stop then just go to 1/125, lighter by one stop go to 1/30, the subject illumination will be constant, only the background levels will change.</p>

<p>With the above settings, my subject distance shortens so I stop the aperture down one stop to f11. They move further away open up to f5.6. Or do the same to emulate FEC.</p>

<p>Hope this makes sense, it is simple and fast and just by controlling two functions, shutter speed and aperture, you can control two different exposures in one scene and adjust either independently of the other.</p>

<p>Take care, Scott.</p>

[dan_bloch]

<p>If it anything like the Xsi I use, the AE lock works like this:</p>

<p>1) Point camera to where you want to meter and push shutter button halfway. This sets the auto-exposure AND the auto-focus.<br /> 2) Press, (or Hold), the AE Lock button. If you press it your AE will lock for 4 seconds, if you HOLD it your AE will be locked until it is released. Now you can recompose and shoot your subject.</p>

<p>If you don't release the shutter button after your intital meter reading, the camera wont refocus after you have recomposed.</p>

<p>So for your above example, I would:</p>

<p>1) Point to background, press shutter halfway to meter.<br /> 2) Press and HOLD AE lock.<br /> 3) Release shutter button.<br /> 4) Recompose on foreground, press shutter button halfway to refocus, (AE Lock has been held down all this time).<br /> 5) Take your shot!</p>

<p>I am pretty new to photography, but I think what I have told you is correct, try it out.</p>

<p>Dan</p>