Exposure Compensation in Movie Mode – Aperture

[Liam Hall]

You can use AV mode on the 7D/5D. Though a better option would be to use manual mode and an ND or a fader ND.

Liam Hall
Director/DoP/Editor
http://www.liamhall.net

[Steve Crow]

Yes, I do use a fader already but I am curious why the T2i only adjusts the shutter speed while in movie mode when I would much rather have it leave my shutter speed at 1/50 and to only adjust the aperture – but it favors shutter speed and seems to ignore aperture as a way to adjust the exposure…funny

[Liam Hall]

I guess if Canon packed all the features into the T2i, they’d be little reason to buy the 7D…

I’ve not used the T2i, can’t you simply turn auto exposure off?

Liam Hall
Director/DoP/Editor
http://www.liamhall.net

[Steve Crow]

Auto exposure is something very different from Exposure Compensation which is there to give you an easy way to adjust the exposure 3-4 stops in both directions (lighter and darker)

Perhaps someone with a 7D can chime in and tell us how it works on higher end models.

[Liam Hall]

Lol, I have two 5Ds and two 7Ds…

But I realise I gave you a bum steer as I should have written TV mode to maintain to shutter speed with Exposure compensation. AV mode maintains aperture. I always use manual mode for video but often use AV mode for stills. The exposure compensation is dialled into the camera on the main command dial – you can see how much on the meter – it’s all very simple.

Liam Hall
Director/DoP/Editor
http://www.liamhall.net

[Pete Burger]

[Liam Hall] “TV mode to maintain to shutter speed with Exposure compensation”

You can’t use AV or TV on the T2i in movie-mode, since the T2i has a special “movie mode” for video. And to my knowledge the only way to auto-control exposure other than shutterspeed is auto-ISO…
But I’m curious if someone has a better idea.

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“Tragedy is a close-up; comedy, a long shot.” – Buster Keaton

[Steve Crow]

Oh I see now where the confusion is coming in….it has to do with the different ways the camera controls are layed out on the T2i versus the higher end models. The T2i gives you less control.

On the T2i, the movie mode is one of the dialed in mode options like TV, AV etc. So you can’t (on the T2i) be both in movie mode AND use a feature like TV or AV. You can however, like I do, shoot videos in full manual mode giving you full independent control of shutter speed, aperture and ISO. That’s how I film 99 percent of the time – and plus I have the Fader ND attached so I can use that which in a funny way is a different kind of exposure compensation 🙂

On the higher end models like the 7D, it seems like you can be both in a movie mode and yet still select something like TV or AV which is interesting. In that situation I can see how you might be able to tell the exposure compensation function what to adjust and what to leave alone.

HOWEVER, hmmmm….doing that on the 7D would mean (it sounds like) that I would be giving up full manual control, right?….you see ideally I want the best of both worlds, being able to set aperture, shutter speed and ISO the way I want it AND being able to do quick adjustments with the semi automatic exposure compensation function with the caveat that it doesn’t touch my shutter speed (or frankly my ISO either ideally)

Maybe the Fader ND is my best overall option with the 7D as well – it’s not automated but close enough. Actually right now I use the exposure compensation METER to tell me how much I am impacting my exposure as I turn the Fader ND – but I don’t let the camera actually change my shutter speed which is what it would want to do if I let the exposure compensation mode operate the camera (if that makes any sense to you at all.)

[Steve Crow]

Peter, you typed faster than I did but you realized the same thing as I!

[Liam Hall]

[Steve Crow] “On the higher end models like the 7D, it seems like you can be both in a movie mode and yet still select something like TV or AV which is interesting. In that situation I can see how you might be able to tell the exposure compensation function what to adjust and what to leave alone.

HOWEVER, hmmmm….doing that on the 7D would mean (it sounds like) that I would be giving up full manual control, right?….you see ideally I want the best of both worlds, being able to set aperture, shutter speed and ISO the way I want it AND being able to do quick adjustments with the semi automatic exposure compensation function with the caveat that it doesn’t touch my shutter speed (or frankly my ISO either ideally)”

Yes, that’s what I’m trying (badly) to describe:)

On 7D/5D, if you use TV mode and ISO is not set to auto it will only adjust aperture. You dial in compensation with the main command dial. I can’t speak for the T2i as I’ve never used one.

Liam Hall
Director/DoP/Editor
http://www.liamhall.net

[Pete Burger]

[Steve Crow] “.you see ideally I want the best of both worlds”

I feel your pain, Steve 😉 That’s one of the reasons I still use my dusty Sony HDV camcorder 🙂 Quick manual controls…

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“Tragedy is a close-up; comedy, a long shot.” – Buster Keaton