Why are my Canon 70D photos suddenly very underexposed in daylight?
Asked 1/19/2016
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I’m learning Manual mode on a Canon 70D. At first my shots looked fine, but then later photos became much darker even though I thought I was using the same settings. The exposure meter now reads below -3 EV.
Example settings were around f/8, 1/80 sec, ISO 100 in daylight with the 18-55mm kit lens. I also tried another lens and cleaned the contacts, but the photos were still dark.
In Av mode with Auto ISO, the camera gives exposures like f/8, 1/13 sec, ISO 6400, which seems far too slow/high for broad daylight. Indoors, Manual at f/1.8, 1/200, ISO 100 is also much darker than Av mode at f/1.8, 1/60, ISO 400.
Could this be a setting I changed accidentally, such as metering, or does it sound like a hardware problem?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
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Not sure if its a setting I may have changed by accident or something to do with the light sensors?
It's very likely that you changed a setting accidentally, or that the light changed and you didn't change any settings to compensate. A passing cloud can make a big difference in the amount of available light. Also, if you were shooting in the late afternoon, the light can fade very quickly.
Also, the metering mode you use can have a large effect on what the light meter tells you about the "right" exposure. The part of the scene that's used for metering is determined by the metering mode. For example, Spot mode looks only at a tiny part of the scene, while Evaluative mode looks at nearly the entire scene. So, if you had the camera set to Spot mode and you pointed it at a bright object, like a light colored shirt, the meter would read a lot of light and you, in response, would adjust the exposure accordingly. But if the rest of the scene is significantly darker than that shirt you'll get an image where the shirt is exposed right but the rest of the scene might be too dark. If you want an overall reading for the scene, use the Evaluative mode.
Do I need take my camera for repair?
Probably not. Try setting it back to an automatic mode, like P, Tv, or Av, and see if photos taken when the camera is adjusting the exposure are better. If that solves the problem, you just need to pay more attention to the light meter and metering mode.
Note that when I shoot in AV mode and auto ISO I get the correct exposure at f/8, 1/13, ISO 6400. (Seems like a rather slow shutter speed and extremely high ISO for broad daylight pics!)
It sounds like you might have the ISO set to A or automatic, and that may be part of what's causing problems for you. Auto ISO can be handy, but while you're trying to get the hang of manual shooting you don't need the camera second guessing your exposure choices. Pick an ISO setting that gives you a reasonable range of shutter speeds and aperture settings and stick with it for now. If you're shooting outside, 100 or 200 should be fine.
As I'm sure you know, Av is "aperture priority" mode. That is, you set the aperture and the camera will then adjust shutter speed and ISO to produce a good exposure. So, if you're shooting at f/8, 1/80s, and ISO 100, but the camera thinks you need 1/13s and ISO 6400 at f/8, then your manual settings provide about 8 stops less light than the camera's choice. That's a huge disparity, and it's no surprise that your shots are underexposed. Each stop represents a doubling or halving in the amount of light, so a difference of 8 stops is about 28 = 256 times as much light.
Read up on the various metering modes that your camera provides (the owners manual is a good place to start). The key to getting the hang of shooting in manual mode is to keep at it: shoot more, experiment, and keep looking at how your exposure choices affect the final images.
Update: Given your sample images, your camera is fine. You've got one properly exposed shot in Av mode, and one dark one where you've chosen settings that give you 4 stops less light than the other. It's no surprise, then, that your image in manual mode is a lot darker.
Originally by user4262. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4262
10y ago
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This is more likely a settings/exposure issue than a hardware failure.
In Manual mode, the camera does not correct exposure for you. If the light changes, or if your settings are simply too dark for the scene, the 70D will keep taking underexposed photos. Your example of f/8, 1/80, ISO 100 is not a guaranteed daylight exposure for every scene, and indoors f/1.8, 1/200, ISO 100 is much darker than f/1.8, 1/60, ISO 400 because that Av exposure lets in far more light.
Also check metering mode: spot metering can make the meter reading swing dramatically depending on what part of the scene you point at.
The Av result of 1/13 at ISO 6400 in bright daylight does sound abnormal, so first verify that no exposure-compensation or unusual metering setting was changed by accident, and make sure the scene really is in bright light. If settings are normal and multiple modes still meter wildly wrong in clear daylight, then service may be worth considering.
But based on the examples, the main issue is that Manual mode requires you to set shutter speed, aperture, and ISO appropriately for the actual light.
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