Why are my manual-mode photos still underexposed when the meter reads 0?
Asked 3/3/2020
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2 answers
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I’m relearning manual mode on a Nikon D7000 and getting very dark photos even when I follow the in-camera meter. My settings are manual mode, matrix metering, ISO 1600, f/5.6, and I adjust shutter speed until the exposure meter reads 0. The room has lots of natural light, but it’s still an indoor scene with windows.
Should those settings normally produce a usable exposure? If the meter is centered but the image is still too dark, what camera setting or metering issue should I check?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
6y ago
2 Answers
7
I have a home office with a large window that faces south (towards the sun in the Northern Hemisphere), so it is a very well lit room during the day time. I just followed your instructions with my Nikon D7500:
- Set to Manual mode (M)
- ISO set to 1600
- Aperture f5.6
- Exposure compensation set to "0"
- Shutter adjusted so the exposure meter in the viewfinder was tracking on the "0"
This gave me a shutter speed of 1/160 s and a very well lit photo of my office.
If I adjust the exposure compensation (for me, the small button near the shutter button that looks like [+/-]) to anything - but still keep f5.6, 1/160, the internal meter shows that the exposure is not what I am asking for, but I still get my well lit photo.
However, if the exposure compensation is set to say -3.0, and I adjust the shutter speed in order to get the internal meter to track back to the "0" position, then the shutter speed is now 1/1250 and the picture is very dark.
So I can think of 3 things:
- Your camera is not set up as you think it should be
- You have dialed in some exposure compensation and have adjusted the shutter speed faster in order to cope with that and make the internal meter track back to the "0" position
- Your camera isn't working correctly.
Originally by user2321. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user2321
6y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A centered meter in Manual mode does not guarantee a bright image; it only means the camera thinks the scene is correctly exposed based on its meter.
From the answers, the most likely causes are:
- Exposure compensation / metering offset — On Nikon bodies, if exposure compensation is set negative, it can influence the meter display and lead you to choose a shutter speed that underexposes. Check that the +/- setting is truly at 0.0.
- Scene brightness is overestimated — “Plenty of natural light” indoors may still be fairly dim for photography. Typical indoor light can require anything from about 1/200s to 1/8s at ISO 1600, f/5.6, depending on the room.
- Metering of the scene — In matrix metering, very bright windows or other bright areas can make the camera suggest a faster shutter speed, darkening the rest of the room.
A good sanity check: with ISO 1600 and f/5.6 in a bright room, one example given was about 1/160s. If your shutter speed is much faster than that, the meter is probably being influenced by bright parts of the scene or by a compensation setting.
Check exposure compensation first, then compare your chosen shutter speed to the actual room brightness.
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