Exposure Compensation
A deliberate offset applied to the camera's metered reading, expressed in stops, to make an image brighter or darker than the meter suggests.
Formula / rule
Setting = Metered EV − Compensation
Measured in
stops (EV)
In depth
Reflected-light meters assume every scene averages to middle grey, so they underexpose bright subjects and overexpose dark ones. Compensation corrects this bias without leaving an automatic mode. In aperture priority it moves shutter speed, in shutter priority it moves aperture, and in manual with Auto ISO it moves ISO.
Examples in practice
Photographing a snowfield, dial +1⅔ EV or the meter will render the snow as dull grey.