Exposure Compensation - Nikon N90 AF Instruction Manual

EXPOSURE COMPENSATION
Exposure compensation is a photographic technique that
enables you to vary the final exposure settings from those
measured by the camera's light meter. Nikon 's 3D Matrix
Metering employs methods of exposure calculation that
automatically apply exposure compensation, depending upon
scene brightness and contrast. As a result, your subject,
whether it is centered in the viewfinder or not, is given
corrected exposure in most lighting situations.
We do not recommend using any manually or automatically
applied exposure compensation when using Matrix Metering. If
you identify an extreme condition under which Matrix may have
some difficulty, such as a severely backlit scene or one with
extremes of contrast, we recommend using your camera's
other built-in meters, Center-Weighted or Spot. Ultimately, only
you know what the subject or a part of it requires in terms of
exposure measurement. That's why the N90 camera
incorporates three meters plus a variety of exposure
compensation systems. The photographer's creativity is always
the final deciding and controlling factor. To use the various
exposure compensation functions , please refer to the following.
• Using AE-L (Auto Exposure Lock) lever (pp. 88-89)
• To obtain meter reading for a particular subject in Manual
exposure mode (pp. 90-91)
• Using exposure compensation button (pp. 92-93)
• All Mode Exposure Bracketing (MF-26 users only) (see MF-26
instruction manual)
Results will vary, depending on conditions, so you will want to
experiment with each method .
About reflectance
When using the Center-Weighted or Spot Meter, always
keep in mind that the exposure indicated will assume that
the subject's refiectance is equivalent to 18%. If the
subject varies from this reflectance , you must make an
adjustment to exposure. Generally speaking, a white
subject will have about a 90% reflectance, and an
adjustment of 2.5
f/stops
(further open) will bring the
exposure back to the equivalent of an 18% reading. As
another rule of thumb , when shooting a landscape, the
light meter reading from green grass is roughly equivalent
to 18% reflectance.
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