SUMMARY
Exposure compensation is a camera control that allows photographers to override the light meter's default setting, which aims to render scenes as 18% gray. This feature is essential when shooting scenes dominated by very bright or very dark tones, where the meter might otherwise produce images that are too dark (like snow appearing gray) or too bright (like backlit subjects becoming silhouettes). By adjusting exposure compensation with positive values (+EV) for brighter images or negative values (-EV) for darker images, photographers can achieve more accurate exposures. This control functions in Program, Aperture Priority, and Shutter Priority modes, and can also adjust ISO in Manual mode with Auto ISO.
TAKEAWAYS
Exposure compensation overrides the camera's light meter, which defaults to a middle gray tone.
Positive compensation (+EV) brightens the image, while negative compensation (-EV) darkens it.
It is vital for correctly exposing scenes with snow, backlit subjects, or dark backgrounds.
The control works in Program, Aperture Priority, and Shutter Priority modes, and with Auto ISO in Manual mode.