Nikon 8700 - Manual (Page 49)

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More on Photography
Exposure compensation is used to alter exposure from the value suggested by
the camera. Exposure compensation can be set to values between –2.0 EV
(underexposure) and +2.0 EV (overexposure) in increments of
1
3
EV.
Exposure Compensation
Restrictions on Exposure Compensation
Exposure compensation is not available in manual exposure mode ( 44) or when
(Fireworks show) is selected in scene mode ( 26).
Cancelling Exposure Compensation
To cancel exposure compensation, choose a value of 0.0. In (auto) and scene modes,
exposure compensation will be reset to 0.0 when the camera is turned off or another
shooting mode is selected.
Choosing a Value for Exposure Compensation
As a rule of thumb, select positive values when large areas of the frame are very brightly
lit (for example, when photographing an expanse of sunlit water, sand, or snow) or
when the background is much brighter than the main subject. Choose negative values
when large areas of the frame are very dark (for example, when photographing a forest
of dark green leaves) or when the background is much darker than the main subject.
This is because the camera, in order to avoid extreme under- or over-exposure, tends
to lower exposure when the frame is very bright and raise exposure when the frame is
very dark, which can make naturally bright subjects look dim and naturally dark subjects
appear over-bright, or “washed out.”
Press button and rotate command dial until desired setting ap-
pears in control panel and shooting display.
F5.6 F5.6 F5.6 1/125 125 1/125 15 15 15
8M 8M 8M
1.0 .0 1.0
At settings other than 0.0, icon is displayed in control panel
after
button is released.