What does exposure compensation mean?
Exposure compensation is a feature that lets you to override the camera’s light meter reading by allowing the photographer to control how dark or how bright a photo will turn out before snapping a photo. This feature is mostly seen in cameras that are automatic such as our Lomo’Instant line of cameras which allows you to overexpose or underexpose a photo by 1 stop.


Other cameras that have this feature usually can go up to 3 stops overexposure or underexposure. This tool is great for when you think your camera’s light meter is not accurately registering a proper exposure or if you want to try experimenting with brightness in a photo.



Anything missing?
Can’t find an answer to your question? Or do you have some useful advice to add to one of our courses? We want to build the world’s largest analogue learning space, so please send any further requests or information to school@lomography.com and we’ll take a look!
More Courses
-
Will X-ray machines at airports ruin my film?
Traditional x-ray machines are unlikely to affect film of ISO 800 and lower. However, the new and more powerful CT scanners can damage any and all film. We recommend always asking to have your film inspected manually.
-
What are the different types of film cameras?
From a SLR, to TLR, to rangefinder or point & shoot cameras – find out how these different types of cameras operate.
-
What is the sunny16 rule?
The Sunny 16 Rule is a way to meter for correct exposure during daylight without using the camera’s meter. It is great for photographers who don’t want to get slowed down by metering for every shot or rely too much on their camera’s in-built light meter.
-
What does it mean to overexpose vs underexpose a photo?
Put simply, an overexposed image is one that is brighter than the reality of the scene you’re trying to photograph, while an underexposed image is darker than reality. Overexposure generally means you are giving your film too much light, and with underexposure you have the opposite problem of not enough light.
-
Can I switch lenses while my camera has a film inside?
It depends, but the answer is usually yes! Most SLR cameras have a focal-plane shutter, making it possible to safely switch your lenses while your camera has film inside. However, there are some cameras that have a leaf shutter, which causes risk of damaging your photos when changing your lens mid-film roll.
-
How to get the perfect exposure on film every time?
There are many things you can do to perfect exposure on film such as choosing the right ISO, using a light meter, applying the Sunny 16 rule and trying exposure compensation.
-
What is parallax error and how can I avoid it?
Parallax error, also known as a viewfinder error, is the shift in the apparent position of your subject due to the difference between what your lens sees and what your viewfinder shows. This can affect a photograph’s composition, framing and depth, but there are easy steps we can take to minimise it from happening.
-
Do I have to load film in my camera in the dark?
There’s no need to load film in the dark but going under the shade or subdued lighting are ideal conditions when loading film.
-
What is the difference between a full-frame and half-frame camera?
Full-frame film cameras create an image across the entire 36 mm by 24 mm frame. Whereas half-frame cameras can fit two images onto one frame and each image measures 18 mm by 24 mm.