What is EV?
Definition: EV, or Exposure Value, is a number that represents a combination of a camera’s shutter speed and aperture.
EV refers to a scale that indicates the amount of light that is needed to create a proper exposure for a given scene. This scale is based on the camera’s ISO sensitivity, shutter speed, and aperture settings, which all work together to control the amount of light that enters the camera.
Understanding exposure as a whole is very important for getting the pictures you want in a variety of different lighting conditions. EV has it’s uses as we’ll discuss, but like any tool, you need to know when to use it and when to choose another tool instead.
How EV Works: Imagine EV as the dial that balances the light in your photos. It tweaks how much light hits the camera’s sensor, affecting the brightness of your image.
EV Scale: The EV scale is a series of numbers typically ranging from -3 to +3 in modern cameras, where each increment represents a doubling or halving of light. It’s the secret language of light that photographers use to basically tell the camera to make the picture brighter or darker.
Practical Applications
Adjusting EV in Photography: Adjusting the EV is like turning the volume knob on your music player. Need more light? Crank it up a notch. Too bright? Dial it down. It’s all about finding that sweet spot.
Scenarios for EV Adjustment: High noon sun blasting your landscape shot? Lower the EV. Capturing the mood in a dimly lit café? Boost that EV up. It’s your ticket to versatility in varying lighting conditions.
Definition and Use: EV compensation allows you to override the camera’s metering decision, giving you control to brighten or darken your images as needed. It’s like having a say in the camera’s decision-making process.
Why it’s not really relevant anymore
EV refers to the total amount of light required to make an even exposure. However, modern cameras have done away with all of the complicated maths part of needing to understand exposure in quite so much depth.
Instead what we have now are screens that can show you exactly what you’ll get when you take the picture and a sliding scale called exposure compensation of -3 to +3 that indicates whether or not your image will be under or overexposed.
Mirrorless cameras have taken all the guess work out of exposure settings, what you see on the screen is literally what you’ll get.
When EV is useless
In the image below you can see how EV is sometimes useless. EV is trying to steer you towards an ‘even’ exposure. So a balance between light and dark.
If you’re trying to shoot a sunset or a moody scene however, then the camera gets itself confused, as you’ll see below.
If I want to capture the sunset, then I have to ignore the exposure reading. It’s currently telling me my image will be underexposed (too dark) by a value of nearly -3 (which is quite a lot).
But If I adjust the exposure so the exposure reading is at 0 (i.e, even exposure), then the colours will be washed out and the picture will look crap.
When EV is really helpful
Our eyes play tricks on us, sometimes EV is invaluable.
When shooting things such as products it’s really important to get an even exposure so you know you’ve captured as much shadow and highlight detail as possible. If you need to increase exposure in the editing process later to achieve a different look, then that’s fine, but at least you have the raw image to work with.
Below you can see the camera exposure scale is sat on 0, which means the exposure is even, and technically correct.
When to use the EV scale
In a backlit scene the camera’s light meter may be fooled by the bright background and underexpose the subject in the foreground. By adjusting the camera’s settings to increase the EV of the scene, the photographer can ensure that the subject is properly exposed even in challenging lighting conditions.
Similarly, in a scene with high contrast, such as a landscape with bright sunlight and deep shadows, the photographer can use EV to balance the exposure between the bright and dark areas. By taking multiple exposures with different settings and then combining them in post-processing, you can create a final image that accurately captures the full range of tones in the scene.
EV also works in tandem with other functions on the camera, such as the histogram.
The histogram is a graph that shows the distribution of tones in an image, with black on the left and white on the right. By reviewing the histogram after taking a shot, you can quickly assess the exposure and make adjustments as needed.
You can see in the above image again how it’s not always useful when a modern mirrorless camera can show you exactly the photograph that you’re going to get when you press the shutter.
According to the histogram, there are too many shadows. But if I adjust the exposure to let in more light, then the sky would be washed out and the colours and the atmosphere would be lost.
These are guides for you to be aware of, ultimately technology can’t ‘see’, you just need to learn how exposure works so you can adjust the camera to do what you want it to.
FAQ
- What exactly does EV stand for in photography?
- EV stands for Exposure Value in photography. It’s a numerical representation that combines the camera’s aperture (f-stop) and shutter speed settings to create a specific exposure level. EV helps photographers to achieve the desired brightness or darkness in their photos by adjusting these parameters.
- Can I adjust EV in all types of cameras?
- Yes, most modern digital cameras, including DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, and even many compact cameras, allow you to adjust the EV. Typically, this is done through EV compensation, where you can manually override the camera’s auto-exposure settings to make an image brighter or darker according to your preferences.
- How does EV compensation affect photo quality?
- EV compensation itself doesn’t directly affect the intrinsic quality of the photo, such as sharpness or colour fidelity. Instead, it allows you to control the exposure level, which can help prevent photos from being too bright (overexposed) or too dark (underexposed). Proper use of EV compensation can lead to better-exposed photos, which might require less post-processing and therefore retain better quality.
- Is it possible to use EV adjustments in manual mode?
- In manual mode, you directly control both the aperture and shutter speed, and thus, the concept of EV compensation doesn’t apply in the same way as it does in automatic or semi-automatic modes. However, understanding the EV value can help you make informed decisions about your manual settings to achieve the desired exposure.
- Do professionals use EV, or is it just for amateurs?
- Both amateur and professional photographers use EV and EV compensation as part of their photography toolkit. Professionals might rely on it in dynamic or challenging lighting conditions where quick adjustments are necessary to achieve the correct exposure. Amateurs can benefit from using EV compensation to learn more about exposure settings and improve their photography skills.