Can I use exposure compensation in manual mode with auto ISO on a Canon DSLR?

When I use the auto ISO setting in manual mode I can not find a way to dial in the exposure compensation on my Canon 550D. Is this possible at all?

I encountered this in a situation where I wanted to fix my aperture and shutter speed for a time-lapse movie, but as the environmental lightning changed randomly (so bulb-ramping was not possible), I wanted to set my ISO to auto. However, this made the shots look too bright, hence I looked for a way to dial in an exposure compensation value.

Answer

Most Canon DSLRs do not allow Exposure Compensation in Manual Exposure Mode. This is the case with your T2i/550D.

There are several things you can try to accomplish what you want to do.

• When Auto ISO is turned on it uses information from the camera's light meter to make the decision on what ISO to use. Depending on the scene, using different metering modes may give a darker exposure. (see p. 86 of the Instruction Manual)


• If Auto Lighting Optimizer is enabled, turn it off. ALO will make the picture brighter.(see p. 83 and p. 103 of the Instruction Manual)


• Try setting the maximum ISO to 400. This will likely affect frames with dimmer lighting more than frames with brighter lighting. (p.63)