About (Typical) Exposure Compensation
I wanted to give a real quick word about the Exposure Compensation found within each Fuji X Weekly Recipe. I get questions about this fairly regularly, and there seems to be some confusion. Let me give a short explanation of what is meant when a Recipe says (for example) Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically).
The “typical exposure compensation” provided with each Recipe is intended to be a starting point and nothing more. It was never meant to be a rule, only general directions. For some recipes it’s a little more critical than others. For example, Vintage Kodachrome really does need a little underexposure in order to look right; conversely, Bright Kodak really does need a little overexposure to render correctly. But for the most part, this isn’t a critical aspect of a Recipe. It’s simply intended to give a little direction for those unsure.
One question that I get sometimes is: what about those who shoot in all-manual, and don’t use the Exposure Compensation Dial? Well, instead of “exposure compensation”, it’s just exposure. In other words, simply increase or decrease the exposure suggested by the meter by whatever the Recipe says. If your meter says (for example) f/4, 1/250, and ISO 400, and the Recipe says +1 exposure, simply use f/2.8 instead of f/4, or select 1/125 instead of 1/250, or choose ISO 800 instead of ISO 400 (choose one, not all three).
Another question that I get is: how do I program Exposure Compensation into my camera? There are some models that can save an exposure compensation within each Custom Setting preset (it won’t save a range—like +1/3 to +1—but it can save one, such as +2/3); however, most Fujifilm cameras cannot do that. For the majority of cameras, Exposure Compensation is a manual process done by turning the Exposure Compensation Dial on the top of the camera.
Each time you activate the shutter, the appropriate exposure for each scene should be judged individually. Even though a Recipe might say Exposure Compensation +2/3 to +1 (typically), perhaps for the unique lighting scenario in front of you, maybe -1/3 is most appropriate. Aside from that, we each have our own tastes and styles, and maybe for you, a slightly brighter or darker image is better. In other words, don’t take the typical exposure compensation values of a Recipe too seriously. It’s only meant to help you go in the right direction; however, each situation should be judged for what it is, which might be different each time.
Which brings me to two Recipes specifically: Reggie’s Portra and Reggie’s Superia. For Reggie’s Portra, I had listed +1/3 to +1 as the typical exposure compensation range. For Reggie’s Superia, I had listed it as +1/3 to +2/3. But Reggie Ballesteros—the creator of those two Recipes—never gave them, nor intended for them to have, any suggested exposures. The exposure for each picture should be judged individually. At his request, I removed the suggested exposure compensation range. Reggie is not wrong in this assessment, and it’s for a similar reason that I did not include a suggested exposure range for the Video Recipes.
I never intended for the Exposure Compensation field of Fujifilm Recipes to be so confusing. I hope this clears it up a little for those who may have struggled with it. I never intended for it to be a rule, only a rough starting point for those unsure what the exposure should be. If it’s not helpful to you, feel free to ignore it.
