Exposure compensation has always been a confusing subject to me so, I totally ignore the subject by using only manual mode via live view information.
Realizing that the camera's LCD monitor is a jpeg rendition of your image, I adjusted/neutralized all my "picture style" settings to the base line>
then insured that my histogram, and blinkie notification if available, was always present in live view mode>make your SS, f/stop, ISO settings contingent
upon that histogram's position (you want it as close to the right edge as possible without going past that edge, this is called "exposing to the right").
It's then a simple matter to "plug-in" any 2 of the 3 image parameters, then move that histogram by using the third adjustment parameter and,
it guarantees proper exposure and completely negates all concerns about 18% gray camera readings, exposure conpensation and whatnot.
It continues to baffle me why this method is not being more widely used as it's really, necessary in my case, a no-brainer.