EOS R metering all over the place

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Hi All,
I am a returning Canon user after 15 year.
In our business my wife is the photographer, me the nerd and videographer and shooting stills also when we have 2 gigs at the same time.
Bought the EOS R because my wife has a hate-hate relationship with our Sony A7 III, and she seemed to get much better along with the EOS R.

We shoot mostly moving subjects, so use Servo with either Tracking and Eye AF or 1-Point. Our Sony A7 III or our Fuji X-T3 use absolute priority when metering on the focused face / eye, even 1-point AF is using priority on the focusing point, and it functions extremely well. In the very very rare cases when I can use single point metering, and then those cameras use the focus point exclusively for metering.
The EOS R seems to miss a lot with the metering, especially with on-camera flash (with shutter speed, aperture and ISO selected manualy and using E-TTL II) . Same subject shot 3 times in a row with same settings has following results: 1 overexposed (by at least 1 EV), 1 underexposed (by at least 1.5 EV) and 1 which is acceptable. Outdoors in Av priority this happens less often, but it still happens.

My question is: am I missing a setting, is my camera broken, or is this normal for the EOS R.
 
Mar 25, 2011
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The camera links exposure to the focus point to a great amount. Move the AF point, and the exposure changes. This can affect exposures if you don't know what's happening.

You can see the exposure change on the lcd by touching a darker or brighter object to focus on that.

I seldom have AF issues, but don't use flash often.

As for using flash and Av on a EOS R, it works differently, so be aware of that.

 
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Don Haines

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You say that it is worse indoors....

what is the lighting? Have you tried turning the anti flicker function on (or off) to see if that makes a difference? My kitchen has fluorescent lighting, I can’t see the flicker with my eyes, but my camera certainly can. With the anti-flicker turned off the exposure is all over the place, with it on I get consistent results
 
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NIce way to express a disagreement or misunderstanding. :confused: Snark is rarely helpful or apt to get you help.

How should I reply? Teach me pls. I wrote that for flash I use manual ISO, manual aperture, manual shutter speed and I get a reply that Canon uses different Av and Tv with flash. I was pretty baffled.
Also I wrote that I do not get consistent results with metering on Canon, in same situation I get very consistent with Sony and Fuji. What is moving the focus point has to do with that? Of course metering is changing even on Canon when using evaluative and moving the focus point, but not enough and eratically.
 
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You say that it is worse indoors....

what is the lighting? Have you tried turning the anti flicker function on (or off) to see if that makes a difference? My kitchen has fluorescent lighting, I can’t see the flicker with my eyes, but my camera certainly can. With the anti-flicker turned off the exposure is all over the place, with it on I get consistent results

Anti-flicker is turned on.
 
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AlanF

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How should I reply? Teach me pls. I wrote that for flash I use manual ISO, manual aperture, manual shutter speed and I get a reply that Canon uses different Av and Tv with flash. I was pretty baffled.
Also I wrote that I do not get consistent results with metering on Canon, in same situation I get very consistent with Sony and Fuji. What is moving the focus point has to do with that? Of course metering is changing even on Canon when using evaluative and moving the focus point, but not enough and eratically.
You may not understand the nuance of what you wrote - I am guessing that even though you write excellent English you may not be a native speaker. Reply like this: “Thank you for your helpful comment. What I really would like to know....” and then explain in a way that makes it clearer. Otherwise, your reply reads like you are telling the person who answered, who is in fact the most helpful and polite contributor to CR, that he can’t read English. I hope that is helpful.
 
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Erratic metering with this camera is my experience too. Even accounting for focus point (coming from 5d2 and 550d). I haven’t played around with metering modes other than evaluative- I just have exposure comp mapped to my control ring and use it frequently.
Exposure comp is OK, i have mapped it also, somewhere else though. But this works for Av mode for ex., not full manual and flash (AF servo on still, not manual there). Or am I mistaken?
 
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You may not understand the nuance of what you wrote - I am guessing that even though you write excellent English you may not be a native speaker. Reply like this: “Thank you for your helpful comment. What I really would like to know....” and then explain in a way that makes it clearer. Otherwise, your reply reads like you are telling the person who answered, who is in fact the most helpful and polite contributor to CR, that he can’t read English. I hope that is helpful.
Understand, OK, thanks. However the nuance of what I wrote, and the issue I generally have is that if I write more than 1 line, people cba to read it. Get it at work when suppliers cba to fully read an order or other emails and privately as well. And I had the impression that this was the case too.
 
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YuengLinger

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Understand, OK, thanks. However the nuance of what I wrote, and the issue I generally have is that if I write more than 1 line, people cba to read it. Get it at work when suppliers cba to fully read an order or other emails and privately as well. And I had the impression that this was the case too.
Actually, your first post was pretty hard to sort out. There was a bit of extra info that did not help us understand your issue. Please, you are just joining a community of Canon users who know their cameras very well and are willing to share our experience. We aren't tech support; we aren't paid; and in any language, being polite is the key to unlocking friendly responses. (Of course we know that people are sometimes fumbling on a smartphone, so don't feel like you are expected to be perfect! Just stick to the point and be polite, please.)

As for the R and exposure, I'm finding that it is a little better than my 5D IV, and much better than my 5DIII. It is also better than my 80D. So, in my experience, correct exposure in M or Av is no issue whatsoever--but remember that it is tied to the AF point, and in the R, the AF point can be placed much closer to the edge of the frame than in dSLR's.

Are you using AF Lock or AF Lock with Hold? (H or H*) These are very helpful.

And you should be seeing your exposure before you capture the image. I find that in harsh sunlight I must brighten the EVF display to see a proper preview of exposure; but then when I go back into shade or indoors I set the EVF brightness back to the middle brightness. This definitely helps to see what my captured exposure will be.

Plus you can use the histogram displayed in the EVF.

I mostly use spot or center-weighted, then lock in the exposure I want with AF Lock with Hold.

Try all the suggestions in this thread in a controlled situation and practice, practice, practice. If none work, you might in fact have a problem with your camera.
 
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It seems like I was unable to make myself understood, so trying again.

Use the Canon EOS R with a person in a backlit situation. Somebody who should stand with the back to an outside window for example. That person comes totally underexposed by 1-2 stops, but highlights are not totally blown out. You can use 1 point AF or tracking with EYE AF in servo. Makes no difference.
Fuji and Sony meter the person perfectly, indiferently if Eye AF or single point C-AF is used, but they completely blow out the highlights then.
Personally I prefer the person perfectly exposed, instead of the window.

I hope this clears things up.
 
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