Sony A9 viewfinder exposure meter--??

[Pozos]

I'm baffled by something which should be simple. At the bottom of the Sony A9 viewfinder-- Left to right:

shutter speed---- aperture----exposure meter from -5----0----5+      and  ISO

I don't understand the exposure meter and how it is used. It is highlighted from   -2 to +2    but is grayed out -5 to-3 and +3 to +5

If I am in Manual mode and alter the variables for exposure the cursor seems active from -2 to +2 but then drops off the screen above and below that (the grayed out parts of the meter). What gives? I can't find an answer in the manual or in Friedman's Sony A9 Guide book.

Any help would be most appreciated.

Pozos

[Chrissie]

Maybe this page in the online help is for you.

[Pozos]

Thank you, Chrissie. This is helpful but does not entirely answer my question. If I am in manual mode and looking thru the viewfinder and at the correct exposure the cursor is over the "0" in the exposure meter. then if I point the camera to a new view with different light source the cursor will move up or down the meter scale as expected depending on the new lighting---- but it only moves up or down within the range of -2 to +2 and then falls off the scale. Perhaps this is the design but it would make sense for the cursor to continue to move up or down the entire scale. I am wondering if there is a setting that I am missing?

Pozos

[Username]

I have not got your exact model, but general 

Sony experience hints to me that the grayed 

out range is will prolly come alive when the

scale represents the amount of AE biasing

dialed in when using the AE modes. 

 

 

Sony simply tends, across the model line, to 

use only a +/- 2EV M-mode scale, all else 

being just "high" or "low". IOW you have not 

overlooked any info/readout settings.  

   

OTOH you may have overlooked possible 

workarounds. Depending on the reason you 

might desire a longer scale, you might find 

that an AE mode more versatile/controllable 

than M-mode if you set your AEL to "toggle", 

which creates a sort of hybrid manual-auto 

mode that responds to the AE biasing dial. 

[VTC]

Bullet point #4 under NOTE seems to explain this behavior for me...

• Only a value between -3.0 EV and +3.0 EV with the equivalent image brightness appears on the screen when shooting. If you set an exposure compensation value outside this range, the image brightness on the screen will not be affected, but the value will be reflected in the recorded image.

[Username]

 

Bullet point #4 under NOTE seems to explain this behavior

for me...

• Only a value between -3.0 EV and +3.0 EV with the
• equivalent image brightness appears on the screen
• when shooting. If you set an exposure compensation
• value outside this range, the image brightness on the
• screen will not be affected, but the value will be
• reflected in the recorded image.

 

     

Readouts of only +/- 3EV is a limitation of the monitor but 

not of the EVF. Look very carefully at the page you linked. 

  

The EVF has the +/- 5EV scale that the OP seeks to utilize.  

    

Thaz why using AE modes with AEL set to "Toggle" is the

workaround ... if readouts outside +/- 2EV is a major issue

for the user. Otherwise, it's simpler to go with M-mode and

tolerate the limited metering scale. 

[BrianC]

Hi Pozos -- wondering if you ever found a solution to this? I'm experiencing the same thing with my Sony a6300.