Specifications

Exposure compensation
The center-weighted exposure metering system of the ZE-X will give you
the best possible exposures with each of the camera's AE modes in most of
all shooting situations. However, when the subject is situated against a
bright light source such as snow, against a window in the shade of a backlit
tree, or when the subject is spotlighted on stage against a dark background,
some exposure increase or decrease may be required to bring out the
details of the subject. The exposure compensation may be accomplished by
either of two methods-the exposure variation dial or exposure memory
button.
For exposures where exposure variation is being employed, a "V" appears in the viewfinder to inform you that
compensation is in effect for the shot at hand. Be sure to set the dial back to "O" when exposure variation is not
longer needed to avoid exposure failures.
Use of the exposure variation dial is the most effective method of exposure compensation when you cannot approach
your subject closely, such as a person standing against the snow across the river or spotlighted on stage, etc.
The dial surrounds the film rewind knob permits up to +3EV (3 f/stops) variation. The dial normally locks at the "O"
setting for standard exposures. When compensation is required it may be set for exposure increase at +1 +2 +3 or
exposure decrease at -1 -2 -3 by pressing the lock button (D) and rotating to the desired setting. In-between settings
may also be used. The amount of increase or decrease required depends mainly on experience; in the beginning, its a
good idea to take same photo at two or three settings to be on the safe side. 4www.butkus.org
Exposure increase (for backlit subject):
When the subject is situated against a bright background, exposure must be increased to compensate. Press the dial
lock release button (D) and set the dial to +1 or +2 as required (in extreme cases, the +3 setting may also be used).
Exposure decrease (for frontlit subjects):
When your subject is spotlighted against a dark background such as on stage, best results are obtained by decreasing
the exposure. Press the dial lock release button (D) and set the dial to the appropriate -1 or-2 setting (in extreme cases
-3 may also be used).
Exposure Compensation with dedicated flash units:
In addition to the standard AE modes, exposure compensation may also be employed for flash photography with the
Mamiyalite MZ 36R and MZ 18R dedicated flash units.