Hey all! First time posting so I hope this is the right spot.
I have been trying to bracket with my D90 for in order to end up with a -4 -2 0 +2 +4 sequence but am having a hard time doing so in Manual mode. When I try it under Aperture priority, all I have to do is set my bracketing to -2/+2 and dial -2 exposure compensation and fire 3 shots. That will give me -4 -2 0. Then I set +2 exposure compensation and fire another 3 shots and end up with 0 +2 +4. But when in Manual mode, setting my exposure compensation to -2 doesn't affect the exposure.
The reason why I want to do it under manual mode is because when starting the bracketing sequence, I want to start it at a good balanced exposure with no clipped highlights or shadows. I want that "0" exposure to be a perfect exposed shot. Under aperture priority, sometimes that is not possible without adjusting exposure compensation. If I am under manual mode, I can take some test shots to find out what's my best starting exposure.
I hope I am making sense here.
Thanks!