Metering - which mode to use and when?

[fabphoto]

I think I understand spot metering mode but not the others.

When should I use them?

 

[tdodd]

I don't think there is a one size fits all answer and it depends on how YOU want to operate the camera and how YOU see the subject/scene/lighting and wish to adjust the camera as necessary.

I generally use only spot metering when shooting with manual exposure, when I want to meter from one specific tone in the scene and set my exposure to match. This might be green grass at between -2/3 to +1 dependent on scene content and subject tone, or white clouds and bright whites and highlight at +3 or pale flesh at +1 1/3 etc. etc..

If I'm going to let the camera work out the exposure for me then normally I will use evaluative/matrix metering and rely on the camera's "intelligence" to make the best guess at exposure that it can. Even so it may still be necessary to dial in some exposure compensation.

Partial metering is the same as spot metering, but with a larger spot.

Centre weighted average looks at the entire scene, but weights the exposure to consider the centre of the frame to be the subject and the periphery to be of less interest.

So, your choice might be influenced by the tonal content and tonal distribution of the scene, but more importantly YOU need to figure out how the camera sees the scene so that YOU can provide the necessary exposure overrides.

 

[Phil V]

I rarely switch metering modes, there's not much point if you've learned how the meter works in one mode.

I meter something that'll 'work' then either Ael or use manual for it. (more likely ae lock in AV)

 

[sk66]

I tend to only use spot metering... just a habit I should probably get over. But with spot metering I know exactly what the camera is evaluating and exactly how that spot may fool the camera.

Matrix metering can also be nice. It evaluates the entire scene and is more "stable." It won't fluctuate much with relatively minor changes in color/subject/etc... so once you've got your offset, (EC) if required, it's a lot like manual exposure. Plus it's "smart" and takes advantage of scene recognition and the expensive computer they put in your camera.

CW/Partial etc falls in between those two. I only use it to quickly change the metered exposure w/o having to set EC. (I have my function button set to CW)

 

[KIPAX]

For me spot metering is the worse one of the lot..pretty useless if your having to aim and shoot quickly and your subject is small and a long way off. you migt be metering off black or white extremes...

 

[shaylou]

I rarely change metering modes. There are times when spot is useful especially when the subject is in shadows and even center waited metering can be useful at times. But it is not often at all that I resort to changing the metering modes.

 

[sk66]

For me spot metering is the worse one of the lot..pretty useless if your having to aim and shoot quickly and your subject is small and a long way off. you migt be metering off black or white extremes...

Yeah, but I figure; if I missed the metering then I've missed the focus as well.
Granted, sometimes the focus point can be off but the focus still be acceptable.

 

[BillN_33]

Birds - spot metering and spot focus, for me

 

[Phil V]

Birds - spot metering and spot focus, for me

How fast can you switch your exp comp when you go from a white swan to a black one?

 

[BillN_33]

How fast can you switch your exp comp when you go from a white swan to a black one?

Hi Phil

maybe I should have said small birds - Swans are usually quite stationary so you have plenty of time - the only other "biggish" white birds I can think of are Storks, Spoonbills, Egrets and similar and again as they are usually wading you have plenty of time
If shooting seagulls in flight it is all usually seagulls .. so once set up you are OK

BIF are more difficult - but I only have any luck with the bigger birds which are not as difficult and for stuff like herons etc., I still use spot and spot

so to answer you question I never, (seldom) move from a big white bird to a big black bird quickly and if I did they would probably be waders

but the problem would more be with B & W big birds … if I were more skilled in PP maybe I could solve it

 

[sk66]

How fast can you switch your exp comp when you go from a white swan to a black one?

Fast enough.
And if things are changing so fast that I can't adjust then I'm fine with the white swan being 1 stop under (protecting highlights) or the black swan being 1 stop over (bringing up shadows and easy to recover darks). Assuming both birds are in similar light the exposure won't be off too far. If it's a black swan in shadow vs a white swan in sunlight; then the subject exposure still won't be off too far but the BG is going to swing hard (and quite possibly too far).

There's no perfect answer for every situation... I've got no problem with the idea of "meter once and manual exposure." But it's not necessarily a "better answer."
In the same sun vs shadow situation, and manual exposure, it's just as probable the black swan is going to be BLACK and the white swan clipped (at least some portions). But the BG will be constant and the scene "correct."

Take your pick, either way has it's negatives...

 

[BillN_33]

Hi Phil

maybe I should have said small birds - Swans are usually quite stationary so you have plenty of time - the only other "biggish" white birds I can think of are Storks, Spoonbills, Egrets and similar and again as they are usually wading you have plenty of time
If shooting seagulls in flight it is all usually seagulls .. so once set up you are OK

BIF are more difficult - but I only have any luck with the bigger birds which are not as difficult and for stuff like herons etc., I still use spot and spot

so to answer you question I never, (seldom) move from a big white bird to a big black bird quickly and if I did they would probably be waders

but the problem would more be with B & W big birds … if I were more skilled in PP maybe I could solve it

Question was which mode do you use and when?

Birds - so it's spot and spot most of the time, except sometime for big birds then it's spot focus and what you will exposure wise with + or - EV either way and I always think of snow

but that's just me, others may be different

 

[Nawty]

I generally use evaluative metering and I have my DoF button set to spot metering which I use when looking through the viewfinder I know the cameras evaluative metering will get it wrong (e.g. dark subject on a light background). That covers most eventualities but will adjust as necessary.

The key is to know how your camera will meter a situation and adjust the camera appropriately, how you adjust it doesn't really matter as long as you achieve the desired result.

 

[landwomble]

I just use CWA and to adjust I AE lock on a brighter or darker bit of scene. Faster than dialing in exposure compensation usually...

 

[Craig20264]

Centre Weighted for 99% of my shots.
I find spot metering a problem with small birds as they are quite often darker than the background, consequently massively blowing background highlights which are then impossible to recover. I would rather take an average and lift shadows slightly in PP.

 

[Blank_Canvas]

CW metering was the standard in the 80s I the think it was the Nikon F4 that first introduced spot metering and the matrix meter. No doubt some will tell me that I'm wrong. Depending on the subject I will either use spot metering, for example a persons face illuminated by a candle. Pretty much for everything else I use matrix metering.

 

[Blank_Canvas]

CW metering was the standard in the 80s I the think it was the Nikon F4 that first introduced spot metering and the matrix meter. No doubt some will tell me that I'm wrong. Depending on the subject I will either use spot metering, for example a persons face illuminated by a candle. Pretty much for everything else I use matrix metering.

I should add that there were also hand held spot meters around before they were integrated into in-camera metering modes.