Rookie question! I need detailed info about Metering Modes!

B:// · December 11, 2006

I know it sound ridiculous to ask such things, but I would like to know better about how they work, pros and cons, something like that, detailed info about the three standard types in DSLR, to be more specific, in the Canon 20D.
Thanks for all the help, see you around

Byron M.

Harryb · December 11, 2006

B:// wrote:

I know it sound ridiculous to ask such things, but I would like to know better about how they work, pros and cons, something like that, detailed info about the three standard types in DSLR, to be more specific, in the Canon 20D.
Thanks for all the help, see you around

Byron M.

http://www.digicamhelp.com/camera-features/camera-modes/metering.php

one minute to search using Google

silica · December 11, 2006

B:// wrote:

I know it sound ridiculous to ask such things, but I would like to know better about how they work, pros and cons, something like that, detailed info about the three standard types in DSLR, to be more specific, in the Canon 20D.
Thanks for all the help, see you around

Byron M.

This site has a slightly expanded description. The page is long. You can find the appropriate section faster by searching on the page for "evaluative" using your browser search.

http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/cameras.html

Shay Stephens · December 11, 2006

Learn manual exposure and reading the histogram, and you won't need to mess with the meter at all.

sirsloop · December 12, 2006

Thats not possible in a lot of situations. I can't even begin to imagine the disaster that would happen if I started shooting horse shows in M. Every time a cloud went over or the rider went under a tree...underexposed...and you only get one chance take the shot.

claudermilk · December 12, 2006

You just have to be aware to the readout in the viewfinder in M. It becomes like the old matchstick meters in earlier SLRs. You can then adjust aperture or shutter speed (IIRC, the thumbwheel and back dial respectively--but I always get those backwards).

In most cases leaving the metering in evaluative works well. In my theater shoots I use center-weighted as my subject needs to be properly exposed & I don't care about the background--if it falls to black that's a bonus.

Shay Stephens · December 12, 2006

sirsloop wrote:

Thats not possible in a lot of situations.

Oh really? Whatever did they do before auto exposure was invented by Pentax in 1971?!?!

sirsloop · December 12, 2006

They missed/messedup tons of shots or take forever to figure our what settings should be used. Taking 15 photos in a 30 second period with possibly different light in each shot... thats 99% impossible to do accurately. You may get lucky one time, but over 1500 photos the miss rate will be pretty high.

Shay Stephens · December 12, 2006

sirsloop wrote:

They missed/messedup tons of shots or take forever to figure our what settings should be used. Taking 15 photos in a 30 second period with possibly different light in each shot... thats 99% impossible to do accurately. You may get lucky one time, but over 1500 photos the miss rate will be pretty high.

teeheehee, I see you have no experience in shooting manual. That's ok. I won't hold it against you, but don't go inventing what happened in photography before auto exposure was invented. Those photographers could run circles around us today.

If anyone wants to explore manual exposure, this website is a great way to begin learning the relationships between the three variables that determine exposure (shutter speed, aperture, ISO) as well as rules of thumb on knowing what settings to use for different types of lighting conditions.
http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm

It's not an easy read, and it will take a long time to fully digest and be able to put into practice. But it is the best guide I have yet to come across and it allowed me to move into manual exposure and be benefited by it in my wedding and portrait photography.

claudermilk · December 14, 2006

sirsloop wrote:

They missed/messedup tons of shots or take forever to figure our what settings should be used.

Not really. They got familiar with light & with experience could wing it.

An excellent example: In Ansel Adams' "The Camera" book (and again, slightly differently in "The Negative") he describes shooting his well-known Moonrise Over Hernandez image. In a nutshell, he stopped the car, whipped the large format camera out & winged it--no meter except his knowledge & experience. It was apparently a one-off shot to boot.

We have become spoiled by all the gadgets available now. Where we might today say it's an impossible shot with $10k of gear, one of the old masters could probably pull off with a pinhole camera.

sirsloop · December 14, 2006

I disagree! While yes its physically possible for someone to take 15 photos in 30 seconds in manual mode, fact is I'm gonna get more keepers using metering and adjusting EV based on what i'm shooting. White horse = +2/3EV or it underexposes, etc, etc. Shooting lanscapes manual or some other time lax subject would be one thing, but i seriously doubt a person can split second decide what the settings should be, change them, manually focus (not really part of this disussion), and get the shot 95/100 times.

I'm not saying that my M skills are awesome or that I'm some super photog. I'll admit I DONT shoot manual when not using flash because I have better hit rates using Av or Tv and tweaking using EV based on what I'm looking at. Its WAY faster, which is what you need for outdoor sports where clouds, shade, different angles, ect... all change the light the camera sees.

SloYerRoll · December 14, 2006

:soapbox In reference to using manual. It's up to the photog to understand their environment so they can take the shots while still having total controll of their camera.

Shay Stephens wrote:

If anyone wants to explore manual exposure, this website is a great way to begin learning the relationships between the three variables that determine exposure (shutter speed, aperture, ISO) as well as rules of thumb on knowing what settings to use for different types of lighting conditions.
http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm

Back to the subject for B://...
The link Shay gave is great. I saw this off an earlier post and the first time I read it, I got dizzy...
It's a definate sit down and read though. You'll be well on your way to mastering your environment (at least how to capture it) when your done reading this!
Please read all of this before you go buy that 400usd light meter. In the end it pretty much tells you that your eyes and brain are much better than anything you can buy out there anyway!

Shay Stephens · December 14, 2006

sirsloop wrote:

... fact is I'm gonna get more keepers using metering and adjusting EV based on what i'm shooting.

You do realize that you do the same thing when shooting manual right? Adjusting EV is the same thing as adjusting the shutter speed* while in manual mode. But, in manual mode, you avoid the problems of the camera thinking it got dark just because someone with a black coat steps into the scene.

How hard is it to add a stop when a cloud goes by? And, really, even if one didn't, is adding a stop in post really going to ruin that photo? So here is the point, people who shoot manual do so for a reason, people who shoot auto do so for a reason, both camps get great photos. There is no need to be trash talkin' the other camp.

*(or aperture or ISO)

claudermilk · December 15, 2006

All it takes is practice.

I've actually started to run the 20D is full-manual mode sometimes. That is swtich set to M and lens set to MF. When the camera would be hunting due to low light and I'd miss the shot, now I'm starting to get them. Yep, a lot of OOF and under exposed at first, but with practice I am getting more proficient and have an increasing keeper rate with this (now approaching what I get in Ev & AF). It's a challenge, but certainly not impossible.

It's also kind of perversely satisfying between sets when a noob camera geek asks me what my settings are & I can say "oh, I'm running it full manual tonight". Them:

scratch:twitch:crazy Me:

cool:davidto

One of my secrets is I pull out the L-358 & do a quick meter reading to get a baseline. I'n nowhere near good enough to look & figure it out on my own yet.

Angelo · December 15, 2006

Shay Stephens wrote:

Oh really? Whatever did they do before auto exposure was invented by Pentax in 1971?!?!

Hah! That's ancient history to a 25 year old

Rookie question! I need detailed info about Metering Modes!

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