metering question

thebaz

As a rule of thumb would you use spot metering for potraits, and matrix for landsapes ?

or is it more complicated than that .
cheers.

Sebzy

Matrix - landscapes and general use
CWM - Portrait
Spot - Hard to meter situations not portrait.

ThOnda

External independent light meter for ambient light, that would be my dream.
95% spot metering in my case.

thebaz

Sebzy wrote: »

Matrix - landscapes and general use
CWM - Portrait
Spot - Hard to meter situations not portrait.

For street shots , which are mainly people , i switched from matrix to spot , but not too happy with results, i guess then i should use Centred or return to Matrix ?

Sebzy

thebaz wrote: »

For street shots , which are mainly people , i switched from matrix to spot , but not too happy with results, i guess then i should use Centred or return to Matrix ?

What are you not happy about ? loss of highlights? shadow detail ?

thebaz

Sebzy wrote: »

What are you not happy about ? loss of highlights? shadow detail ?

doing street stuff you have to act quick , maybe spot metering is too sensitive , today instead of focusing on the person , camera seamed to focus onto something else , so person appeared blurred .. maybe for speed, matrix might be best !

Sebzy

thebaz wrote: »

doing street stuff you have to act quick , maybe spot metering is too sensitive , today instead of focusing on the person , camera seamed to focus onto something else , so person appeared blurred .. maybe for speed, matrix might be best !

That has nothing to do with metering it's your focus points. how about leave the camera in matrix metering for now and only activate the central focus point.

Now quickly point an lock on your subject right smack bang in the center of the focusing screen

Lock the focus by pressing the shutter half down and recompose.

ThOnda

I am second to that. Leave metering and focusing separate and independent.

challengemaster

me what now? o.O

thebaz

Sebzy wrote: »

That has nothing to do with metering it's your focus points. how about leave the camera in matrix metering for now and only activate the central focus point.

yeah your right , i usually have the focus point centred, but it accidently went out to the left -- anyway i think i'll revert back to matrix metering

-- here is the shot in question, i actually like the blurry effect, makes the subject kind of anonymous :-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebaz/2060725286/

Sebzy

thebaz wrote: »

yeah your right , i usually have the focus point centred, but it accidently went out to the left -- anyway i think i'll revert back to matrix metering

-- here is the shot in question, i actually like the blurry effect, makes the subject kind of anonymous :-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebaz/2060725286/

Yep the focus point went astray and locked on the wrong thing.
CWM would of worked better for that shot as you don't have a huge difference in the exposure of the foreground and the background.

When you have sky you can blow the highlights etc..... with spot/CW metering.

thebaz

Sebzy wrote: »

Yep the focus point went astray and locked on the wrong thing.
CWM would of worked better for that shot as you don't have a huge difference in the exposure of the foreground and the background.

When you have sky you can blow the highlights etc..... with spot/CW metering.

cheers Seb , next time i'm out i'll try the Centred metering