Does spot metering follow the focus point?

shaylou

shaylou

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Shayne
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I'm sorry if this is a dumb question and I think I know the answer but I wanted to know fore sure. When shooting with 5DIII in spot metering and using single point focus, if I move the focus point around does the metering follow that point. Or does the spot metering stay in the middle of the frame. I think it stays put but I'm not sure. Just to make sure what I'm asking is clear. If I move the focus point to the bottom left with the spot metering will it meter the bottom left or will it meter the middle of the frame? :thinking:

:canon:
 
No, I believe the 1Dsomething does meter on the focus point, but the 5D3 doesn't which is a pain.
 
I have not tested it but during shooting I think I remember it not following the focus point. I agree Pete, that something that Canon did not think through if it is indeed the way it works. I'm going to shoot tomorrow so I will test it. I'll report back to what I find. I was just curious if anyone knew for sure. Wait I just thought of something. There is an exposure lock feature. I guess that would work.
 
shaylou said:
I have not tested it but during shooting I think I remember it not following the focus point. I agree Pete, that something that Canon did not think through if it is indeed the way it works. I'm going to shoot tomorrow so I will test it. I'll report back to what I find. I was just curious if anyone knew for sure. Wait I just thought of something. There is an exposure lock feature. I guess that would work.
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It's not something they didn't think through, it's been a feature of the 1 series since film, I think it's one of those expensive features they reserve for pro's.

However I think Nikon have it in their lower end bodies.
 
I use a 7D and in evaluative metetering mode the exposure is highly weighted towards the active focus point. I haven't tried spot mode as the camera does an almost 'spot mode' as described above.

As said above it's easy enough to test with a bright localised subject on a dark background.

D
 
AFAIK metering point on a 5D3 stays permanently in the centre, wherever you set the focus point. Would using the lock button solve the problem?
 
On a 5D3, "Spot", "Partial" and "Centre weighted" are all metered from the centre but "Evaluative" will be weighted around the active AF point.

Bob
 
If you set the spot metering to a single point then it will move if you change the focus point yourself. i.e I have two focus points in each orientation set up switching on the depth of field button. The spot metering switches when I move to the other point.

If you have the camera set for different AF points in different orientations then you can set spot metering to say the horizontal orientation and normal metering to the vertical orientation.
 
Gaz J said:
If you set the spot metering to a single point then it will move if you change the focus point yourself. i.e I have two focus points in each orientation set up switching on the depth of field button. The spot metering switches when I move to the other point.

If you have the camera set for different AF points in different orientations then you can set spot metering to say the horizontal orientation and normal metering to the vertical orientation.
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Page 170 of the 5dIII Manual says it's the centre 1.5% of the VF

Page 180 of the 1dx Manual tells you how to set multiple spots to meter from (IIRC goes all the way back to the T90)
 
Canon Bob said:
On a 5D3, "Spot", "Partial" and "Centre weighted" are all metered from the centre but "Evaluative" will be weighted around the active AF point.

Bob
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When you posted that Bob i was still writing mine and reading yours sent me scurrying to my camera to check that I wasn't seeing things :)

I have the camera set to spot meter on the centre point and one at the extreme edge switching on the DOF button. As I switch between each of the points the exposure does change.
 
Phil & Bob my apologies. What threw me was that the AF point still shows that it is in Spot meter mode when it changes.

Just done a bit more checking and the exposure changes on the centre point when going from evaluative to spot but doesn't on the other one.

Sod it I've been using it on that basis for a couple of months now :( oh well every days a learning day. Thanks for that guys.
 
Canon Bob said:
On a 5D3, "Spot", "Partial" and "Centre weighted" are all metered from the centre but "Evaluative" will be weighted around the active AF point.

Bob
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This is as I understand it. On cameras with face recognition, some will also link the exposure bias to that as it moves.

Spot metering is best used in manual only. In any auto mode, if the framing changes only slightly exposure will go all over the place - unless you're shooting a plain mid-grey wall, or close-up of an elephant maybe.
 
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I have not tested it but during shooting I think I remember it not following the focus point. I agree Pete, that something that Canon did not think through if it is indeed the way it works. I'm going to shoot tomorrow so I will test it. I'll report back to what I find. I was just curious if anyone knew for sure. Wait I just thought of something. There is an exposure lock feature. I guess that would work.
Phil V said:
It's not something they didn't think through, it's been a feature of the 1 series since film, I think it's one of those expensive features they reserve for pro's.

I agree that they did not think that one through along with the light on the top display only staying on for a few seconds. The light is no use when you are in the dark using bulb mode. I had to buy the fancy controller. But the 5DIII is a pro body however according to Canon.
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shaylou said:
I have not tested it but during shooting I think I remember it not following the focus point. I agree Pete, that something that Canon did not think through if it is indeed the way it works. I'm going to shoot tomorrow so I will test it. I'll report back to what I find. I was just curious if anyone knew for sure. Wait I just thought of something. There is an exposure lock feature. I guess that would work.
Click to expand...
Ts in the Manual, I don't mark this stuff up!
 
shaylou said:
I have not tested it but during shooting I think I remember it not following the focus point. I agree Pete, that something that Canon did not think through if it is indeed the way it works. I'm going to shoot tomorrow so I will test it. I'll report back to what I find. I was just curious if anyone knew for sure. Wait I just thought of something. There is an exposure lock feature. I guess that would work.
Click to expand...

Canon did think things through, and you don't want spot metering following the AF point.

Spot is for taking a reading off a known reference tone, usually representing mid-grey, like grass, or brickwork or tarmac or whatever. You then set that and lock it in manual. Unless the main subject happens to be mid-grey, you don't want to actually meter off it!

It's a way of kinda setting an incident light reading, by using a constant known reference, so you can always go back to it and note if the light has changed.

Edit: an example of using spot metering. You're at a motor race, and the cars are red, blue, white, black and yellow. Using any auto exposure mode will throw readings all over the place, so you spot meter off the grass, that will be close to mid-grey, then chimp and tweak settings so it's just right, and lock in manual. And let's say that correct exposure is when spot metering off the grass then shows as +0.3 in the viewfinder.

You then have correct exposure no matter what tone/colour the cars are. Then if the light changes, say with clouds coming and going, all you have to do is point the spot at the grass and adjust settings so the meter reads +0.3EV again, and you're good to go.

If you watch professionals at a motor race, you'll often see them pointing their cameras at the grass or tarmac for no apparent reason - they're checking exposure against that known reference tone.
 
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HoppyUK said:
Canon did think things through, and you don't want spot metering following the AF point.

Spot is for taking a reading off a known reference tone, usually representing mid-grey, like grass, or brickwork or tarmac or whatever. You then set that and lock it in manual. Unless the main subject happens to be mid-grey, you don't want to actually meter off it!

It's a way of kinda setting an incident light reading, by using a constant known reference, so you can always go back to it and note if the light has changed.

Edit: an example of using spot metering. You're at a motor race, and the cars are red, blue, white, black and yellow. Using any auto exposure mode will throw readings all over the place, so you spot meter off the grass, that will be close to mid-grey, then chimp and tweak settings so it's just right, and lock in manual. And let's say that correct exposure is when spot metering off the grass then shows as +0.3 in the viewfinder.

You then have correct exposure no matter what tone/colour the cars are. Then if the light changes, say with clouds coming and going, all you have to do is point the spot at the grass and adjust settings so the meter reads +0.3EV again, and you're good to go.

If you watch professionals at a motor race, you'll often see them pointing their cameras at the grass or tarmac for no apparent reason - they're checking exposure against that known reference tone.
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thats a very good point, thanks for the detailed explanation on how spot metering should be used :)
 
HoppyUK said:
Canon did think things through, and you don't want spot metering following the AF point.

Spot is for taking a reading off a known reference tone, usually representing mid-grey, like grass, or brickwork or tarmac or whatever. You then set that and lock it in manual. Unless the main subject happens to be mid-grey, you don't want to actually meter off it!

It's a way of kinda setting an incident light reading, by using a constant known reference, so you can always go back to it and note if the light has changed.

Edit: an example of using spot metering. You're at a motor race, and the cars are red, blue, white, black and yellow. Using any auto exposure mode will throw readings all over the place, so you spot meter off the grass, that will be close to mid-grey, then chimp and tweak settings so it's just right, and lock in manual. And let's say that correct exposure is when spot metering off the grass then shows as +0.3 in the viewfinder.

You then have correct exposure no matter what tone/colour the cars are. Then if the light changes, say with clouds coming and going, all you have to do is point the spot at the grass and adjust settings so the meter reads +0.3EV again, and you're good to go.

If you watch professionals at a motor race, you'll often see them pointing their cameras at the grass or tarmac for no apparent reason - they're checking exposure against that known reference tone.
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Hi Mr Hoppy it's good to here from you.
I'm a little confused with this. It sounds like you are using spot metering for white balance and I do use it for this as well.
The reason I think that the metering spot should follow the focus point is for situations like this. Say you have a person sitting under a tree on a sunny day. As you focus on the subjects face in evaluative meter mode the face will end up being under exposed because of the contrast of bright light and shaded subject. In this situation I will use spot metering on the subject face and problem fixed, I end up with a properly exposed subject. If the metering followed the focus point it would be easier to compose. This is why I thought it would be a good idea for the metering to follow the focus point like on the other pro bodies.
 
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HoppyUK said:
...If you watch professionals at a motor race, you'll often see them pointing their cameras at the grass or tarmac for no apparent reason - they're checking exposure against that known reference tone.
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If you watch me at a wedding, you'll see the same behaviour (though I don't use spot metering)
 
shaylou said:
I'm a little confused with this. It sounds like you are using spot metering for white balance...
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No it doesn't. You can't set the white balance by pointing the camera at a patch of grass.
shaylou said:
Say you have a person sitting under a tree on a sunny day. As you focus on the subjects face in evaluative meter mode the face will end up being under exposed because of the contrast of bright light and shaded subject. In this situation I will use spot metering on the subject face and problem fixed, I end up with a properly exposed subject. If the metering followed the focus point it would be easier to compose.
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Shoot in manual exposure mode. Spot meter on the face, lock in the exposure, and then compose as you like.
 
Think you are getting how to set white balance with a grey reference card mixed up with Hoppy's explanation of spot metering using a mid tone
 
tijuana taxi said:
Think you are getting how to set white balance with a grey reference card mixed up with Hoppy's explanation of spot metering using a mid tone
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You have never heard of setting white balance off of the grass or using spot metering on a gray card when setting white balance? Seems pretty easy to get confused considering both techniques are similar in those ways. But PLEASE forgive me for getting confused on the thread that I started. I will try never to get confused again.


Sent from my iPhone using Talk Photography Forums
 
shaylou said:
You have never heard of setting white balance off of the grass or using spot metering on a gray card when setting white balance? Seems pretty easy to get confused considering both techniques are similar in those ways. But PLEASE forgive me for getting confused on the thread that I started. I will try never to get confused again.


Sent from my iPhone using Talk Photography Forums
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Grey card; absolutely, white card; certainly, Grass; definitely not.

Grass is great for metering off, but you can't set a WB off it.
 
Grass is often used for setting WB for IR photography.....never say never.
 
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