Metering time - Canon

[Mozina]

I shoot with a Canon 7d and a Canon 5d and have same issue with both

In the menu theres a setting for how long the metering applies for

I think the default is 16 seconds

Now Im outdoors and shooting in a football stadium

I have to move from shooting people on the front row of the stadium in bright conditions to shooting fans right at the back of the stand in dark shadow, then back again to the sunny front row again (over and over in a fast paced situation)


What metering time should I be setting and why?

 

[admirable]

I have a 1D and there is no setting in the menu so I've never heard of this. I use back button focusing to track the subject and I think the metering is only set when I release the shutter. The time would then be less than 1 sec methinks?

 

[Al Brum]

The 16 secs refers to exposure lock. Just take the photo in the normal way and all will be well.

 

[Phil V]

If you're using back button focus you may have to set your camera to not exp lock on the shutter release, otherwise it will exp lock on a partial press. I set it to not lock for sports but to lock for general shooting.

On the 40d I think it's 4.1.0 and 4.1.2 but I'm not positive.

 

[Mozina]

Still a little confused...

Are we saying that if I set to 16 seconds that it will lock the metering/exposure for the time until I fully depress the button and take the shot (and then reset) ?

Also if I change it to four seconds what will that do?

 

[Phil V]

Still a little confused...

Are we saying that if I set to 16 seconds that it will lock the metering/exposure for the time until I fully depress the button and take the shot (and then reset) ?

Also if I change it to four seconds what will that do?

It will only lock the exposure when you press exposure lock. As Al said here.

The 16 secs refers to exposure lock. Just take the photo in the normal way and all will be well.

 

[Mozina]

Whats the advantages of changing it from 16 seconds to 4 seconds?

 

[Phil V]

Whats the advantages of changing it from 16 seconds to 4 seconds?

I don't think there's a simple answer to that. A modern DSLR allows for an awful lot of user customisation. The way I set up my cameras may be very different to the way that you set up yours.

You have to experiment and see what works for you; How often do you use exposure lock? In what circumstances? Would a shorter time or longer time make a difference?

 

[Al Brum]

Mozina, have you read the manual yet? It will tell you all about it.