Metering??

R

Riz

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Apologies for a basic question.
But after alot of photography reading i keep seeing meter for so and so etc etc.

I understand the different metering modes on my d40x. Spot/matrix etc. Also i know how the camera could interpret situations with varying contrast.

I also know about the Ae lock button, which i dont use.

I also shoot in manual. I dont seem to use the histogram much (maybe i should). But the little exposure bars seem useful.

I also don't seem to use the exposure compensation either, my photography tutor advised us not to. I guess that has stuck with me aswell.

I just feel maybe that understanding metering a bit better and appropriate uses would improve my shooting.



Any help would be appreciated.
 
Riz said:
Apologies for a basic question.
But after alot of photography reading i keep seeing meter for so and so etc etc.

I understand the different metering modes on my d40x. Spot/matrix etc. Also i know how the camera could interpret situations with varying contrast.

I also know about the Ae lock button, which i dont use.

I also shoot in manual. I dont seem to use the histogram much (maybe i should). But the little exposure bars seem useful.

I also don't seem to use the exposure compensation either, my photography tutor advised us not to. I guess that has stuck with me aswell.

I just feel maybe that understanding metering a bit better and appropriate uses would improve my shooting.



Any help would be appreciated.
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Get a new tutor??


And buy the book Understanding Exposure, but Bryan Peterson. He explains metering quite well in that.
 
I think that not using AE and exposure compensation is a mistake.
AE allows you to get the exposure accurate for one part of a picture (an important part perhaps) then recompose ant take the shot.

Exposure compensation permits adjustment to allow for very light or dark areas that would mislead the meter.

What about bracketting - taking several shots at varying exposures with the aim of getting one as near right as possible.

I wonder what your tutor's explanation is for his advice.
 
If you are shooting manual you do not need to use exposure compensation as such. In fact the camera will not let you set any exposure compensation.

If you set your shutter speed & aperture so that your meter bars are zeroed, you will get the "correct" exposure for a mid grey subject.

If your subject is darker than mid grey you need to set the exposure so that the meter reading shows underexposure, if your subject is brighter than mid grey you need to set the exposure so that the meter reading shows overexposure.
How much under or overexposure is needed depends on the subject.
 
Suvv said:
If you are shooting manual you do not need to use exposure compensation as such. In fact the camera will not let you set any exposure compensation.
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:thumbs:

You're shooting manual so the exposure value is set regardless of what you're pointing the camera at. I understand that you're looking at the little metering bar in the viewfinder and then applying changes to the values (shutter/aperture) when you think the camera is wrong.

I would use the histogram though, if only for blinkies; switch that on and you instantly tell where you're overexposing.
 
Riz said:
Apologies for a basic question.
But after alot of photography reading i keep seeing meter for so and so etc etc.

I understand the different metering modes on my d40x. Spot/matrix etc. Also i know how the camera could interpret situations with varying contrast.

I also know about the Ae lock button, which i dont use.

I also shoot in manual. I dont seem to use the histogram much (maybe i should). But the little exposure bars seem useful.

I also don't seem to use the exposure compensation either, my photography tutor advised us not to. I guess that has stuck with me aswell.

I just feel maybe that understanding metering a bit better and appropriate uses would improve my shooting.



Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

That's a big question there Riz ;) I can't believe that your tutor really said not to use compensation, but it doesn't apply to shooting on manual. However, if you are using M and the indicator in the viewifnder is not in the dead centred position, you are in effect applying compensation to what the camera is suggesting.

You should learn to read the histogram - it is a digital gift from the Gods of exposure. Good link here http://www.sekonic.com/images/files/HistogramsLightmetersWorkTogether.pdf

And I would be wary of that overrated book by Bryan Peterson, Understanding Exposure. He comes from a film background and dismisses the histogram as the second most useless feature after white balance control :shrug: The principles are the same however, but digital is fundamentally different to film in terms of obtaining optimum exposure and you can only get the best out of the sensor by reading the histogram, with blinkies enabled (over exposure warning, in the menu). Another good link here on Expose To The Right technique (of the histogram) http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/expose-right.shtml

If you break your question down into bite size pieces, it will be easier to help specifically ;)
 
In Manual mode there is no such thing as exposure compensation. It's called EC because in the semi auto modes when you turn the wheel you are compensating the cameras metering. So in manual you just set it and go.

What are you doing wrong that you feel you need to understand more? If you use M and are able to, forget the rest!

There are times when they can be useful though.
 
HoppyUK said:
That's a big question there Riz ;) I can't believe that your tutor really said not to use compensation, but it doesn't apply to shooting on manual. However, if you are using M and the indicator in the viewifnder is not in the dead centred position, you are in effect applying compensation to what the camera is suggesting.

You should learn to read the histogram - it is a digital gift from the Gods of exposure. Good link here http://www.sekonic.com/images/files/HistogramsLightmetersWorkTogether.pdf

And I would be wary of that overrated book by Bryan Peterson, Understanding Exposure. He comes from a film background and dismisses the histogram as the second most useless feature after white balance control :shrug: The principles are the same however, but digital is fundamentally different to film in terms of obtaining optimum exposure and you can only get the best out of the sensor by reading the histogram, with blinkies enabled (over exposure warning, in the menu). Another good link here on Expose To The Right technique (of the histogram) http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/expose-right.shtml

If you break your question down into bite size pieces, it will be easier to help specifically ;)
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That book comes highly recommended on here. I bought a copy and was distinctly underwhelmed.
 
arclight said:
That book comes highly recommended on here. I bought a copy and was distinctly underwhelmed.
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Haha - the power of the internet!

If I'm honest, I think it's garbage. I even bought the latest "Revised and Updated 3rd Edition" to see what he'd added about digital, and the answer is next to flippin nothing!

I'm a bit bewildered how anyone can write an entire book about such a simple subject, but the (strange) fact remains a lot of beginners seem to get something out of it :shrug:
 
HoppyUK said:
Haha - the power of the internet!

If I'm honest, I think it's garbage. I even bought the latest "Revised and Updated 3rd Edition" to see what he'd added about digital, and the answer is next to flippin nothing!

I'm a bit bewildered how anyone can write an entire book about such a simple subject, but the (strange) fact remains a lot of beginners seem to get something out of it :shrug:
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The thing is it's only simple when you can fit the jigsaw together. For those that don't know their ISO from their APC then it really is a great book to make what may seem complex very smple. That's what liked about the book. It made exposure simple.

I found it invaluable.

Still on my bookshelf :)
 
EOS_JD said:
The thing is it's only simple when you can fit the jigsaw together. For those that don't know their ISO from their APC then it really is a great book to make what may seem complex very smple. That's what liked about the book. It made exposure simple.

I found it invaluable.

Still on my bookshelf :)
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That actually highlights my complaint about the book. 160 pages to describe what can be taught in very much less than that. That is not simplifying things for anyone.
I don't doubt that you have learned from the book, but you have had to wade through a lot of material in the process.
 
When you first start there are many questions and I think each section describes what most need to know when first starting out. We can agree to disagree :) I found it very informative and there are a few points there that really helped.

You can gain most of the info on forums granted BUT trying to wade through all the misinformation is more difficult and more likely to cause confusion.
 
arclight said:
That actually highlights my complaint about the book. 160 pages to describe what can be taught in very much less than that. That is not simplifying things for anyone.
I don't doubt that you have learned from the book, but you have had to wade through a lot of material in the process.
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I agree,I've just got this book and think it was a waste of money,he makes the same point over and over again,to the point you switch off,he covers the topic in the first 20 pages the other 150 are just fillers.if you really have to read this book then a quick flick thought in the shop will do.
 
Thanks guys, I was beginning to think it was just me that found that book useless. I have read, once and probably wont refer to it again.
________
Hookers
 
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deputy dawg said:
i found perfect exposure by michael freeman to be pretty helpful
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That's a good and thorough technical text, for a full understanding of both the theory and practise. If that's what you want.

But in that book he outlines an eigh-step procedure, and after all that messing about, number eight is "review the LCD image" and adjust.

With digital, we have the gift of an instant preview of an actual image - no metering guesswork invloved. So why not just shoot on evaluative/matrix, which is very clever and will always get you somewhere close if not optimum, and then review the LCD image?

The detailed and painstaking process of meticulous exposure calculation is a film thing, becuase you have to get it right first time. With digital, just firing off a test shot is far quicker, and much more accurate. And if it's not right straight out of the box, adjusting it takes two seconds. Plus there is the histogram and blinkies (over exposure warning) to guide you.

IMHO, if you want perfect exposures, then spend less time worrying about metering, and learn to understand what the LCD/histogram/blinkies are telling you. Learn about expose-to-the-right technique and dynamic range, and spend a bit more time considering the best settings - shutter speed for movement, aperture for depth of field - than worrying about spot, or manual, or other stuff that makes no difference to the end result.
 
of course there is no substitute for getting out there and experimenting hands on. Any way what is the perfect exposure?
 
Thanks alot for the help people. I will look int histograms etc a bit more!!
 
deputy dawg said:
of course there is no substitute for getting out there and experimenting hands on. Any way what is the perfect exposure?
Click to expand...

The perfect exposure is the one which gives the effect that I want.
Not to be confused with the "correct" exposure :D
 
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