When should I use spot metering?

When Do You Use Spot Metering? Spot metering is best for correcting exposure in high-contrast situations. Using this mode ensures your camera correctly exposes the subject and not the background. Portrait photography is an excellent area for this to work.

What is the difference between evaluative center-weighted and spot metering modes?

Unlike the other two modes, matrix/evaluative uses the whole frame to determine how it will suggest optimum exposure. Like spot metering, matrix/evaluative is affected by the focus point your camera is set to. Basically, the system reads the information from all the zones, then checks where you have set focus to.

Should I use evaluative metering?

Since Evaluative metering takes into account the entire frame when determining the exposure, it is useful for low-contrast subjects such as when shooting with front lighting or low-contrast landscape.

What is the difference between evaluative metering and spot metering?

Evaluative will analyze an entire scene and figure out a way to create the scene that the camera thinks you want. Center-weighted metering meters a scene based on what’s in the center of whatever the camera is pointing at and sees. Spot metering meters the scene off of a specific spot that you choose.

When and why should the photographer use a spot meter?

Spot metering allows the camera to measure the light reflected from the person’s face and expose properly for that, instead of adjusting exposure for the much brighter light around the hairline. With the face properly exposed, the area around the back and hairline will become over-exposed.

Should you use spot metering for portraits?

Is spot metering best for portraits? In portraiture your subject is the most important part of the image, so must be correctly exposed, especially their face. So, because such a small part of the scene is the most important part to be correctly exposed, spot metering is ideally suited to portrait photography.

What is evaluative metering good for?

Evaluative metering was developed as a way of accurately metering off-centre subjects. It works by dividing the viewfinder into zones, each giving a separate reading that the camera analyses to calculate exposure. It also co-operates with your camera’s autofocus system.

Is Spot metering best for bird photography?

The Evaluative (for Canon) and Matrix (for Nikon) options are default metering modes. But there’s a common belief that spot metering works best for bird photography. Although it’s true to an extent, it has too many limitations. It’s more intelligent than spot and center-weighted metering.

Is spot metering better than evaluative metering?

While the shot above is slightly overexposed, it’s about as good as the spot metered one, just in the opposite direction; it’s a hell of a lot better than the center-weighted average image. It’s only in extreme situations where spot metering or partial metering will serve you better than evaluative metering.

What is the difference between spot mode and partial metering mode?

In spot mode, Canon cameras measure about 2% of the total image area; Nikon cameras measure about 5%. In partial metering mode, Canon cameras measure around 10% of the scene; Nikon cameras don’t typically have a partial metering mode. Spot and partial metering modes are handy when you’re shooting a dark subject on a bright background or vice versa.

What is the difference between pattern metering and evaluative metering?

Evaluative, pattern, and matrix metering are all different words for the same kind of metering. The generic term is evaluative, but pattern and matrix are Canon and Nikon’s proprietary terms respectively.

What is spotspot metering and how do I use it?

Spot metering is best used to correctly expose a subject or object in a scene. By placing the exposure important on that person or item, you make them the most important area in the frame. Portrait photography is a great area for this to work. Headshots, actors in a theatre setting, family photography or even street photography portraits.