Mk III Highlight Weighted Metering

**Larrymc** · 10-26-2021, 07:20 PM - **1 Like**

I've gotten intrigued with Highlight Weighted Metering mainly because I have been shooting a lot of contre-jour images lately. I have discovered that this metering mode really helps prevent blown out highlights that are usually so blown out using any other metering mode to be virtually unrecoverable. Have you other Mk III shooters used highlight weighted metering and how do you like it? I can see myself using this metering mode very often for scenes with an abundance of light.

aaacb · 10-26-2021, 07:54 PM - **1 Like**

I often use this metering mode on the GR 3. It's quite handy for high contrast ikages, and a sensible default if you're planning to process raw anyway.

**StigVidar** · 10-26-2021, 09:54 PM - **2 Likes**

I use it for all my photos. I dont see any good reason for using anything else when highlight metering works so well.

Paul the Sunman · 10-26-2021, 10:29 PM - **2 Likes**

It's horrible for birding. It's hard enough to get good metering on the bird without telling the camera to expose for the often much brighter sky. You can sometimes recover the dark bird, but it's never ideal. Better to use Centre-weighted or Spot metering with Link AE and AF Point turned on.

**ThorSanchez** · 10-27-2021, 04:42 AM

My standard sports preset uses highlight weighted metering and I really like the results. I'll often shoot in bright daylight conditions and white uniforms, reflections off turf and other things, white goalposts, clouds, etc always run the risk of being blown out. In order to get faces and the ball in the frame I'll often have to shoot with the sun behind the players, which leads to very high contrast scenes.

This is one of a number of features with the Mark III that I never really thought about before, but would be hard to live without. I guess with the Mark II I'd sometimes deliberately underexpose, but this does a much better, more consistent job of adapting to conditions that can change on a frame-by-frame basis.

**Larrymc** · 10-27-2021, 06:25 AM

Originally posted by StigVidar

I use it for all my photos. I dont see any good reason for using anything else when highlight metering works so well.

I can't see using it on every shooting occasion but it's a very nice tool to have in the tool kit.

**Larrymc** · 10-27-2021, 06:37 AM

Originally posted by Paul the Sunman

It's horrible for birding. It's hard enough to get good metering on the bird without telling the camera to expose for the often much brighter sky. You can sometimes recover the dark bird, but it's never ideal. Better to use Centre-weighted or Spot metering with Link AE and AF Point turned on.

I'll just have to try it on the Gulls, Terns, Pelicans and Egrets in my area during the winter here. Darker birds its probably better to use techniques like yours.

Jonathan Mac · 10-27-2021, 06:51 AM

Originally posted by Larrymc

I've gotten intrigued with Highlight Weighted Metering mainly because I have been shooting a lot of contre-jour images lately. I have discovered that this metering mode really helps prevent blown out highlights that are usually so blown out using any other metering mode to be virtually unrecoverable. Have you other Mk III shooters used highlight weighted metering and how do you like it? I can see myself using this metering mode very often for scenes with an abundance of light.

This is a mode I thought of some time ago and would be easier to use that a standard mode with EV comp. Good to know Pentax have also thought of it and put it in their camera

**Larrymc** · 10-27-2021, 08:52 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by ThorSanchez

My standard sports preset uses highlight weighted metering and I really like the results. I'll often shoot in bright daylight conditions and white uniforms, reflections off turf and other things, white goalposts, clouds, etc always run the risk of being blown out. In order to get faces and the ball in the frame I'll often have to shoot with the sun behind the players, which leads to very high contrast scenes.

This is one of a number of features with the Mark III that I never really thought about before, but would be hard to live without. I guess with the Mark II I'd sometimes deliberately underexpose, but this does a much better, more consistent job of adapting to conditions that can change on a frame-by-frame basis.

I can see lots of shooting situations where Highlight Weighted Metering should work allowing less processing steps to get the results one wants. One definitely needs to shoot in DNG format and have a good RAW processing program though.

Lloyd_Christmas · 10-29-2021, 04:01 PM

I think I will use it when I bracket.

mtkeller · 10-29-2021, 06:13 PM

It’s my go to for sunrise and sunset shoots with the sun in the frame.

**SrMi** · 10-31-2021, 11:00 AM

I like it and started using it regularly.
I have previously tried highlight-weighted metering on other cameras and was unimpressed.
With K3-III, however, it works well in high contrast situations, e.g., bright skies and dark shadows. It prevents blowing highlights, IMO the bane of digital photography.

**Larrymc** · 10-31-2021, 01:09 PM

Originally posted by SrMi

I like it and started using it regularly.
I have previously tried highlight-weighted metering on other cameras and was unimpressed.
With K3-III, however, it works well in high contrast situations, e.g., bright skies and dark shadows. It prevents blowing highlights, IMO the bane of digital photography.

Yep, blown highlights are a total RAW processing pain. Other than the Mk III the other DSLRs which have Highlight Weighted Metering are higher end Nikons they have a form of Metering Sensor (180k D-850) that I don't think is as sophisticated as the Mk III's 307k RGBir Metering Sensor. The Mk III's sensor meters multiple areas of the frame to make its adjustments, I'm not sure what Nikon does with theirs. I do like the results with RAW developed images.

**ThorSanchez** · 11-01-2021, 04:44 AM

I haven't had a chance to go through my images from the weekend, but Saturday I was at a morning soccer match near DC where the parents' side of the field was looking right into the sun, which was maybe 30 degrees above the horizon, with a bunch of wild-looking clouds changing the lighting constantly. Few options to change perspective, spectators are not allowed on the team side of the field. So, I put the Mark III on my sports present with highlight-weighted metering, TAv, and hoped for the best. Chimping images made it appear that a lot of them were quite underexposed, as expected. Hopefully this week I'll be able to look at them and do some work in post.

**Larrymc** · 11-01-2021, 06:40 AM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by ThorSanchez

I haven't had a chance to go through my images from the weekend, but Saturday I was at a morning soccer match near DC where the parents' side of the field was looking right into the sun, which was maybe 30 degrees above the horizon, with a bunch of wild-looking clouds changing the lighting constantly. Few options to change perspective, spectators are not allowed on the team side of the field. So, I put the Mark III on my sports present with highlight-weighted metering, TAv, and hoped for the best. Chimping images made it appear that a lot of them were quite underexposed, as expected. Hopefully this week I'll be able to look at them and do some work in post.

The key questions is were the highlights blown out? If they weren't the shadows can be lifted easily and the metering setting did its job. Happy processing!

10-26-2021, 07:20 PM - 1 Like	#1
Larrymc Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Mississippi, USA Posts: 5,251	Mk III Highlight Weighted Metering I've gotten intrigued with Highlight Weighted Metering mainly because I have been shooting a lot of contre-jour images lately. I have discovered that this metering mode really helps prevent blown out highlights that are usually so blown out using any other metering mode to be virtually unrecoverable. Have you other Mk III shooters used highlight weighted metering and how do you like it? I can see myself using this metering mode very often for scenes with an abundance of light.

10-31-2021, 01:09 PM	#13
Larrymc Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Mississippi, USA Posts: 5,251 Original Poster	Originally posted by SrMi I like it and started using it regularly. I have previously tried highlight-weighted metering on other cameras and was unimpressed. With K3-III, however, it works well in high contrast situations, e.g., bright skies and dark shadows. It prevents blowing highlights, IMO the bane of digital photography. Yep, blown highlights are a total RAW processing pain. Other than the Mk III the other DSLRs which have Highlight Weighted Metering are higher end Nikons they have a form of Metering Sensor (180k D-850) that I don't think is as sophisticated as the Mk III's 307k RGBir Metering Sensor. The Mk III's sensor meters multiple areas of the frame to make its adjustments, I'm not sure what Nikon does with theirs. I do like the results with RAW developed images. Last edited by Larrymc; 11-01-2021 at 06:38 AM.

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10-26-2021, 07:54 PM - 1 Like	#2
aaacb Pentaxian Join Date: May 2016 Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,723	I often use this metering mode on the GR 3. It's quite handy for high contrast ikages, and a sensible default if you're planning to process raw anyway.

10-26-2021, 09:54 PM - 2 Likes	#3
StigVidar Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Norway Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 704	I use it for all my photos. I dont see any good reason for using anything else when highlight metering works so well.

10-26-2021, 10:29 PM - 2 Likes	#4
Paul the Sunman Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,842	It's horrible for birding. It's hard enough to get good metering on the bird without telling the camera to expose for the often much brighter sky. You can sometimes recover the dark bird, but it's never ideal. Better to use Centre-weighted or Spot metering with Link AE and AF Point turned on.

10-27-2021, 04:42 AM	#5
ThorSanchez Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2012 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,805	My standard sports preset uses highlight weighted metering and I really like the results. I'll often shoot in bright daylight conditions and white uniforms, reflections off turf and other things, white goalposts, clouds, etc always run the risk of being blown out. In order to get faces and the ball in the frame I'll often have to shoot with the sun behind the players, which leads to very high contrast scenes. This is one of a number of features with the Mark III that I never really thought about before, but would be hard to live without. I guess with the Mark II I'd sometimes deliberately underexpose, but this does a much better, more consistent job of adapting to conditions that can change on a frame-by-frame basis.

10-27-2021, 06:25 AM	#6
Larrymc Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Mississippi, USA Posts: 5,251 Original Poster	Originally posted by StigVidar I use it for all my photos. I dont see any good reason for using anything else when highlight metering works so well. I can't see using it on every shooting occasion but it's a very nice tool to have in the tool kit.

10-27-2021, 06:37 AM	#7
Larrymc Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Mississippi, USA Posts: 5,251 Original Poster	Originally posted by Paul the Sunman It's horrible for birding. It's hard enough to get good metering on the bird without telling the camera to expose for the often much brighter sky. You can sometimes recover the dark bird, but it's never ideal. Better to use Centre-weighted or Spot metering with Link AE and AF Point turned on. I'll just have to try it on the Gulls, Terns, Pelicans and Egrets in my area during the winter here. Darker birds its probably better to use techniques like yours.

10-27-2021, 06:51 AM	#8
Jonathan Mac Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Madrid, Spain Posts: 10,887	Originally posted by Larrymc I've gotten intrigued with Highlight Weighted Metering mainly because I have been shooting a lot of contre-jour images lately. I have discovered that this metering mode really helps prevent blown out highlights that are usually so blown out using any other metering mode to be virtually unrecoverable. Have you other Mk III shooters used highlight weighted metering and how do you like it? I can see myself using this metering mode very often for scenes with an abundance of light. This is a mode I thought of some time ago and would be easier to use that a standard mode with EV comp. Good to know Pentax have also thought of it and put it in their camera

10-27-2021, 08:52 AM - 1 Like	#9
Larrymc Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Mississippi, USA Posts: 5,251 Original Poster	Originally posted by ThorSanchez My standard sports preset uses highlight weighted metering and I really like the results. I'll often shoot in bright daylight conditions and white uniforms, reflections off turf and other things, white goalposts, clouds, etc always run the risk of being blown out. In order to get faces and the ball in the frame I'll often have to shoot with the sun behind the players, which leads to very high contrast scenes. This is one of a number of features with the Mark III that I never really thought about before, but would be hard to live without. I guess with the Mark II I'd sometimes deliberately underexpose, but this does a much better, more consistent job of adapting to conditions that can change on a frame-by-frame basis. I can see lots of shooting situations where Highlight Weighted Metering should work allowing less processing steps to get the results one wants. One definitely needs to shoot in DNG format and have a good RAW processing program though.

10-29-2021, 04:01 PM	#10
Lloyd_Christmas Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 458	I think I will use it when I bracket.

10-29-2021, 06:13 PM	#11
mtkeller Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2019 Location: Sioux City, IA Photos: Gallery Posts: 938	It’s my go to for sunrise and sunset shoots with the sun in the frame.

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10-31-2021, 11:00 AM	#12
SrMi Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2021 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 45	I like it and started using it regularly. I have previously tried highlight-weighted metering on other cameras and was unimpressed. With K3-III, however, it works well in high contrast situations, e.g., bright skies and dark shadows. It prevents blowing highlights, IMO the bane of digital photography.

11-01-2021, 04:44 AM	#14
ThorSanchez Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2012 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,805	I haven't had a chance to go through my images from the weekend, but Saturday I was at a morning soccer match near DC where the parents' side of the field was looking right into the sun, which was maybe 30 degrees above the horizon, with a bunch of wild-looking clouds changing the lighting constantly. Few options to change perspective, spectators are not allowed on the team side of the field. So, I put the Mark III on my sports present with highlight-weighted metering, TAv, and hoped for the best. Chimping images made it appear that a lot of them were quite underexposed, as expected. Hopefully this week I'll be able to look at them and do some work in post.

11-01-2021, 06:40 AM - 2 Likes	#15
Larrymc Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Mississippi, USA Posts: 5,251 Original Poster	Originally posted by ThorSanchez I haven't had a chance to go through my images from the weekend, but Saturday I was at a morning soccer match near DC where the parents' side of the field was looking right into the sun, which was maybe 30 degrees above the horizon, with a bunch of wild-looking clouds changing the lighting constantly. Few options to change perspective, spectators are not allowed on the team side of the field. So, I put the Mark III on my sports present with highlight-weighted metering, TAv, and hoped for the best. Chimping images made it appear that a lot of them were quite underexposed, as expected. Hopefully this week I'll be able to look at them and do some work in post. The key questions is were the highlights blown out? If they weren't the shadows can be lifted easily and the metering setting did its job. Happy processing!