[stormtech]

I have my Preview Dial set to Digital Preview, so a quick histogram check is easy to do.

Thanks for that! I never knew there was an option for that switch - just used it as a depth-of-field preview. I set it for digital preview now - so quick and easy! Plus that screen gives a nice big histogram graph.

[Just1MoreDave]

I realize from past experience that the highlights are far more unrecoverable than the shadows.

Ok Canada_Rockies - I hear what you are saying and your instructions above make perfect sense to me as a guideline. But then that brings another question - what would be the difference in your method compared to this which I have done in the past:

Have a scene with both sunlit and shadow area. I have my AE/L button set to lock exposure only. What I have done is spot meter on the sunlit area, lock the exposure with the AE/L button, then recompose and take the shot.

Your spot meter step is telling the camera that the sunlit areas are middle gray. He was adding two stops to that spot meter reading so middle tones and shadows didn't get so underexposed they couldn't be recovered. The trick with spot metering is to remember that its reading would expose the spot as a middle tone.

[Canada_Rockies]

Quote Originally posted by stormtech Quote I realize from past experience that the highlights are far more unrecoverable than the shadows. Ok Canada_Rockies - I hear what you are saying and your instructions above make perfect sense to me as a guideline. But then that brings another question - what would be the difference in your method compared to this which I have done in the past: Have a scene with both sunlit and shadow area. I have my AE/L button set to lock exposure only. What I have done is spot meter on the sunlit area, lock the exposure with the AE/L button, then recompose and take the shot. Your spot meter step is telling the camera that the sunlit areas are middle gray. He was adding two stops to that spot meter reading so middle tones and shadows didn't get so underexposed they couldn't be recovered. The trick with spot metering is to remember that its reading would expose the spot as a middle tone.

You could use your meter and recompose method combined with my tip (or the +3, although I find that blows the highlights with my camera) by setting your exposure compensation to +2 if you will be metering highlights, or -2 if you are metering blacks. Then you would be doing what I am doing in one step.

I often am using M lenses, and the exposure compensation doesn't work in M mode. This is a good idea to try with my DA's though. Thanks for continuing the discussion. Ideas come to us by discussion without rancour - one of the nicest things about this forum. Thanks for all the other posts, friends!

[Anvh]

Your spot meter step is telling the camera that the sunlit areas are middle gray. He was adding two stops to that spot meter reading so middle tones and shadows didn't get so underexposed they couldn't be recovered. The trick with spot metering is to remember that its reading would expose the spot as a middle tone.

Actually it isn't, light meters meter for a darker grey so 1 or 2 steps down the zone system i beleive.