Originally posted by macky112 hi everyone,
thank you all for informative replies.
regarding metering usage, is it useful to use center weighted metering for portraits and multi-segment metering for landscape? are there situations where one metering method would be more useful than the other?
regards,
M
The short answer:
Yes.
For example, let's say you're going to shoot someone against a bright white background. If you use multi-segment, the camera is going to interpret that bright white as 18% grey, and lessen exposure to bring everything to that 18%. The background stays white, but your model was ALREADY close to 18% grey, so that less exposure UNDEREXPOSES him. This is what happens with snow scenes, where the common problem is underexposure.
If you use center-weighted metering and keep the subject in the viewfinder guides, your meter doesn't "see" the white background at all--it's as if it doesn't exist--and you get correct exposure for the subject. (Spot metering is even more targeted.) However, the white may now appear UNDEREXPOSED.
It's a real balancing act and involves some trade-offs at times. That's why perfectly exposed models against perfectly exposed backgrounds involve lighting the elements separately, but that's nothing for you to think about now.
I use center-weighted all of the time, even when doing scenics (rare for me) because I shoot in manual and can always bracket anyway.