[hockmasm]

the book "Understanding Exposure" said to rarely use spot metering. to set camera on matrix.

does K-X have this? Don't have it with me right now.

Also, what metering method do you use often?

[Ben_Edict]

the book "Understanding Exposure" said to rarely use spot metering. to set camera on matrix.

does K-X have this? Don't have it with me right now.

Also, what metering method do you use often?

Matrix meterin is standard as the older center-weighted integral metering. spot metering used to be a specialist approach in the past, but today many DSLRs sport that capability. The K-x has matrix metering for sure.

Spot metering is applied only, when you need it and then mostly to get an idea of the overall contrast range of a scene. When used knowledgeably, it is a perfect tool. When used "just because it is there", the results are usually disappointing and far worse than matrix metering.

I use any method, inclusing incident light metering with a handheld light meter, wherever appropriate.

Ben

[JeffJS]

Spot. Almost exclusively, for reasons explained in other threads. Your Kx will do Spot, Center Weighted, and Matrix. None of these modes changes the actual meter reading, only what parts of the metering field is used for your exposure. Spot for instance, only meters the center area.

[Wheatfield]

I use center weighted pretty much all the time.
Spot metering is good, but you can't just point your camera at what you want to meter and expect that the exposure is going to be correct.
Spot metering requires a certain amount of skill to determine correct exposure.
Most scenes will expose just fine with center weighted metering, and I really have to wonder if the K-x, which shares it's meter with the older K10/K20 has enough metering zones for effective matrix metering.
I never found the older DSLRs capable of giving an accurate reading with matrix metering.

[K McCall]

As I said in the other thread, I use Spot Metering almost exclusively. It's rare that I WANT the entire scene to be metered for, as I like to have very dark (or very bright) backgrounds and want the subject to be exposed properly at all costs.

For what it's worth, I use Spot on both the K100D and the K200D and on my film Zx-5N.

[SpecialK]

I seem to have the best results with matrix, though with the T-mount lenses it reverts to center, which is OK.

I never choose spot, though I did shoot a bit of vacation that way accidentally, and all was well because the center of the frame was mostly middle tones anyway (except the highlight coming off an aluminum airplane)...

[Ira]

As I said in the other thread, I use Spot Metering almost exclusively. It's rare that I WANT the entire scene to be metered for, as I like to have very dark (or very bright) backgrounds and want the subject to be exposed properly at all costs.

For what it's worth, I use Spot on both the K100D and the K200D and on my film Zx-5N.

I don't do this now, but I have in the past in film (ages ago), and I'm going to start again:

This is for manual metering mode only, and once you learn to identify different shades of different colors as closest to 18% grey, it's spot-on, pardon the pun. You can't do it in any automatic modes, because once you move away from the target you're reading off of, to properly frame, it changes your setting.

Thanks for reminding me to do more work with this.

[snostorm]

This is for manual metering mode only, and once you learn to identify different shades of different colors as closest to 18% grey, it's spot-on, pardon the pun. You can't do it in any automatic modes, because once you move away from the target you're reading off of, to properly frame, it changes your setting.

Hi Ira, you can lock AE simultaneously with AF lock by choosing it in the Custom menu, so if you focus and recompose, this should work with any of the AE modes (you can also use the AEL button if you want to do this manually). You can also link the AF point to the AE (also in the Custom menu), so if you are selecting a focus point, the meter will bias towards the position of the focus point.

Scott

[snostorm]

the book "Understanding Exposure" said to rarely use spot metering. to set camera on matrix.

does K-X have this? Don't have it with me right now.

Also, what metering method do you use often?

Hi hockmasm,

I only use spot metering if I see a real danger of greatly over or under exposing the main subject mainly when the dynamic range of the scene looks like it will exceed the camera's limited ability to capture. An example would be a white bird in direct sunlight in front of a dark background -- this happens quite a lot with Egrets wading in front of the brush that is present on a lot of shorelines.

I use center-weighted mostly as I normally shoot with my subject (birds) centered in the viewfinder.

I rarely use matrix. It's not the best for my use.

I never read the book, so I don't know if this is mentioned, but it's a good exercise to map out both the AF points and metering areas in the viewfinder -- it's good to know your gear. . . but this does give you fewer excuses. . .

Scott

[yoshizuki]

i use center weighted on my kx. Spot sometimes over or under exposes.

[Marc Sabatella]

FWIW, i use center-weighted exlcusively. I find it gives me the best of both matrix and spot metering, more or less.

That is, if I want to simply point and shoot, center weighted works "almost" as well as matrix in terms of giving a basically usable exposure without needing to think about it. Sometimes a bit too bright (since it can't protect highlights), but I find it easier to predict when exposure compensation will be needed than I did with matrix metering.

And while center weighted doens't actually allow me to pinpoint a spot to meter from, I generally divide all scenes into "light" and "shadow", and pointing directly into the middle of one area or the other (assumng I can find a reasonably large expanse) gives me a very usable exposure for that type of light.

[Ex Finn.]

Anything tightly zoomed gets spot, landscape or wide is matrix.

Cheers, Mike.

[lurchlarson]

Center weighted or Spot with Center point AF. I rarely use matrix.

[pontusadefjord]

95% of the time I'm using old manual lenses, so I can't use matrix. And I've got a katzeye focusing screen so spot is out of the question. Center it is!

[Digitalis]

I use matrix for P-TTL flash work -CWA for most of my available light work, and spot for landscape work.