Originally posted by photoptimist Two quibbles:
1. A matrix metering app will only work if you can duplicate the field of view (the equivalent focal length).
2. The beauty of matrix metering is that it is usually so good that one does not have to learn anything about exposure. And the curse of matrix metering is that it is usually so good that one does not have to learn anything about exposure! (And thus one has no clue how to handle a black cat on a black sofa.)
With a primitive light meter, one quickly learns that it makes mistakes and subsequently learns a lot about "proper" exposure in a world that is not 18% gray.
My lightmeter app has a field of view zoom. But it won't go really wide. That's not too much of a problem because it doesn't take a lot of skill to pick out a representative part of a scene.
I'd say you still have to learn to compensate with matrix metering just like an old school light meter. DSLRs have EV comp dials, right. If there are 16 stops of light in a scene and say you can typically only capture 10 stops of detail, the matrix meter should do well at picking out the middle better and not be fooled by the things that fool an old school meter. So you will still lose some shadow and highlight detail. But what if the shadow detail was the most import thing in the scene and you want to expose for that. You'd have to bracket or apply EV compensation and know how much to apply which you'd learn from experience like an old school meter.