Metering and Metering Modes Explained

Learning what metering is and understanding each of the metering modes is really crucial for each and every photographer to know. Metering controls the exposure with minimum effort and take better pictures in specially in unusual lighting situations. Most advance Digital SLR and point-and-shoot cameras comes with the default metering set to multi-segment metering(Matrix Metering in Nikon and Evaluative Metering for Canon).When I first started photography,  it was really my frustration to properly expose my images not until I have learned how to use Metering. In the following paragraphs, I am going to explain to you simply each metering modes and how this metering modes can help you produce better photographs.

Metering Modes

Spot Metering

One of the metering modes  that is really good when shooting manually. As it name "spot" implies, the meter will read only from a  very small section which is as little as one percent of your total image. It will only evaluates the single point where you had set your focus point and then calculates the exposure based on that spot. For example, you want to take a photo of your friend under the sun while your under a shade, spot metering is the best mode to use to properly expose your subject. You need to set the camera to expose for the sunlight around your subject, not on the shade around you. Spot metering works great for back-lit subjects in situations like this. When you use  Matrix or Center-weighted metering modes, it would most likely result to a silhouette.

Matrix Metering

In this mode, your camera will divide your image into a number of smaller areas in which the camera will do the meter reading which are then all analyzed on individual basis for light and dark tones. It will then combine those reading from each of those areas with aperture and shutter speed to produce a near perfect result in most cases. The variables used on in analyzing each zone differs from manufacturer to manufacturer. Matrix metering is the default Metering Mode in most digital point-and-shoot cameras and Digital SLR's.

Center-Weighted Metering

From it name itself, this metering is more biased in reading toward the center of the frame. Your meter reading will have less attention on the corners and edges. The reading will not be affected from where you had set your focus point like the Spot and Matrix Metering Modes, instead, it will only just read from the center of the frame. This mode is great for  close-up portraits and relatively large subjects that are in the middle of the frame. One great example is when you are trying to take a headshot of a person with the sun behind, this mode will expose the face of the person correctly.

Changing Metering Modes

These varies from model to model, company to company. Please read your cameras manual in order to know how and where to change your metering modes.

Metering Modes Meter Reading

Your camera displays an exposure meter in the viewfinder and Shooting Info display. This meter is a little linear graphic that indicates whether your current settings will properly expose the image. If the bars on the meter goes to the right of 0, the image will be underexposed. If the indicator moves to the left of 0, the image will be overexposed.  When the meter is at the center or 0, you have now the proper exposure. The meter’s suggestion on exposure may not always be the one you want to follow.