Photography is no less than any art form that’s present in today’s world, especially with the development of modern cameras, a photographer whether professional or amateur can create unique photos, making them exquisitely vibrant or elegant.
Learning techniques of photography isn’t something that can be done overnight. It needs a lot of patience and practice, trial and error, and much experimentation to master this art.
However, the latest tech in cameras helps you to upgrade your skill level in photography by providing the right metering calculations that allow you to get the correct exposure for taking a photo.
So, even if you’re a beginner who wants to learn the techniques of photography, you can highly benefit from using the metering modes available in your digital camera.
Therefore, our article, “Camera Metering Modes Explained” will surely help you when you find yourself struggling with the ISO, Aperture, and Shutter speed settings and can’t figure out how to get the best exposure for your photo. Let’s get into more detail.
What is Metering in a Camera?
Before we get into the metering modes, let’s learn more about the metering tech in a camera first. Simply put, the metering feature in your digital camera provides you support by measuring the amount of light as you try to capture a photo of a scenery, it determines the appropriate exposure settings for the image.
You may know that you rely on three things for taking the perfect shot and that are ISO, Aperture, and Shutter speed. You need to set these right in order to get the desired effect in a picture, but sometimes when you’re shooting a landscape photo on a really bright day with harsh light or trying to get an image in darkness, you may fail to figure out the correct settings. That’s when your camera’s metering tech comes into play.
Because it does all the calculations for you like measuring the distance and light, etc., using the camera’s in-built system, you can successfully take a well-exposed image. Even the latest smartphones like the iPhone also offer to the meter.
Different Camera Metering Modes:
Now that we know what metering is, let’s take a closer look at the several metering modes available on the majority of modern cameras.
1. Evaluative (Matrix) Metering
Evaluative or in some cameras known as Matrix metering is the most commonly used metering mode found on modern cameras. This model uses a sophisticated algorithm to determine the most suitable exposure settings.
This mode takes into account a number of factors, including the lighting conditions, the color of the subject, and the distance between the camera and the subject. This makes it ideal for shooting complex scenes, such as those with multiple subjects or complex lighting conditions.
All in all, it is the default mode that is the best for shooting landscapes or cityscapes.
2. Center-weighted Metering
This mode gives priority to the light falling in the center of the frame which is ideal for portrait photography, as it ensures that the subject’s face is well-exposed while the surrounding area is slightly underexposed.
The camera would take an average reading of the entire scene, focusing mainly at the center. This mode is also best used for shooting still-life scenes, where you want the subject to be in focus, and aren’t too concerned about the background.
3. Spot Metering
Spot metering is the most precise metering mode available on most cameras. It measures the amount of light in a very small area of the scene, typically around 1-5% of the entire frame.
Spot metering is ideal for situations where you want to expose a specific part of the scene, such as the face of a subject in a backlit situation. By taking a reading from a limited area, you can ensure that the exposure is accurate for that part of the image, even if the rest of the scene is under or overexposed.
4. Partial Metering
Like spot metering, partial area metering also measures the light intensity of a small portion of the frame; however, it covers a slightly larger area, typically around 10-15%. This mode is particularly useful when you want to focus on a specific area of your subject, such as the face or another detail.
5. Highlight-weighted metering:
This mode prioritizes the accurate exposure of bright areas in a scene. It works by metering for the brightest parts of an image and adjusting the exposure settings accordingly, which can prevent overexposure and blown-out highlights.
This metering mode is particularly useful in high-contrast situations, such as when photographing a subject against a bright background or during sunrise and sunset.
Highlight-weighted metering can be found on some modern cameras and is often used by professional photographers to ensure that their images have a balanced exposure with minimal loss of detail in bright areas
Choosing the Right Metering Mode:
Now that we’ve covered the different metering modes available, how do you choose the right one for a given situation? Here are some tips to help you choose the right metering mode:
- You may use the matrix or evaluative metering mode for shooting complex scenes, such as those with multiple subjects or complex lighting conditions.
- You could use a center-weighted mode for portrait photography, where the subject is often in the center of the frame. It’s also best for macro photography.
- Use spot metering mode for backlit or high-contrast scenes, such as wildlife or sports photography.
- Use partial metering mode for subjects that are slightly off-center, such as portraits or still-life scenes and you want to cover an area smaller but larger than what spot metering offers.
- Highlight-weighted mode is best to use when covering events where there would be mixed lightings like concerts or dance performances.
Conclusion:
In this article, “Camera Metering Modes Explained,” we expounded on the several metering modes present in cameras to you. As a photographer, it is necessary that you know how your camera works and what automatic features may help you in situations where you can’t get the right exposure.