Understanding The 3 Primary Metering Modes | Photography 101




Light is quintessential when it comes to photography, and understanding how your camera meters light is just as important. Spot Metering, Matrix Metering, 18% Grey, do any of these words mean anything to you? If not, then this video will teach you everything you need to know.

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26 responses to “Understanding The 3 Primary Metering Modes | Photography 101”

  1. I always use spot metering. Meter on the skin and then recompose the shot. If the subject is moving then I might see myself using center weighted. Cameras see 50% gray not 18. Good Video though.

  2. sorry to say this vid is useless! exposure comp & locking exposure means you could have spot metered from anything in that scene to get the exposure you want. Meter from her hair with – 1 stop or meter from her dress at +1 stop or from her left cheek at + 1/3 of a stop would have worked nicely. No wonder why so many people struggle with exposure if this is the way you go about explaining metering….

  3. in manual mode, I use spot and focus on the same part to meter. I rarely use automatic modes, but when I do, it certainly pays off to use a broader metering. Otherwise the pictures change way too much, and getting a similar set of pictures becomes much harder.

  4. Nikon's original N90 (1992) did not come with spot metering. This is why two years latter they produced the N90s. I mention this for film shooters because the N90 is an incredible camera that can now be purchased for about $50, but you have to get the N90s if you need (and everybody does) the spot metering. It's a great deal for a camera that last sold new for $1000, and was introduced at $1500. For digital I prefer the D3300 with the 35mm 1.8 Dx which actually out performs both the D3400 and D5300 with this awesome lens. Most of what I shoot is done with spot metering, but for walking around prepared to shoot anything I switch to matrix metering. I probably use center weighted metering less than 10% of the time. Metering really hasn't changed much over time, and the biggest difference I find with the transition to digital is in the use of ISO. With film once the selection of film speed is made you are committed, and shutter speed and aperture are your primary concerns with exposure. I know adding in this 3rd variable can improve a photograph, but I'm not yet experienced enough with digital to use it to my advantage.

  5. I've never even paid any attention to the metering on any of my cameras. So the only way this effects the quality of your image or video, is if you're using that to gauge the correct exposure your camera is telling you right? I know you might be thinking I'm an idiot (and I am lol) but I just never paid much thought to this.

  6. Does metering actually change the exposure, or is it just telling me whether my image is under/over exposed so that I know to change either my aperture or shutter speed? I know this is a dumb question, but I'm having a hard time finding an answer to it.

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