Metering with the 10D

[photography By Evangelos]

I was also wondering the most effective way to set up the camera for metering? Evalueative,Partial.or center weight average? I often put it in Partial for most of the time. and also center-weight average am I missing somthig by not useing evalueative?

[Jeppe]

Accually, the algoritm in 10D's Evaluative Metering is supposed to be so good that it will set the exposure just as good as a experienced photograph could with a spotmeter.

This is something a Pro-guy that works on Canon told me.

Hmm.. that said, i still miss the spotmetering from my 1N

[Yavor75]

Evan-
I use evaluative most all the time- but in shots where It has been traditionally fooled ( like shooting a plaque being handed to a awardee) I take a test shot before hand- and go full manual. It's making decisions up till the last microsecond and can be fooled in tricky shots.
Having to re-stage events right after they happen (from a blown exposure)- is really humiliating.
Over-all, I'm impressed with the evaluative metering.
Hope you are enjoying yours as much as I am enjoying mine!

Bob

[justme_dc]

the 10D meter is a reflective meter and has all of the faults of any reflective meter. I regularly find situations that will trick the meter into a wrong exposure. In fact I did it twice last night! The metering in it is great, Don't get me wrong, but you can't beat metering by hand with any in camera meter be it Canon, Nikon or whatever.

That being said... The only real difference between center weighted and evaluative is that the latter is linked to your chosen AF point, which is to say that it meters the whole scene but gives a center weight style emphasis to the focus point you are locked on. The metering screen has 35 distinct segments and uses an complex algorithm to determine correct exposure using various emphasis on each segment. If you use the different focus points regularly you might wanna give it a try.

I hope this makes a bit of sense, the manual is a little user unfriendly at times.

If you haven't already you might wanna check out (or re-check out) the metering section in the manual, it's got alot of great information in there.


good luck to you.

[daveh]

I think it's a matter of taste. As someone who learned on a Canon FTb (match needle manual / partial area metering) I like the partial area, low to no exposure automation, and manual focus point selection. I'm more comfortable with a simple-minded but predictable system then a complex, right more often, but less predictable system. With the former I have about 25 years of instinct as to when it will fail and what to do about it so I don't even think about it.

[robertwgross]

daveh wrote:
I'm more comfortable with a simple-minded but predictable system then a complex, right more often, but less predictable system. With the former I have about 25 years of instinct as to when it will fail and what to do about it so I don't even think about it.


Excellent. Some photographers from the good ole days have that instinct. Think about it.

Now, can you put that into words? Can you explain how your eye and brain are coupled up to do that function that is so difficult for some poorly engineered cameras?

---Bob Gross---

[CyberDyneSystems]

My old camera If I used automatic I allways used spot metering. I must say I am really impressed with Canons evaluative metering. It gets the job done very well most of the time.

Obviously I switch back to spot (or "centerweighted") when the subject is my only concern, or when lighting is specific on the subject.