XT metering system

[Duncreavy]

My xt is only a week old so I may have overlooked this in the manual but is there a way to tell what point the meter is reading by looking through the lens? I recently used a Lumix FZ20 that did this, however I realize they are totally different cameras. What is the best way to take a meter reading with the XT? Thanks.

[PacAce]

The XT has 3 metering modes, evaluative, partial and center-weighted average metering.

In partial metering, the metering is done on the center part of the viewfinder. You have to place the center of the viewfinder over the part of the subject you want to meter from.

In center-weighted average metering, the metering is done over the entire viewfinder area except for the outer edges with more emphasis given to the readings from the center of the viewfinder. Again, to meter off the subject, you have to place the subject in or near the middle of the viewfinder.

In evaluative metering, the metering is also done over the entire viewfinder area except for the outer edges, but emphasis is given to the readings at the active AF point. The meter reading is then evaluated using an algorithm which compares the readings against a database of known meter reading to arrive at a suitable exposure.

If you are not familiar with the ins and outs of the different metering modes, the safest mode for you to use would probably be the evaluative mode. With the 300D, this was the default except in Manual mode and you couldn't change it directly. I'm not sure if this is stsill true with the XT.