Metering Mode Test Wanted

[GovtLawyer]

The three metering modes on the Rebel XT occassionally cause me some confusion. While I understand the concepts of the three I am not always sure which one I prefer in a given situation. So, I'd like to test them by shooting the same subject with all three.

I am looking for a "best scenario subject" to shoot all three. While a heavily lit background, a sillouette type scene would be useful, if I focus and expose on the center object, I think it may be too drastic to properly evaluate all three.

What would be an ideal subject/scene to shoot, in all three modes, to dramatically teach me the differences between them. Once I compose this scene, should I shoot each under program?

[tim]

Scenes i'd try:
1) Person filling maybe 1/3 of the frame, inside a room in dim to average light, with a light bulb in the background.
2) If it's sunny outside, take photos of someone standing in the sun, and make sure something in the frame is in the shade. Also do it the other way around.

See also this thread (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=76403). Use partial if there's a wide range of brightnesses in the image, otherwise evaluative will do fine.

[GovtLawyer]

Scenes i'd try:
1) Person filling maybe 1/3 of the frame, inside a room in dim to average light, with a light bulb in the background.
2) If it's sunny outside, take photos of someone standing in the sun, and make sure something in the frame is in the shade. Also do it the other way around.

See also this thread (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=76403). Use partial if there's a wide range of brightnesses in the image, otherwise evaluative will do fine.

Thanks for the response, and in particular, the link to the thread. I've always understood evaluative and the partial. In my old Pentax Super Program, the modes were average or center weighted. I used the center weighted at rock concerts when the performer had a spotlight on him. Fairly intuitive and easy to figure out. Canon has confused me by giving me three modes and changing the terminology. Evaluative is my old average; partial is my old center weighted; CWA is . . . well, just what is it? that's where I've been thrown. Hence, my request for a test.

I shoot dogs and cats. On a nice overcast day, on a green field, I would use evaluative. On the hand, I have gotten a very bright day on a reflective dog run, gravelly rock like material. The background is very bright, and the dog is a spot on the background. In that case I use the center focus AF on the dog and use partial. Of course, shooting RAW does add a kind of failsafe element to it. I'm not sure under what conditions I would use the third, but I'll take some tests as you suggested. Indoor, with flash, will always be evaluative.

[tim]

I don't think you're quite right - what you used to call centre weighted is still called centre weighted on the 20D. Partial is new, it's meters just for the centre of the viewfinder.

Yep flash uses evaluative, there's a custom function which changes the metering a little but I haven't played with that yet, not sure what it does.