metering question

heyya POTN,

I've been reading various threads that people have posted in regards to metering and flashes to learn more about flash photography.

One think i've seen people mention time and time again is to meter for the sky and let the flash fill in the subject.

My question is, when metering, where should my focus point be? at the sky or on the subject?

Or does it depend on what kind of metering i have selected (evaluative, center weighted etc)?

Thanks

Eric

Use spot or partial metering.

I shoot in M mode most of the time so it would be like:

1. Switch metering mode to Spot metering.
   
2. Point the camera at the sky (or whatever the subject you are metering for) to fill the center circle. Adjust settings (Aperture, Shutter, ISO) to get the meter in the middle.
   
3. Recompose. This most likely would cause yout meter to sway to the left or right, depending on what the scene is like.
   
4. Shoot. Key being that you have not changed any settings despite the meter being off-center.

e r y k wrote in post #3852923
heyya POTN,

I've been reading various threads that people have posted in regards to metering and flashes to learn more about flash photography.

One think i've seen people mention time and time again is to meter for the sky and let the flash fill in the subject.

My question is, when metering, where should my focus point be? at the sky or on the subject?

Or does it depend on what kind of metering i have selected (evaluative, center weighted etc)?

Thanks

Eric

Your focus point should be whatever part of the scene that you *want* to be in focus. The subject's eye, for example.

But metering and focus are two entirely separate functions.

If the scene is such that you can't get a reasonable exposure while composed the way you want you can set exposure first on a reasonable view, activate exposure lock, then recompose and focus on your subject.

-js

number six wrote in post #3854341
But metering and focus are two entirely separate functions.-js

I hate to be nit-picky but that is not true in evaluative metering mode where more weight is given to the active FP. Right?

Right.

I also realize that I misunderstood the OP - he wasn't talking about focusing at all, just about metering around the focus point. Sorry, Eric. As you were.

-js

thanks for the replies guys, i guess what im trying to get at is, does the camera meter off the focus point that is selected, or the whole scene?

then i guess the whole different metering modes covers this right?

e r y k wrote in post #3858736
thanks for the replies guys, i guess what im trying to get at is, does the camera meter off the focus point that is selected, or the whole scene?

then i guess the whole different metering modes covers this right?

Focus point has nothing to do with the metering...
So spot metering will always use the center circle area regardless of which focus point you selected.

nicksan wrote in post #3858824
Focus point has nothing to do with the metering...
So spot metering will always use the center circle area regardless of which focus point you selected.

Right. For spot metering. But DDan is also right, as I understand evaluative metering.

-js

number six wrote in post #3858966
Right. For spot metering. But DDan is also right, as I understand evaluative metering.

-js

I think any one of the metering modes operate independent from the focus point...

nicksan wrote in post #3858824
Focus point has nothing to do with the metering...

On older ETTL systems it did for flash metering.

If you use evaluative metering the exposure is weighted heavier at the FP that achieves focus w/ auto FP selection or the chosen FP w/ manual FP selection.