Light meters ?

[inTempus]

In every mode except manual mode your camera will automatically set itself to get a proper exposure. If you're in aperture priority and set your camera to f/11, it will adjust your shutter speed accordingly to get a proper exposure. If you're in shutter priority and set your shutter speed to 1/250 the camera will automatically set your aperture to the proper setting to get a proper exposure. In manual mode you will have a little indicator in the bottom of your view finder. In a Canon it looks something like this:

*****^*****

The ^ is showing you the optimal setting. If you adjust your aperture and shutter speed this ^ will move left and right. If it's left of center like this:

**^********

Then your image will be underexposed.

If it's right of center like this:

********^**

Then your image will be over exposed.

Get it in the center and your image should be properly exposed, or pretty close.

 

[Josh66]

I mean does it tell you like somewhere on the screen ok buddy you should choose f8 and 1/25.

You have to chose one (aperture or shutter speed), it tells you what the other one should be.

If you want it to pick both for you, use Auto.

What do you mean it tells you which one you should use... by choosing it right ?
So like I said completely not useful in manual ?

It's pretty much a necessity in manual. Without it you would just be guessing.

You chose one (let's just say that you want to take a picture at f/4).
Set your aperture to f/4. Adjust the shutter speed till the meter is telling you that it will be properly exposed.

 

[Pugs]

In automatic or "Program" mode, the camera uses the light meter to set both the Aperture and the Shutter speed. If you have it set to auto-ISO, it'll choose that, too.

In Aperture priority mode, you set the Aperture and it will choose your shutter speed for that Aperture. Depending on your camera, you'll see the shutter speed displayed in your viewfinder. If you have it set to auto-ISO, it'll choose the ISO for you, too. If you don't have auto-ISO, and the composition is too light or too dark for your camera to pick a proper shutter speed for, the little light meter display will be off to one side or the other.

V
||||||||||| <----Very bad ASCII drawing of a light meter display.

In Shutter priority mode, you set the Shutter speed and it will choose your aperture for that Shutter speed. Depending on your camera, you'll see the aperture displayed in your viewfinder. If you have it set to auto-ISO, it'll choose the ISO for you, too. If you don't have auto-ISO, and the composition is too light or too dark for your camera to pick a proper aperture for, the little light meter display will be off to one side or the other.

In manual mode, you will manually set the Aperture and the Shutter speed. If you don't have it set to auto-ISO, and the composition is too light or too dark for your camera to expose the image properly, the little light meter display will be off to one side or the other. You should then change either the Aperture or the Shutter speed until the light meter display shows in the middle.

That's about as basic as I can make it and there is a LOT more left out; like if it's a particularly bright background and a dark subject, the metering will tend to under-expose the subject and vice-versa.

 

[Sirene]

I mean is it giving us tips in some kind of ways that I don't see or is something that is always on, on the last mode you left it, meaning the mode is telling your camera where you want it to reach the light.

When you look through the viewfinder, there should be a little scale at the bottom. That's the meter.

You pick the shutter speed or aperture that you want to use, then adjust the other one until the meter is where you want it. In most cases, that will probably be "zeroed out". Sometimes you'll want to over or under expose though.



EDIT (You're talking about the in-camera meter, right?)

Omg finally I understand, so we want it to be at zero all the time, well like you said unless sometimes you want the image to be over or under exposed.. What about just looking at the live viewfinder and see how it loos ? Wouldn't that be enough ?

Thanks for the explanation I was looking for

 

[Josh66]

To get started, just zero it out. 90% of the time that will work fine. Sometimes the meter can be fooled though, so you'll have to under/over expose to compensate.

My camera doesn't have live view, so I don't know the answer to that part.

 

[Sirene]

Thanks so much Pugs, tharmsen, OIIIIO for great explanations, they don't talk about how to use this feature in all the articles I found on google.

I'm so happy that I understand now.

Ok 2 last questions.

Wouldn't looking at your live viewfinder enough to know if the exposure is right ?
and does using a light meter makes looking at an histogram after useless ?

Thanks so much !!

 

[Pugs]

Thanks so much Pugs, tharmsen, OIIIIO for great explanations, they don't talk about how to use this feature in all the articles I found on google.

I'm so happy that I understand now.

Ok 2 last questions.

Wouldn't looking at your live viewfinder enough to know if the exposure is right ?
and does using a light meter makes looking at an histogram after useless ?

Thanks so much !!

You're welcome. The only way to learn is to research and ask questions. It sounds like you're doing both.

The live viewfinder is an utterly crappy little LCD screen. What you think looks amazing on the viewfinder often turns out to be crap. There's no way that little screen is going to be able to show you all of the detail needed to know if you nailed the exposure or not.

Looking at the histogram is useful to confirm or deny that the settings that the camera's meter recommended and/or the settings that you chose resulted in the exposure that you wanted. If you know that the background is REALLY light and the subject is dark, you know that the histogram should be heavily weighted to the right. If it isn't, then you know that your subject is going to be too dark and you need to try the shot with different settings.

 

[Sirene]

Thanks so much Pugs, tharmsen, OIIIIO for great explanations, they don't talk about how to use this feature in all the articles I found on google.

I'm so happy that I understand now.

Ok 2 last questions.

Wouldn't looking at your live viewfinder enough to know if the exposure is right ?
and does using a light meter makes looking at an histogram after useless ?

Thanks so much !!

You're welcome. The only way to learn is to research and ask questions. It sounds like you're doing both.

The live viewfinder is an utterly crappy little LCD screen. What you think looks amazing on the viewfinder often turns out to be crap. There's no way that little screen is going to be able to show you all of the detail needed to know if you nailed the exposure or not.

Looking at the histogram is useful to confirm or deny that the settings that the camera's meter recommended and/or the settings that you chose resulted in the exposure that you wanted. If you know that the background is REALLY light and the subject is dark, you know that the histogram should be heavily weighted to the right. If it isn't, then you know that your subject is going to be too dark and you need to try the shot with different settings.

Again, thanks so much, that answered my questions.
You know it's funny but understanding makes me so happy.

 

[Village Idiot]

I'm talking about the reflected one.

I mean does it tell you like somewhere on the screen ok buddy you should choose f8 and 1/25.

You know what I mean ?
Can someone really vulgarize what it does for me.
I google it and don't understand.
I know where in my camera should I use Evaluative or Center or spot, but I mean, I know it measures the light, but what for ?
I thought it was for all the modes besides Manual, so that the camera would know which combination of Shutter speed and Aperture it should use.
But I mean when you're on manual, why would you need it, you just change your settings until you see that it looks right on your viewfinder.. No ??

lol, sorry for being such a newbie

It lets you know where the ****ing correct settings where the god ****** camera needs to be set so that piece of **** exposes the ******* *** shot correctly.

:mrgreen::thumbup:

 

[Pugs]

I'm talking about the reflected one.

I mean does it tell you like somewhere on the screen ok buddy you should choose f8 and 1/25.

You know what I mean ?
Can someone really vulgarize what it does for me.
I google it and don't understand.
I know where in my camera should I use Evaluative or Center or spot, but I mean, I know it measures the light, but what for ?
I thought it was for all the modes besides Manual, so that the camera would know which combination of Shutter speed and Aperture it should use.
But I mean when you're on manual, why would you need it, you just change your settings until you see that it looks right on your viewfinder.. No ??

lol, sorry for being such a newbie

It lets you know where the ****ing correct settings where the god ****** camera needs to be set so that piece of **** exposes the ******* *** shot correctly.

:mrgreen::thumbup:

Oh! See! That's just some funny sh!t right there! I don't care who you are...

 

[JerryPH]

Ok, so far, I see *3* things getting all mixed up:

- external light meters
- in camera light metering
- in camera metering modes

I think that for the OP to be able to understand this and how it works, a basic understanding of lighting is needed. I would suggest the book "Understanding Exposure" b Bryan Peterson in conjunction to your camera's manual (to understand how it's internal meter and metering modes work), and then after that, if one wishes to get into off camera lighting comprehension, like always, the strobist's lighting 101 is always the standard.

 

[JerryPH]

Can someone really vulgarize what it does for me.

It lets you know where the ****ing correct settings where the god ****** camera needs to be set so that piece of **** exposes the ******* *** shot correctly.

:mrgreen::thumbup:

ROFL! I think someone wanted to use the words VERBALIZE, not vulgarize... but essentially VI was technically correct! :lmao:

 

[Pugs]

ROFL! I think someone wanted to use the words VERBALIZE, not vulgarize... but essentially VI was technically correct! :lmao:

Eh,

I think she(?), the OP, meant the definition of vulgar: "common". As in "common vernacular" rather than "camera technical-geek-speak", which I think the OP should learn and will learn along the way.

 

[Sirene]

ROFL! I think someone wanted to use the words VERBALIZE, not vulgarize... but essentially VI was technically correct! :lmao:

Eh,

I think she(?), the OP, meant the definition of vulgar: "common". As in "common vernacular" rather than "camera technical-geek-speak", which I think the OP should learn and will learn along the way.

Yes she and yes that's what I meant, I'm sorry I translated a french word I though it made sense. In french it means to take something complex and explain it the most simple way possible.

 

[Sirene]

Can someone really vulgarize what it does for me.

It lets you know where the ****ing correct settings where the god ****** camera needs to be set so that piece of **** exposes the ******* *** shot correctly.

:mrgreen::thumbup:

ROFL! I think someone wanted to use the words VERBALIZE, not vulgarize... but essentially VI was technically correct! :lmao:

Hey Jerry you're from Montreal too, so maybe you understand french, vulgariser meaning to explain something complex the most simple way possible. Comprends-tu ce que je veux dire ?