New type of metering?

[Josh66]

LOL... If your "highlight" is middle grey, you probably shouldn't go around calling it the highlight... A black background would not influence the meter reading on your subject, assuming your subject was not an insect or something.

IMO, you just need to read up on the zone system, and maybe read up on spot metering... I'm not trying to sound like a dick or anything (and yet I realize that I probably do), but this is pretty basic stuff...

Well you do sound like a dick but I'll let that go ...and now I will expain so that you will no longer be a dick

here is the typical situation that everyone here seem to fall into. Yhey are shooting portraits outdoors with a subject that is backlit. It's beyond the dynamic range of the camera but they take it anyway...then they complain about the "highlight" are blown out.

That is NOT what has happened. The sky behind them is blue which is just slighly above middle gray. But now it looks white (because they exposed for their subject) and they complain. What they really have done is Blown out midones of the sky and made them white.
That is what I am refering to

and if you have never shot concerts you wouldn't understand the influence of a lot of shadow area on metering, even spot.

OK,Mr Dick?


and I say that just kidding, I know you're not a dick...well..maybe

I get what you're saying - and I'm really not a dick. I just thought that post came off really sounding like a dick, lol.

Sometimes you have to let the highlights get blown out... The outdoor portrait example - all you could really do there is add some fill light. Either that, or let the sky be blown out. OR, take control of the situation, and position the model where this issue won't come up.


I didn't think this is what we were talking about though... I mean, if you KNEW that it was going to be blown out, it's not exactly a surprise, is it? IMO, I still say that careful spot metering would do exactly what the OP is looking to do...

 

[Rephargotohp]

Are you refering to your SStarlight's spot metering or an In camera one? Because the in camera ones cover a much larger area than people think

There always is the Highlight Clipping warning in camera (the blinkies) so the OP would have that to work with plus his meter and histogram (even thogh Highlight Clipping sometimes they can be overly sensitive)

 

[unpopular]

HOLY CRAP! I just looked at my cameras manual and you're right. It's effin' HUGE!

I was looking at the wrong thing the whole time. That's like 10%.

Arghhhh now I want my starlight back :/

 

[Josh66]

Either one. The cameras I am used to, the 'spot' in spot metering is pretty small - I can't think of how many degrees off the top of my head, but not many, lol. Canon's "Partial" metering is a little bigger ... it's basically the same idea as spot metering, but the spot is bigger.


In my own personal experience, with my own cameras - spot metering seems pretty accurate, and pretty fine...

 

[unpopular]

Spot degrees in camera will depend on the choice of lens and are usually measured in percentage of the film plane. But he is right, the spot in my a350 is ginormous. Maybe pro bodies have better spot metering?

 

[Josh66]

Just checked the manual, and it's 2.3% on my camera.

 

[unpopular]

Is that on you fuji?

 

[Josh66]

No, 1N RS, in "fine spot" mode. It has two different degrees of spot metering - 3.5% and 2.3%. The Fuji (seen in my avatar) uses an evaluative center weighted metering system. (I also use a hand held light meter, as needed.)

 

[unpopular]

That's weird. How can you determine spot angle with interchangeable lenses? It must be figured on some specific lens, right?

Or am I not understanding something?

 

[Josh66]

I'm not sure. Since the figure is a percentage, the actual degrees probably vary by focal length. I'm thinking a longer lens would be a smaller spot.

edit
I think the percentage is relative to the visible area of the viewfinder.

 

[unpopular]

I'm not sure. Since the figure is a percentage, the actual degrees probably vary by focal length. I'm thinking a longer lens would be a smaller spot.

Ooops. Yeah, I misread % as °. That makes sense, and yes, with a longer lens you'll get a smaller spot.

I'm guessing with all these prosumer DSLR's out there they don't spend a lot of time on spot metering since nobody seems to use it anymore. It's not that big a deal for me, I guess, since I have a preview and histogram if I miss my hilight exposure I can just adjust and retake.

 

[EchoingWhisper]

I realise that spot metering is pretty accurate for Asian skin tones as long as you add 1/4 stop exposure compensation to all pictures.

 

[unpopular]

^^^ <facepalm> really, man? we're really going to do this?

 

[EchoingWhisper]

^^^ <facepalm> really, man? we're really going to do this?

I don't understand. :/ Anyway, hopefully this/similar metering will come out soon.

 

[unpopular]

^^^ <facepalm> really, man? we're really going to do this?

I don't understand. :/ Anyway, hopefully this/similar metering will come out soon.

The reason why Asian skin looks right at 1/4 stop above meter is the same reason why Caucasian skin looks right at 1 stop above meter and Black skin comes out right at 1-2 stops under - because Asian skin stereotypically reflects 1/4 stop more light than middle grey.

Read The Negative by Ansel Adams and you'll better understand why this metering mode isn't necessary.