Question about AF point and exposure setings

tmL · Sep 27, 2011

Hey guys, 2 questions here. Do you prefer to let the camera decide what point to focus on or do you prefer to set the focus yourself on one point? Also, what kind of metering do you use?
I've been shooting with a manual focus point (usually center point) and spot metering. I mostly shoot street shots so I really want to have my subject in focus and exposed correctly but sometimes this results in the rest of the frame being severely over or underexposed. Another problem is I have to focus on the subject then recompose the shot, which sometimes results in me missing a great shot. I was just wondering what settings you guys use and if you had any suggestions on settings for street photography?

j-digg · Sep 27, 2011

I always chose my own focus point/zone manually.

Spot metering will help you get what you decide as the critical part of the photo to the proper exposure, so yes it may clip the highlights/shadows in the rest of the image because its not evaluating the whole scene to sortve balance out the exposure.

Have you messed around with exposure lock at all? It can be really helpful assuming you are using spot metering, when a non center focus point would be beneficial... And by using the outer focus points you wouldnt have to focus and then recompose ( at least as drastically ), which can sometimes cause you to miss focus.

Tomasko · Sep 27, 2011

I choose my AF point manually as well. However, I'm not convinced that it's the best practice to choose ONLY the center one. Have a look at this article
http://visual-vacations.com/Photography/focus-recompose_sucks.htm

For the metering mode, it depends on what I want to capture. Sometimes it's best to use matrix mode, sometimes spot metering...

KmH · Sep 27, 2011

Some things to consider about your camera.

From the T2i Specifications:

AF Points - 9 AF points (center AF point is cross-type)
Spot metering - (approx. 4% of viewfinder at center)

Cross-type focus points are more accurate than regular focus points, because they detect contrast both vertically and horizontally. Understanding Camera Autofocus
Autofocus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
You would want to use the center, more accurate, cross-type focus point most of the time.

Spot metering is the most accurate of the metering modes, because it meters only a small portion of the scene. That also means it's a good idea to Spot meter more than 1 spot in the intended image frame.

For your camera, and other Canon entry-level cameras, Spot metering is locked to the center of the viewfinder. By contrast, other camera makers have Spot metering concurrent with the active focus point, so the photographer is not limited to only using the center of the viewfinder to Spot meter, and the spot used is often smaller. Nikon's spot is approximately 2% of the viewfinder frame.

Your T2i has Evaluative metering concurrent with the selected focus point. :scratch: Evaluative metering takes an average of the entire scene.
Partial metering in the T2i uses approximately 9% of the viewfinder and is also locked to the center of the viewfinder like Spot metering is.
Center-weighted metering typically give 75% weight to a large part of the central portion of the viewfinder, and 25% to the rest of the frame. Of course, center weighted metering is also locked to the center of the viewfinder.

Shooting street often requires changing your focus point, focus mode, and/or metering mode.

Big Mike · Sep 27, 2011

Shooting street often requires changing your focus point, focus mode, and/or metering mode.

Yes...listen to what he said.

Really, it comes down to what you find comfortable and what works for you. Keep experimenting and you'll sort it out.

pixilstudio · Sep 27, 2011

im not sure i get the focusing question
ever situation has a different requirement
is the subject moving? low light? portrait? how far is the subject. is the subject centered. there are som many different variables youll have to get comfortable with your equipment an make the decision for yourself. i use all different modes and options

tmL · Sep 28, 2011

Thanks for the replies, and the links! I didn't know other cameras could use spot metering on different AF points, kinda jealous now XD

KmH · Sep 28, 2011

It is said that Nikon designs cameras for photographers, and Canon designs cameras for Canon's marketing department.

It is only recently that Canon started offering color-aware light metering on it's newer, recent DSLR cameras, while Nikon has offered it on most of it's DSLRs for many years now.

Nikon has had it's Creative Lighting System, IR wireless off camera speedlight control/triggering system built right into most of it's cameras for years now. Canon finally came up with a built in system that it has added to a couple of it's newer cameras recently.

Until the T(x)i series of EOS Rebels, Canon didn't even offer Spot metering in most of it's entry-level lineup of cameras.
The current base entry-level T3 and XS still don't have Spot metering, and the T3 is a recent release.