Really silly question

[magicmonkey]

Ok, this is something that's been bothering me for a while, could someone tell me how to take a light readin with the 350D, what's involved and all that jive?

 

[Big Mike]

By simply pointing the camera at your scene and half pressing the shutter release button...you are taking a light reading.

The numbers that come up in the view finder (shutter speed and aperture) together with ISO setting...that is your light reading. Pretty much the same with any modern camera.

1/60 F8 ISO 100 for example.

The question is...What you going to do with that light reading?

 

[magicmonkey]

I'm just trying to learn a bit (read 'lot') about the technical side as I keep on falling down on exposure and detail. Also I'd like to start using the manual mode properly rather than guessing and taking around 100 shots to get the one I want and still not quite understanding why it worked that time!

 

[Digital Matt]

Check out www.photo.net/learn

 

[Big Mike]

I suggest reading up on metering. It really helps to know what your camera's meter is doing...and how to use the meter reading to get the shot you want.

For example...Your meter wants to make everything mid-toned, middle grey (also called %18 grey).

It would turn a pure white object grey...it would turn a pure black object grey. With everything in between...it uses algorithms to figure out it's reading and gives you settings to make that average into the same tone as middle grey.

What you have to do, is recognize what the meter is doing...and know when & how to compensate for that.

You can learn to recognize the light value of certain tones or objects and use those to get your camera settings. Green foliage, for example...is about the same as middle grey. So if you take a reading of nice green grass...you can then use those settings for just about anything that is in the same light.

With most people, the palm of your hand is about 1 stop brighter than middle grey...so you could meter your hand, then use exposure compensation +1 stop, to get the proper settings. You just have to learn what objects to use and how much you need to compensate when metering.

Learn the different metering modes and what they do. I think this is how they work. 35 zone Eval metering takes most or all the scene into account...with more weight given to the centre portions. (basically point & shoot). Centre weighted gives a lot more weight (in the equation) to the centre part of the image. Partial metering uses only the centre portion. I almost always use partial because it makes it easier to meter just one thing. Also, get close or zoom in and fill your view finder with the object you are metering...then use those settings and go from there.

Sorry for going on like that.... :roll:

 

[magicmonkey]

you know, that's one of the most sensible and understandable explanations I've heard on the subject, actually cleared a few things up, you go on as much as you like!