What is the metering mode and why should I care?

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Focus on the METERING MODE

"For the first time ever, this metering mode thing makes sense."

Your camera has a "mode" to "meter" (calculate) the optimal exposure from the existing light conditions that you are shooting in. Some digital cameras have more than one mode (as will be discussed on this page).

In the world of photography basics and tips, if your camera has more than one mode, it will be helpful to understand them so you can use them to produce the best photographs under different conditions.

We will focus on exploring two specific areas of this topic:

What is it?
Why is it important (in my selection of a digital camera)?

What is a Metering-Mode?

Today's digital camera is a true marvel when you think about what it does and how it does it.

When you look through the viewfinder and decide to take a picture, many cameras require you to first press the shutter button halfway down.

This allows the camera to properly focus. To capture the shot, typically requires the shutter button to be fully depressed.

Between the time you first depress the shutter halfway and the camera takes the shot, your digital camera's brain does the following...

Determines what the subject of your shot is
Focuses the lens
Figures out how much light there is for your subject
Calculates the correct combination of shutter speed (how long the shutter will remain open) and F-stop (size of the aperture) to properly expose your photograph

But the most impressive thing is that your camera accomplishes all of these feats in a fraction of a second. In terms of photographic basics, when your camera "meters" the scene, it is calculating the correct shutter speed and F-stop, based on the light at your subject.

There are three primary Metering Modes:

Evaluative or Matrix
Partial or Spot
Center-Weighted Average

Evaluative or Matrix Metering Mode

Depending upon make and model, the viewfinder divides what you are viewing into "x" number of zones (the "x" varies by model and manufacturer).

The camera detects the subject, the lighting conditions (some or all of: brightness, front and back conditions, the background), and whether you are holding the camera horizontally or vertically.

Based on this information, it calculates the correct exposure that will produce the optimum results, and it proceeds to set the proper exposure for your photo. Good thing we don't have to think about all that when we take a picture, isn't it?

Partial or Spot Metering Mode

This mode does not weight all the zones equally. The only part of the entire framethat is metered at all is the tiny area right at the cener of your viewfinder. The exposure for everything else in the frame is completely ignored.

Center-Weighted Average Mode

This is the "default" or most common method for calculating proper exposure.

In Point and Shoot cameras, where there is not any choice for metering methods, this is the one used on the camera.

On more expensive cameras, this mode is almost always included as one of the choices. Similar to Evaluative metering, this method also averages the exposure from the entire frame, but the center area is given more "weight" in the calculations.

Why is it important to care about metering modes?

Bottom line,

Center-Weighted Averaging is the least accurate metering method.
Evaluative or Matrix Metering is much more accurate, especially when your scene contains very contrasting or variable lighting (example-very dark and very light areas in the same scene).
The Evaluative or Matrix Metering Method should be used in most situations.

In very unusual scenes, a Partial or Spot Metering Mode would be best to use. One example is if your child is standing in front of a very bright window. If you used either of the other modes, the camera would calculate a high overall level of light, and therefore exposure would be set low, producing an under-exposed child.

If a Partial or Spot Metering Mode were used, focusing on your child, they would be properly exposed, while the window area would be over-exposed. However, given a choice, I'm sure you would prefer your child to be properly exposed rather than the window.

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