Light metering question........... any advice appreciated.?

Question

As a relative newcomer to digital slr photography there is one major task I am struggling with and this is metering light. I am unsure as to at what point the camera actually meters the light. Is it when I half press the shutter when I focus ? If so, what do I do if I want to focus on one thing but meter from another area ?

Thanks

Answer 1

Time to seriously READ & STUDY your Owner's Manual for your camera. Most DSLR's have several metering modes and the Manual will explain each one and offer suggestions as to when to use the different modes.

You might find these books useful:

"How Digital Photography Works, 2nd. Edition" by Ron White

"Exposure and Lighting for Digital Photographers Only" by Michael Meadhra & Charlotte K. Lowrie

"Advanced Digital Photography" by Tom Ang

"The Joy of Digital Photography" by Jeff Wignall

For the ultimate control of metering, a Spot Meter (1 degree) will enable you to meter what you want and where you want. The Minolta Spot Meter M allows you to precisely measure the highlights and shadows and get an average reading. Pentax, Gossen and Sekonic have similar meters available.

Answer 2

Various cameras models meter in slightly different ways and provide specific metering functions that are usually described in the manual. Look for instructions on "Exposure Lock" and "Focus lock" to determine how these can be controlled on your camera.

Some DSLR's have separate buttons that can lock the exposure and/or focus and others have menu settings that you can adjust to have the shutter press perform specific functions at half pressed and full press.

If you have specific questions about a particular model I would suggest one of the Yahoo! groups for your camera brand & model.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Answer 3

get and use a grey card

http://home.nc.rr.com/tspadaro/The_Grey_Card.html

http://www.goshen.edu/~marvinpb/graycd.html

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