Metering modes are perhaps the most overlooked settings when operating a camera. Most beginners tend to overlook the importance of setting the correct metering mode or even understand what metering is, for that matter.
Metering is the process by which the camera measures the brightness of a subject and adjusts the exposure. At least three different metering modes are available in modern-day cameras, with evaluative metering being the default one.
Since evaluative metering applies to almost every scenario, most photographers don’t bother messing around with the metering settings. However, with proper knowledge of what each metering mode does, you can take your pictures to the next level.
Also read: Photography 101: Framing and Composition
What are Metering modes?
As mentioned above, metering is the process by which the camera measures the brightness of a subject and adjusts the exposure. There are several ways digital cameras do this.
Most cameras will have these three basic metering modes:
- Evaluative Metering
- Spot Metering
- Partial Metering
Evaluative Metering
In this metering method, the camera breaks down the frame into several smaller frames and evaluates the amount of light in each frame. It then analysis the findings to obtain optimal exposure for the frame.
The whole scene is accounted for, but special emphasis is laid on the area that’s in focus.
Evaluative metering is the default metering mode on pretty much every camera. The advantage of this method is that it works on almost any picture. However, if one area in your photographs differs significantly in lighting from others, you might run into problems.
Spot Metering
Spot metering, as the name suggests, only considers the frame’s centre AF point. This works well on scenes with very significant differences in lighting, thus solving the problems we run into when using Evaluative metering.
However, since the area from which it measures light is quite compact (anywhere between 1.5 to 10% of the total picture area), any mistakes in selecting the right spot can cause incorrect exposure.
Partial Metering
This is an alternative to Spot metering on all Canon EOS DSLRs. In many ways, it is the stepping stone from Evaluative to Spot metering.
Partial metering works like Spot metering, but they are targeted slightly bigger than the latter — roughly between 6.2 – 10% of the total image area.
Since it takes a more extensive area into account, beginners are less prone to make mistakes using this method.
Also read: Nikon vs Canon: A beginner’s perspective
Understanding metering: Centre-weighted average
The easiest way of understanding this metering method is to consider it a mix of evaluative and partial metering modes.
The entire image is considered, but special emphasis is placed on the subject in the centre. Also, no exposure compensation is used here as it applies the same averaging pattern to every picture.
However, you might have an incorrectly exposed image if the subject is too small.
So which one should you use?
Like everything else in photography, this answer also depends on your shooting scene. If you’re a beginner, we encourage you to step out of the super easy evaluative metering zone.
Proper exposure can make or break a picture, which can’t be fixed in post-production, so be sure of your choice and snap bangers!
Also read: Photography 101: What do the modes on your camera mean?
