Spot Metering on Nikon D90


mem0riess

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Jan 23, 2009
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Pictures credit to dannysantos

Hi , I would like to ask about spot metering, since Im going for a outdoor shoot tomorrow.
I've been testing it around my house this few days but this is what i get.
4844123816_96502de9d0_b.jpg


How do i get the spot im focusing to get more lights while the rest of the surrounding is dark?

Mind correcting me?
Thanks.
 

In his pictures, there's a bright patch of sunlight. In your example, it's dim room lighting. No comparison.
 

Err, Rashkae, so if i did it under the sunlight, my result will be the same?
 

spot metering means the camera measures the light intensity from a small spot. It doesn't mean it will light up the subject like a spotlight :D

in danny santos' photos, the subjects are in a small spot of direct sunlight. Thus they are lit up much brighter than the other pedestrians. He probably used spot metering (just guessing, of course), so that camera would not try to balance the exposure.
 

from what i see, its not just a small spot of direct sunlight from dannysantos's photos :D
 

Rashkae and ZerocoolAstra's replies are correct.

SonyA900_viewfinder.jpg

Spot metering only happens on this spot. But since dannysantos is metering for the lit areas, naturally, the other areas with the same exposure reading as the lit ones will be properly exposed as well. The more you limit your exposure to spot, the more excessive the contrasts will be.

Your sample would not really work as the contrast is not overly exaggerated. You have to go outside your cave to see results.;)
 

I guess you already know that spot meter reading is metering a small spot, and you should know that the camera meter will read the EV of that area and give you a mid tone value.

the test you shown, the box suppose to be in white, you camera meter will tell you this is gray since camera don't know is white, you need to add +1 ~ +1 ½ EV to reproduce the correct tone.

secondly, dannysantos will find a place where the direct sun light cast down at a spot, so all other areas surrounding are in shade (study the shadows and you will know). he will station there and wait for the right subjects to walk into his frame.

in conclusion, you need to know how you camera works, how the lighting works, and how other people works to get their shots.

hope this help.
 

Hi , I would like to ask about spot metering, since Im going for a outdoor shoot tomorrow.
I've been testing it around my house this few days but this is what i get.
4844123816_96502de9d0_b.jpg


How do i get the spot im focusing to get more lights while the rest of the surrounding is dark?

Mind correcting me?
Thanks.

Photoshop?
mem0riess.jpg


:bsmilie:
 

btw, I think dannysantos did mention somewhere he did burnt in some areas of his orchard road shots to make his subject more outstanding.
 

Rashkae and ZerocoolAstra's replies are correct.

SonyA900_viewfinder.jpg

Spot metering only happens on this spot. But since dannysantos is metering for the lit areas, naturally, the other areas with the same exposure reading as the lit ones will be properly exposed as well. The more you limit your exposure to spot, the more excessive the contrasts will be.

Your sample would not really work as the contrast is not overly exaggerated. You have to go outside your cave to see results.;)

Bro, Nikon spot metering follows the AF point selected. In Canon cameras, spot metering means the center AF point (except for the 1D series).
 

Bro Rashkae already mentioned, you cannot compare this with the photo under bright patch of sunlight. Simulate the same shooting condition and with the approach Bro Catchlight suggested, you should be able to achieve the same result.

your photo is very much underexposed. If you observed your histogram, this is what you suppose to get.

484412381696502de9d0ba.jpg


If you used the correct approach as what Bro Catchlight mentioned (EV +1 to +1.5), your histogram distribution should not all crowded at the lower 2 zones (i.e EV -2); I think your spot metering approach was wrong. You need to know the tonal range of each color.

of course, if you want the foreground looks darker, you can do a little bit of burning PP.
 

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btw, I think dannysantos did mention somewhere he did burnt in some areas of his orchard road shots to make his subject more outstanding.

what do you mean by burnt? photoshop?
 

Spot metering.
In my opinion, spot metering only focus a tiny area at the center of the finder that allow u to capture a specific part of the subject.
example:
Shooting tiger in the cage. This will allow the tiger to be focus n the rest are not.
As your two pictures above, I believe that the people are walking under a shade of tree n happen that the main subject walk at the spot where sunlight fall on them. U could be using spot or center wt metering to capture the main subject.
Spot metering also mensure the amount of light on the main subject in a tiny area n average a setting for u to click unless u are on a manual mode.
In spot metering is better to plus EV depending the surrounding light.
Good luck.
 

Spot metering.
In my opinion, spot metering only focus a tiny area at the center of the finder that allow u to capture a specific part of the subject.
example:
Shooting tiger in the cage. This will allow the tiger to be focus n the rest are not.
As your two pictures above, I believe that the people are walking under a shade of tree n happen that the main subject walk at the spot where sunlight fall on them. U could be using spot or center wt metering to capture the main subject.
Spot metering also mensure the amount of light on the main subject in a tiny area n average a setting for u to click unless u are on a manual mode.
In spot metering is better to plus EV depending the surrounding light.
Good luck.

Single point/spot focusing and spot metering are 2 totally different things.

And it is not necessarily at the center of the viewfinder. You can select which point you want to focus, or meter, using the controller.
 

Spot metering.
In my opinion, spot metering only focus a tiny area at the center of the finder that allow u to capture a specific part of the subject.
example:
Shooting tiger in the cage. This will allow the tiger to be focus n the rest are not.
Halfway correct explanation, wrong example. Your example describes single AF point selection. Metering and focus are completely different things and they are independent. All DSLR allow to select AF points outside the center of frame.

Spot metering also mensure the amount of light on the main subject in a tiny area n average a setting for u to click unless u are on a manual mode.
In spot metering is better to plus EV depending the surrounding light.
Not sure why you think that spot metering in Manual Mode will be different. The metering is 'spot', but in Aperture or Shutter Priority Mode the camera will adjust the other exposure parameters, whereas in Manual you will only see the light meter display as result.
Why would you use Spot Metering with additional EV? Spot Metering is to make sure the important area gets correct exposure. Typically used for portraits to make sure that the face is perfectly exposed. If surrounding areas need to be considered as well you can use 'center-weighted average' metering or spot metering on different areas and set the correct values manually.
 

In spot metering, there is only one AF point in the center.
In spot metering, U can't have Dynamic AF focusing unless u are using Matrix or center wt metering.
If is on aperture or shutter priority, the cam will do the setting for u to click but in manual mode, u have to adjust the setting by looking at the exposure metering in the viewfinder.
All the while I am shooting in this condition, perhap I am shooting the wrong setting n will get it corrected.
Thanks.
 

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In spot metering, there is only one AF point in the center.
In spot metering, U can't have Dynamic AF focusing unless u are using Matrix or center wt metering.
If is on aperture or shutter priority, the cam will do the setting for u to click but in manual mode, u have to adjust the setting by looking at the exposure metering in the viewfinder.
All the while I am shooting in this condition, perhap I am shooting the wrong setting n will get it corrected.
Thanks.

Actually, I can still do spot metering with 3D dynamic AF. and it is not in the center. And when I use single AF point, I can select which point in the viewfinder to focus on, as well as which point to take the meter reading on. It can be the top, left, bottom, right, top left of the viewfinder. Doesn't matter where, and it need not be in the center of the viewfinder.

You are experiencing that maybe because your camera is restricting you to just that, doesn't mean other people's camera behave the same as yours. Just means your specific camera is probably not as advanced or flexible as other cameras we are using. Or maybe you do not know how to use the advance features available to you. ;)
 

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Well, take note.