Modern cameras have lots of features packed into them. You may not use or even understand all of them. When I first started taking photos, I kept hearing the term “metering”, and how only “true photographers“ understood it and used it. After rolling my eyes, I looked into it more and found that statement to be somewhat true. When it comes to camera functions, you need to understand metering. Not because it will make you a “true photographer”, but rather it equips you with the knowledge to make the best possible photos.
What is Camera Metering?
Camera metering measures the amount of reflected light in your scene and helps determine a photo’s ideal exposure. It reads how much light is hitting the camera’s sensor and also takes into account the camera’s ISO setting. It will then determine which are the ideal settings for aperture and shutter speed.
In the days before digital cameras, hand-held light meters were used to correctly expose photographs. This was mainly a failsafe so photographers wouldn’t waste film or botch their work. While the argument of film being better than digital holds some weight, digital cameras have built-in metering and you can review your photos on the spot.
A light meter scale on the camera allows you to monitor if you’re overexposing or underexposing the scene. Ideally, you want the meter to measure at zero. To fully understand what aperture, ISO, and shutter speed are, check out my previous article on exposure.
The Light Meter Scale
The light meter scale is usually in the camera’s viewfinder or on its display screen. Depending on your camera, you may have to enable it. Be it a Fuji, Canon, Nikon, or Panasonic, the scale may look different but it works exactly the same.
It’s also easy to understand. If the arrow is pointing at zero (like the image above), the exposure is ideal in accordance with the metering mode you’ve selected. When the arrow leans to the negative side, the image is underexposed. If it leans to the positive side, the image is overexposed. Most cameras measure plus or minus 3 stops of light, although some go up to 5.
Is Metering Necessary?
Metering is necessary to get proper exposure. If you’re shooting in aperture priority or shutter priority, the camera does all the work for you. But if you’re shooting in manual mode, you’ll have to pay attention to the light meter scale so your image has the right amount of light.
Let’s pretend you’re shooting the Eiffel Tower, and the sun is behind it. You’re going to have a hard time exposing the Eiffel Tower properly because of the harsh backlight. Another example is if you’re shooting a scene that’s split in half – the sky in the top portion and land in the bottom portion. If you put too much sky in the photo, the meter will expose for the sky, darkening the land. If you put too much land in the photo, it’ll expose for the land, washing out the sky.
This is where post-processing programs like Lightroom and Capture One come in. By fiddling with exposure settings you can brighten or darken any parts of the photo to your taste. The downside to increasing exposure this way is that it introduces more noise into the photo, which is why it’s important to nail the exposure in camera.
Metering Modes
Both DSLR and mirrorless cameras include metering modes on them. Here are the most common you’ll find:
Multi
Multi mode goes by different names depending on the camera manufacture. Some call it Evaluative, Matrix, or Honeycomb. This mode uses “zone metering”. It works by dividing a scene into multiple zones, calculating an average reading of the light via an algorithm. Different manufacturers use their own technology to achieve this.
For instance, Fujifilm divides a scene into 256 separate zones, whereas Canon uses 63 zones. When calculating, the area of focus is given greater preference. This is usually the center of the image, but if you focus elsewhere it will use that zone instead.
Multi mode is the factory default as it’s designed for all-purpose shooting. However, it works best for genres involving wide scenes (ie. landscapes, cityscapes).
Spot
Spot mode is the most precise way to meter a subject in a scene. It averages a single spot, ignoring everything else in the photo. The size of the spot varies among manufacturers, but it’s somewhere between 1% and 5% of the scene. Your camera should also have a way to link the spot to your focus point, so it knows to expose for your subject.
Spot mode is ideal for genres such as tabletop photography, still life, and macro. Portrait shooters also favor it. This is because you can properly expose the subject’s face/skin, in even the harshest backlighting (remember the Eiffel Tower example?). Conversely, you can spot meter the backlight, and shoot a silhouette if you prefer. Some cameras also have a Partial Spot mode, which is similar but uses a 10% to 15% sized point.
Average
Unlike Multi or Spot mode, Average mode doesn’t use an algorithm, have zones, or any type of precision. Instead, it takes in the entire scene and returns an average reading of it, giving equal weight to all areas. This mode is probably the least used, but it can be fine for scenes where you need consistent exposure throughout the frame.
Center-Weighted
Another mode that isn’t available on all cameras is the Center-Weighted mode. It acts similar to Multi mode, but it only has one zone – the center of the image. Unlike the small size of Spot mode, Center-Weighted is a large zone that radiates outward, measuring the light in 60 to 80 percent of the image. It can be used effectively for evenly lit scenes, but it’s not the best choice if you’re shooting with a lot of backlighting.
Master Metering
Mastering camera functions such as metering can help you take better photos. For most travel photography, the Multi mode setting works well for exposing your photos properly. However, it is important to note that there really is no “correct” or “ideal” metering level. Photography is art. A slightly overexposed or underexposed photo might be exactly what you’re going for. Metering is simply a tool. When you understand it, you can then use it however you wish.
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