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We havent posted Photography 101 articles for quite some time, so in this article we’d like to do a simple summary of in camera Metering, which are, Matrix, Center Weighted and Spot. Those names apply to Nikon, it should be the same or around the same name for Canon. Here goes the article with some example pics with it:

Matrix metering:

I picked an ipod (for its white surface) and a dark red background carpet as an example. In matrix metering, the whole frame is nicely exposed but some detail is lost in the ipod, as it it slightly over exposed.

The camera evaluates  the entire area of the frame. Meaning that the exposure is of the entire frame, so if you have an object with a really bright background, chances are that the object might become a silhouette  because the camera is trying to calculate the exposure of the entire frame, background and foreground. While you’d get a pretty nice background, your object will be dark , with some details. But Matrix metering does work most of the time.I set it as my default metering system as the camera does a pretty good job calculating the correct overall exposure. Matrix metering is not recommended with AE lock or exposure compensation, but hey, rules are meant to be broken.

Centre-Weighted Metering:

Both subject and background are nicely exposed with sufficient detail. It is metered around the centre of the frame. Bringing out the ipod detail a bit more.

This mode is similar to the metering method used in early 35mm SLR cameras, and some photographers still feel at home using it. The camera meters the entire frame but weights the centre portion in the 8 mm reference circle so that it accounts for 75% if the meter’s recommendation. You can change the size of the weighted area to 6mm, 8mm, 10mm, 13mm or average (which i wouldn’t recommend except for very specialized purposes because it simply averages the entire frame without emphasizing any segment).

Spot metering:

In the picture above, the ipod’s detail have been recovered but leaving the background dark. It is spot metered around the centre, which is the ipod’s clickwheel.

Nikon’s spot metering system works well in situations when precisely metering the subject is the most critical exposure concern, when unimportant elements in the scene have unusual reflectance, or when you want to compare specific areas of the scene to evaluate their differences. When spot metering is selected, the camera meters a 3mm circular area that is 2% of the frame. This is centered around the active focus area or in the centre of the active area in Group dynamic Auto Focus. If Closest subject priority is in use, the Frame’s central focus area will be metered. This mode is suitable for pics with a bright background and the main concern is the detail of the subject. Also perfect for concert and event photography.

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5. Aperture Priority Mode-How it Works