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03/10/2004 10:10:15 AM · #1 |
I was just playing around and experimenting, but discovered how well these two cameras paired up together:
Basically my Olympus C-750UZ has spot metering and my 10D doesn't, so I tried to use it to meter for my 10D and came up with some nice results.
//ImageEvent.com/atwl77/eventsandsamples/spotmeteringwithadigicam
I basically metered for the brightest portion of the scene that I wanted to expose properly. The C750's ultra zoom range is very flexible as I can really zoom in to pick a spot to meter on. Of course, being a consumer digicam, ISO sensitivity and aperture is a bit limited, but with a bit of math I think it should work out fine until I can afford a real dedicated spot meter like the Gossen Ultra Spot 2, lol!
:)atwl
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03/10/2004 11:07:18 AM · #2 |
Adrian, I have been considering this very idea for the same reason you have given. I own the Oly c-2100 with the same 38-380mm zoom lens and have been considering purchase of Canon's Rebel which does not have a true spot meter, so I have a real interest in your results.
The only thing I see that may not have come out well is that you've lost some detail in the computer ribbon cables...although that may be more from your light source being too intense or close to the subject.
The other thing to note is that you photographed under controlled lighting indoors, and I would like to see results from more difficult lighting conditions, like those outdoors on a bright and sunny day that produces alot of shadow.
I like to use the spot meter on my olyumpus cam but usually do two meter readings that I've gotten good results from. I take a reading from both the brightest hightlights and darkest shadows that I want to maintain detail in and the average out the results and then adjust for creative control and expression. |
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03/10/2004 11:38:21 AM · #3 |
While there's nothing wrong with this approach, you can simply fill the frame of the 10D viewfinder with whatever you want to spotmeter and use that exposure value. Whether you do this by getting up close or using a zoom, the results will be the same.
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03/10/2004 12:01:25 PM · #4 |
You don't even have to fill the frame on the 10D. The 10D has a 9% spot meter, which is the purpose of the circle around the center focusing square. As long as you can fill that circle with whatever you are metering, you can get a valid "spot" exposure reading in "partial metering" mode (see p. 75 of the 10D manual).
And on the 300D, if you are in P/Av/Tv/A-DEP modes, you can use the "AE lock" button to switch from the default evaluative metering to partial metering.
Message edited by author 2004-03-10 12:09:05. |
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03/10/2004 12:21:09 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
While there's nothing wrong with this approach, you can simply fill the frame of the 10D viewfinder with whatever you want to spotmeter and use that exposure value. Whether you do this by getting up close or using a zoom, the results will be the same. |
That must be a bit of a pain in the bum.... |
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03/10/2004 04:57:19 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by jonpink:
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
While there's nothing wrong with this approach, you can simply fill the frame of the 10D viewfinder with whatever you want to spotmeter and use that exposure value. Whether you do this by getting up close or using a zoom, the results will be the same. |
That must be a bit of a pain in the bum.... |
Not really, but I find that the 9% spot on the 10D is enough for just about anything I shoot. I shot Ektachrome and Kodachrome for many years with a Nikon F3, which has only 1 metering mode and never had a problem. The only time I have ever had use for a true spotmeter was shooting 4x5 and trying out the zone system. Personally, I'd rather have a lens or other more useful item than a spot meter, or hassling with another camera and figuring equivalent exposures.
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03/10/2004 05:39:44 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by jonpink:
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
While there's nothing wrong with this approach, you can simply fill the frame of the 10D viewfinder with whatever you want to spotmeter and use that exposure value. Whether you do this by getting up close or using a zoom, the results will be the same. |
That must be a bit of a pain in the bum.... |
It is not ideal, and can be a pain, particularly when shooting portraits. I'm actually considering getting a spot meter to more easily be able to evaluate exposure on skin, without having to get in the subjects face so much with the camera to get an accurate meter reading.
Mostly it is okay, as the 9 degree coverage isn't so different from the 1 degree coverage on what gets called a spot meter. Like always, these things are a variety of compromises that matter or not, depending mainly on the subject matter you want to work under.
After all, most people are happy with matrix metering modes and never giving much thought or creative control to what the exposure is.
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03/10/2004 09:06:42 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by Gordon:
Mostly it is okay, as the 9 degree coverage isn't so different from the 1 degree coverage on what gets called a spot meter. Like always, these things are a variety of compromises that matter or not, depending mainly on the subject matter you want to work under.
After all, most people are happy with matrix metering modes and never giving much thought or creative control to what the exposure is. |
Yeah, agreed, different people will have their own metering habits and tolerances.
As for me, there are few occasions where the 10D's partial metering circle is still too big for me, and this got me into thinking of spot meters and such. However, the very nice ones that I checked out at B&H... well... they cost the price of a whole lens... which is why I started experimenting with my C-750UZ in the meantime, lol!
:)atwl
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03/10/2004 09:09:53 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by Olyuzi:
The only thing I see that may not have come out well is that you've lost some detail in the computer ribbon cables...although that may be more from your light source being too intense or close to the subject. |
Yeah, bright reflections from the light above. But I don't mind a tiny bit of overexposure... if I brought it down a bit I might have lost the shadow detail insted.
Originally posted by Olyuzi:
The other thing to note is that you photographed under controlled lighting indoors, and I would like to see results from more difficult lighting conditions, like those outdoors on a bright and sunny day that produces alot of shadow. |
LOL not really controlled conditions... I basically just had my camera on tripod, then swiveled it around my room to look for stuff to "test", haha... ;-)
:)atwl
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