350Xt Metering Questions.

I just ordered a 350Xt camera, having used a 300D for more than 3 years now.

It should arrive in about a week. I understand that the metering system of the

300D was considered "crippled", and thereby linked to the focusing. The Xt

does have separate capabilities for 1) evaluative, 2) center weighted, and 3)

partial metering. My questions are these. What is the most commonly used of

these three meterings? What's the difference between them? Now that I will

have these options available to me, just how logical is it that I would use

them, and/or change between them for the different lighting circumstances? Or

do most 350 users generally just stay with one, and pretty much ignore the

others?

Thanks for any and all replies.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2qnIfJnuAU

Many folks use the evaluative mode(your cameras default) and forget about the rest useing the + or - exposure compensation. This is what I do for the most part with the exception of useing spot metering from time to time.

 

It is not that the others are not usefull, its just that the evaluative works best for general and typical lighting. When I am shooting along at an event or whatever, I don't have time to think about metering modes. I meter with elavuative and with time you will know when the camera is going to screw up so I adjust, Shoot, chimp, and move on.

 

If I have time to think and work with my light, then I am shooting in manual and useing the histogram and/or handheld light meter to get exposure right. This is where I will use spot metering so I can meter the background, subject, and/or anything else I want seperately. This will help get a good balance between subject and background right off the bat.

 

Jason

Thanks, Jason. But I'm not sure that the 350Xt has a "spot metering" option. Only those 3 mentioned in my question. But I could be wrong. I would prefer "spot" metering if I'll have it, though.

I believe you are correct Robert, the 350Xt does not have spot metering. Center weighted is the closest to spot metering as long as the subject you wish to meter on is in the middle of the frame.

Yeah, sorry, it does not have spot metering. The partial is the closest with a 9% coverage( I think). Spot metering is more like 2 or 3%, it depends on the camera model. Center weighted meters the entire scene like evaluative but gives priorty("center weighted") to the 9% center area.

 

Partial only meters the center 9%+/- portion of the scene.

 

Jason

right you are Jason.

Let me see if I have this straight. Both center weighted and partial metering concentrate on the center 9% portion of a scene. But with partial, it's only concern is just that 9% and nothing more, while the center weighted 9% not only concentrates on that center 9%, but also averages the remainder of the scene along with the center 9%? AND...evaluative averages out the entire scene? If this is true about the "evaluative" metering, would it not be the best metering for a scene that has extremes, both brightness and darkness, to "average out" the entire scene?

I nearly always use evaluative plus the histogram. In reality the histogram is my main metering tool. I am not sure why anyone bothers with the other metering modes anymore unless it is an old habit from the film days.

Yep, that is pretty much right on Robert. That is why most folks use evaluative for general use along with chimping the histogram as your scene changes.

 

The other modes are used for specific time like when you have a lot of back lighting on the subject...like if a person was right beside a window. But even then I would not take time to change modes, I would dial in exposure compensation (EC) or zoom tight on the subject, hit Exposure lock (the * button, also called Flash Exposure Lock(FEL)when useing a flash) and then reframe and shoot. That way my eye never leaves the veiw finder.

 

Jason