No focus point-metering link in 20D?

[madhu1]

From what I've read, one can only link evaluative metering, but

not partial metering, with the active focus point in the 20D. Is that

true or did I miss something?

 

If true, is that another way of Canon distinguishing the pro

cameras (since its' available on the 1D models) from the rest?

But they have that available on the non-pro Elans! So are we still

stuck with metering and recomposing (in partial mode) with the

20D as well - defeating some of the utility of the 9 focus points?

[gustavo_friggi]

There's no link in partial metering on my Elan 7. Canon pro cameras may have several "spot-meters" which use the correspondent focus point. Low and mid-level bodies (such as 20D) partial meter is only an area (9% or so) in the very center of the frame - and that's it. Evaluative, on the other hand, has 35 zones to balance exposure, and if a non-centered focus point is used, the camera links exposure (i.e. makes it more accurate) to the selected area of focus. Therefore, partial metering is always a meter-and-recompose exercise.

[jim_larson1]

The 10D, Elan 7, dRebel and film rebels all work this way.

[madhu1]

Gustavo, Jim, I have an Elan 7E and it has the ability to link

metering with focusing points. So should the Elan 7; check out

custom function 8. This is rather old; even the earlier Elan II had

that available.

[gustavo_friggi]

Yes, it links. In evaluative metering. In partial, there's nothing to link with - the area is centered and ignores the rest of the frame, no matter if you are focussing with left, right, up or down sensors.

[PuppyDigs]

For the Elan 7/7E partial metering may be linked to the active sensor by enabling CF 8-1. Read page 89 of the manual for more information. The 10D lacks this function. I'm not sure about the 20D.

 

Incidentally, all EOS bodies with multiple AF sensors bias exposure to the active AF sensor in Evaluative metering mode. This isn't the same as linking partial or spot to the active sensor. Evaluative still considers the rest of the frame in it's algorithms. Partial or spot do not.

[david_lau3]

You can only link spot metering to focus points on Canon Pro level SLR e.g. EOS 1V, 3, 1Ds etc. The area of partial metering is just too big to be linked to a focus point. The big area of partial metering lowers the precision to make accurate metering.

[nelson cotrim]

FEL is also linked to the active focus point in the Elans (II and 7) but only to the central point in the 10D. Maybe the partial metering is linked to the central too. Hope the 20D will give us this back.

[PuppyDigs]

"The area of partial metering is just too big to be linked to a focus point."

 

Nevertheless, the Elan II & 7 bodies allow partial metering to be linked to the active AF point via custom function. For the Elan 7, set CF-8.1 to enable the linkage.