Minolta X-570 and center weighed metering

[juan_c.]

<p>Hi<br>

I am loving my X-570, but have a question about the metering in the camera. According to the manual, it is center weighed metering. I still have a hard time grasping that concept. From what I understand, most of the focus of the metering is aimed at the center of the viewfinder. Part I don't get is how much? Is there a visual indicator as to what "center weighed" encompasses? Did a little research, and it never seems to be a consistent amount. For the record, I prefer the spot metering of my Nikon D40, so going back to center weighed has screwed me up a couple of times, lol. <br>

And for a really random question while I have the attention of the pros here, I know the 570 is mostly plastic, especially compared to the beauties of the past. But does it have any kind of metal in the frame at all? Mine has a little bit of, I guess, brassing around the top corners. Instead of looking like scratched plastic, it looks like paint that got rubbed off of metal. Honestly, it kinda looks like brass or copper. This is just a curiosity. For a plastic camera, it is rather sturdy...</p>

<p>Thanks!!</p>

[jason_hopper]

<p>Minolta's X- and XG-series black body cameras were finished with electrostatically applied black paint over a base layer of metallic plating over the plastic substrate.</p>

<p>Minolta's center weighted metering covers the center horizontal & vertical 3/8 to 1/2 of the viewscreen.</p>

[Matthew Currie]

<p>As far as I can tell, Minolta viewfinders do not give any indication of where the center-weighted area is, and the instructions don't tell you just what the proportions are. </p>

<p>As a general rule, center weighted metering does cover the whole field, but concentrates something like 60 percent of the reading on a central area. There's still enough metering from the periphery to mess up an exposure if there's a bright sky overhead, or some other distraction.</p>

<p>This is one area where Nikon does better in information, if not performance. The proportions, at least on the old ones, were stated, and Nikon screens had a circle to delineate the center spot, but I've never seen a Minolta that did.</p>

[juan_c.]

<p>Mattheiw: Maybe it is my lack of understanding, but that makes the center weighed system (at least on the Minoltas) almost a bit of guesswork. Maybe it is time to invest in a light meter for when I use the Minolta, then. Center weighed almost seems like a very primitive form of matrix metering...</p>

<p>Jason: that is very interesting to know about the X's and XG's! Always wondered why, for being a plastic body, they were still a bit on the heavy side. </p>

[robert lee]

<blockquote>

<p>Is there a visual indicator as to what "center weighed" encompasses?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Nope, but it's easy enough to figure out what the pattern is. Stick a patch of black something on a white wall. Use your spot meter in the D40 for an initial reference. Next, looking through the X570 view finder scan across the test scene. This will give you a good feel of how the camera meters.</p>

[kellymjones]

<p>Juan - Center weighted metering may seem like guess work at first, but once you learn how your center weighted metering reacts under different conditions, it becomes very predictable. In some ways it's more predictable than matrix or evaluative metering on modern cameras because you don't have to guess what the matrix metering is thinking. However, in practice, matrix meters tend to be fairly predictable as well. They main thing is to learn your meter well. Once you do that, you can compensate and you will consistently get the results you want.</p>

[Matthew Currie]

<p>I would agree that there's a certain amount of guesswork in the Minolta when conditions are odd, but I'm not sure it's really any more guesswork than trying to calculate in your head what compensation to use on nikon even when you know exactly where the 60 percent ends and the other 40 begins (or on an F3, the 80 and 20). I suspect that the Minolta's center spot is not so sharply delineated, but once you're used to how it behaves, I think you'll find, as Kelly suggests, that it's pretty easy to predict how it will behave, and when it will need overriding.</p>

<p>However Minolta does it, I've always been impressed with their metering accuracy. I would not go out and spring for a hand held meter without first judging the results from the Minolta. Throw a roll of film into it, and go out and shoot some scenes that challenge the meter. If you get good results, either automatically or from your own added guesswork, then you'll know that you and the meter get along well.</p>

[mark_medin]

<p>Since the metering issue has been covered, I should mention that outside the plastic top and bottom covers, there's a lot more metal than plastic in the rest of the body. I don't think cameras had an abundance of plastic until the autofocus era, and Canon especially used a great deal of plastic in their cheaper autofocus cameras. I was aghast when I saw even the film rails of a Sure Shot weren't metal.</p>

[juan_c.]

<p>Wow, so much info!! I will try that suggestion Robert Lee gave. Guess I should figure that out first and foremost. Other than the metering, I have LOVED this camera!! So much better than my old XG-1 in almost every way (the XG looked better IMO, lol). <br>

Mark: are you saying the frame of the camera is mostly metal?</p>

[mark_medin]

<p>If my X-700 is any indication, it is.</p>

[Mike Gammill]

<p>If you can round up some back issues of Modern and Popular Photography you may find test reports on the X-570. One of these mags, not sure which one, used to provide a diagram of the metering pattern. <br>

IIRC, the TTL flash (280 PX and company) also are influenced by the center weighted metering.</p>

[andy_may]

<p>juan,<br>

I own 2 x570's and they are fantastic cameras. As for the center weighted meter, I believe you may be over thinking things a bit. Basically, it means that if most of your subject fills the center of the viewfinder, it will usually expose it properly. I mostly shoot people, so this is good for me. I believe minoltas are oriented for this type of photography. I am guilty of over thinking my camera meter too! I often over or underexpose when I didn't have to. Trust the meter in that camera, it is excellent even with slide film. I find that I only have to compensate with extreme backlight or brightly lit subjects, and this has virtually nothing to do with it's center weighted metering (you'd have to compensate in these conditions with any meter)</p>

<p>The camera has brass-coated plastic top and bottom covers. The inside of the camera is mostly metal, some metal and plastic gears, and a sturdy metal chassis. They are very durable, wear well, are serviceable, cheap, function well, and are just as good as their canon/nikon counterparts. Go out and shoot, take exposure notes and see when you need to make exposure compensations. You'll be surprised at how seldom you'll have to compensate.<br>

-Andy</p>

[Mike Gammill]

<p>Also, I think the X-570 can use the radio controlled remote system that was made for the X-700. With a motor drive or winder it is good for remote photography.</p>