Metering in Digital Photography
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Metering is one of the most important aspects that should be considered when buying a digital camera.
Though most of the digital cameras come with a metering mode called “Center Weighted” standard, this is not always the best choice.
Center weighted metering takes the center of the focus of the camera and then calculates the best exposure for that picture. This is the most useful for portraits, but what if you weren’t taking portraits. Rather, you want to take a picture of scenery or even of the moon at night?
Then what you want is a camera that has adjustable metering.
This would allow access to the three main types of metering: Matrix, Center-Weighted, and Partial.
Each is better for certain conditions:
The Matrix metering is oftentimes the best to use, for it cuts the picture into grids and changes the exposure for each part of the grid independently. It then performs a complex algorithm and relates the picture back after the algorithm is applied.
Partial metering is when only the selected portion of the picture is tested, ignoring the rest. Most commonly the center, the camera can be set to weight different parts of the picture. This is great for taking pictures where there is a brightly lit background or just a picture of the moon, where you dont want all of the excess glare, or exposure from the stars.
So, whatever kind of pictures you are taking, family portraits or astronomy, always know what kind of metering system your camera has. You don’t want to be in the middle of the most important event of your life and end up with a blurry or out-of-focus picture.
