AboutSteve Pearson Expertise Try me for 35mm or darkroom issues. I am a professional photographer in Australia. I work solely in 35mm digital format, after 35 years of colour and monochrome film in many formats. I have darkroom experience and for many years belonged to my local camera club. I conduct photography workshops around the state on any and most subjects relating to photography and often judge photography exhibitions and competitions.
Experience I hold a Diploma of Applied Science in Forensic Investigation, with part of my studies involving photography. I spend most days with a camera and am into digital photography in a big way. I was given my first camera in 1965 and have not been without one since. I spent nearly 20 years as a forensic investigator with my state Police Force, and since retiring a couple of years ago have concentrated on commercial photography - especially weddings.
Expert: Steve Pearson Date: 1/26/2005 Subject: Spot Metering
Question G'day Steve,
Thanks for making yourself available to help people like me. I'm a very inexperienced photgrapher, but I'm writing an article for Wild Magazine (an Australian bushwalking magazine) about a walk I'm going on next week. I've bought a book on outdoor photography and am rapidly learning how to use the camera I've borrowed (an Olympus OM 2000).
I have a question reguarding spot metering that neither my book, nor my users manual have been able to answer. I'm hoping you might. If my understanding of spot metering is correct, when the frame is filled with a consistent tone, say when pointing it at a slab of concrete with no shadows on it, the light meter should read about same whether looking at the whole frame (on normal mode) or just the centre (spot metering) because the amount of light being reflected is the same all over. However I have found with my Olympus that when I do this, the meter reads half to one spot less light in spot mode than it does in standard mode. I have found that the camera does this when pointed at a number of different things- various parts of the same horizontal slab of concrete, a white wall, a cloudless sky.
Should I compensate for this when spot metering with this camera or should I just do what it says?
Thankyou for your time.
Ollie
Answer Ollie. Spot metering is exactly what it ways it is. It meters on a small spot as indicated in the viewfinder. The 'normal' mode you speak of is the average metering. There is another mode in between called 'centre-weighted' metering that is a cross between the two. And whilst on the subject of metering - don't meter of white walls, bright skies or concrete slabs. Your camera's meter is not calibrated for these. If you want accurate meter readings, get yourself an 18% reflectance grey card. You should find reference to that in a good photography text or speak with a reputable camera dealer who knows something about photography. You won't be able to compensate with your declared limited experience.
Steve P
