D70s Metering

"AlanW" wrote in message
...
I have been practicing with my D70s for about 3 months now. I am also
trying to improve my photographic skills. In the process, I shoot most
photos in Aperture priority mode; make EV adjustments; and have used
the bracketing feature as well. So far, my results (exposure wise)
have been mixed using the Spot metering feature on the camera. I
consulted the manual and tried using the center weighted metering mode
- results still mixed.

I would welcome insights regarding spot metering versus center weight
metering. Pros and cons as well as any practical guidance regarding
their use.

Thanks,
Alan



I went through that with my first auto-everything camera (about 12 years
ago). Indeed, you do learn that way, but what I learned was that I rarely
had to second guess the meter, and when I did, it was relatively
obvious--backlighting, dark background/light background, or a very light or
dark subject that fills a good portion of the frame. As a result, I usually
leave the camera in P mode with matrix metering and dial in some plus or
minus compensation when needed. I use spot metering only occasionally, for
instance, at sunset/rise you can spotmeter 15-20 degrees away from the sun
and get a pretty good exposure. With the spotmeter, I like to think,
"whatever I meter off of is going to end up 18% tone," so if I meter off of
light blue sky, that sky is going to be a darker blue in the shot (works
best with slide film, but not bad with RAW, either).

--
Regards,
Matt Clara
www.mattclara.com