Metering modes in about 2 minutes (Sony A7iii)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ก.ค. 2024
- Today I show you metering modes in about 2 minutes, in your camera. This is the way the camera calculates what exposure to set your camera to.
I cover multi metering, centre weighted, average metering, spot metering and more!
Exposure compensation: • Exposure compensation ...
Your camera has a light meter built in to it. It examines the light coming in through the lens and evaluates the brightness of the scene.
Then it changes the settings to suit. If you shoot in any of the modes other than manual it will be doing this constantly.
In manual mode it will be giving you a meter reading on the scale on the bottom so it is always letting you know whether your under, over or exposed correctly.
Sometimes it gets it spot on…but other times it can be very wrong.
There are a few different ways your camera evaluates the light coming in and you can change these in your menu under metering mode.
Multi - This is multi pattern metering. It divides the area up into multiple areas and then work out the exposure of the entire screen.
If these lots of bright parts to your image, it might under expose your shot, if there are lots of dark parts to your image, it may over expose it. Then you might have to use your exposure compensation dial.
Center weighted - measures the average brightness of the whole screen whilst emphasising the central area of the screen.
Spot metering - This measures the spot in the middle of the screen and nothing else. On the latest cameras this can be manipulated. I’d use this if I had a subject surrounded by lots of darkness in the background.
Entire screen average - This measures the entire screen and averages it out. if your subject moves around the frame the exposure will tend to stay constant in this mode.
Now these are the main ones. If you shoot with a sony camera, you also have highlight metering and a few other metering options.
Highlight - This puts an emphasis on the brightest part of the frame. This is good for protecting your highlights.
When you have flexible spot and spot metering selected and then focus point link turned on, the spot metering is taken from the focus area. Wherever you focus, the camera will set the meter from that point.
When multi is selected and face priority in multi meter is set to on, it will take the exposure from any faces that are detected.
Normally if you shoot in the fully auto modes it will be set to multi meter and you won’t have any other options and this is why its worth changing to the more semi automatic modes in conjunction with using the exposure compensation dial. Affiliate links
Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means at no extra cost to you I will make a small commission, if you click them and make a qualifying purchase. - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
I was about to watch a 36 minute video about this. I'm so glad I found this video.
That’s great to hear I saved you some time!!
I have a lot more quick tip videos on my channel and also I have a list of all my videos in alphabetical order, split into genres, over on my website to make it easier to navigate. Check it out if you get the chance:
www.boxheadmike.com/youtubelinks/
Thanks for watching. 😁👍
Same! This vid gave me exactly what I was looking for
That's great Jared, I'm glad I could help!! 😁👍
same
Same !!!
Watching 5 years after posting and still helpful Thank you Mike, you an OG
Outstanding tutorial! Short and to the point. Great work Mike.
Straight to the point. No BS. Incredible!
Thanks so much Pramod! 😁👍
Perfectly informative video. No more and no less needed for specific search. 100% effective. Thanks.
No worries Isaac, glad you liked it! Thanks for watching 😁👍
Good job mike :P I have to give you a thumb up because you are the only video which actually tells me the mm indicates the meter.. Every video and web is telling us how to switch the light meter mode but they never mention how do we actually use the meter..... Wasted me entire day seeing them introduce the + - ev bar at the disp, some of them even talk about the physical light meter. I'm glad I found this video at the end.
Thanks so much. I'm glad I could help!! A few people have asked about this in the past so it was definitely worth mentioning.
Thanks for watching! 😁👍
Subscribed, thank you for the quick to the point info, it’s really appreciated.
Thanks so much for liking, commenting and subscribing, much appreciated! 😁👍
Thank you for posting this! I really needed this video haha
No worries Brandon, I’m glad I could help! 👍
Another succinct and informative video, thanks Mike!!
Thanks Ben!! I’ve been meaning to do this one for a while! 👍
There are many areas of my a7RIII I’ll spend hours reading up and researching, but metering is not one of those... this video is perfect
Thanks very much Jake! 😁👍
thank you so much for short, direct, helpful videos!
And thank you Sana for watching! 😁👍
Love the ending line: the best thing you can do is go out with your camera and try these different metering modes. see which one you prefer and which one looks better in different situations. The more you go out shooting the more you will understand your camera. Great stuff & thx!
Thanks so much Jared, most definitely! It's always good to test all the different settings and functions yourself and then keep using the ones you like...the best way to learn really.
Thanks for watching and commenting, much appreciated! 😁👍
One of the best videos I’ve watched for this. Thank you🙏🏽
No worries, thanks for watching 😁👍
Thanks a lot I've been studying for two years in the video but I wouldn't understand this function exactly, now I clearly understand how to use this function thank you!
Great to hear my video has helped. 😁👍
Thank you Mike. Nice to see short, too the point videos 😊
And thank you for watching. 😁👍
Awesome video, well explained and many thanks for sharing!
No worries John, thanks for watching 😁👍
Literally trying to figure out how to hi-light meter and then you drop the fact that I can link my focus point AND hi-light meter! Great content.
Great to hear I could help Ben!
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Informative. Clear. Concise.
Thank you!
Thank you very much. 😁👍
I never knew the a7iii had a highlight metering mode :O!!! I usually use center weighted and dial in my fine tuning
It does seem a really good function...it’s one of those options down at the bottom of the metering list that I hadn’t looked at until recently!
I’m going to use it over the coming weeks to see how it does! 👍
very short and very precise. Great video 👌👌👌👌
Thanks Sherif! It was a challenge fitting everything in to about 2 minutes! 😁👍
I love your stuff! Cheers
Thanks so much Ryan!! 😀👍
thanks for this quick visual explanation, 10/10
No worries, I’m glad it has helped. 😁👍
Such a good info. Thanks a lot
Great to hear I could help!
The focus point link feature is most useful, and not every camera has it. Thanks, Mike.
Most definitely Andre!
Thanks for watching and commenting, much appreciated! 👍
Brilliant, mate!
Thanks dude!! 👍
Superb, thanks a lot!
Glad you liked it! 😁👍
you cover a great part in that video where i should use spot metering mode in wedding photography thanku sir ❣️
Wow this was very helpful. Thanks
Thanks so much! I’m glad I could help! 😁👍
Great video. Very to the point.
Thanks very much! 😁👍
Well done!!
Thanks very much! 😁👍
Super useful - thanks!
That's great to hear Andy!
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Very easy to understand video. Thks
No worries, I'm glad you like it. 😁👍
awesome video thanks for the tips
No worries Manny, I hope they help! 😁👍
Perfectly explained.
Thanks very much Arsalan!
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Even though I'm a Nikon camera guy, I can appreciate your information about metering modes; THANKS!
That's great to hear Hurley!
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Really helpful..Thank you
And thank you for watching. 😁👍
Awesome video. Thanks
No worries, thanks for watching!
@@mikesphotography I wonder if focus spot, metering spot and the power point link work the same way with focus tracking engaged
Thank you!
And thank you for watching!
Great videos simple and clear 👍🏼🇬🇧
Thanks Tazzy! I’ve been meaning to make this one for a while. 👍
@@mikesphotography your videos are making better understand my Sony A7iii after years of using smartphones as daily use camera.
Awesome!! That’s quite a step up!! Photography is so much fun and although a camera phone is great, a full frame camera with some nice lenses makes so much of a difference!
What lenses do you have at the moment?
I got the Sony A7iii with SEL2870 lens. Any advice or tips would be great. As your video post has already made me better understand the camera. :)
I’d say just go and shoot as much as possible with it. There’s no better way to learn the camera than to be using it. You’ll make mistakes, miss shots and mess up the settings. But by making these mistakes you’ll learn so much about the camera and will start making less and less mistakes until you’re shooting like a pro!
One thing I like to do is to go and shoot an event....find a sports event near you and go take pictures of it. The kit lens will be great for this. 👍
I hope that helps.
Thanks again
No problem Gali! 😎👍
thanks again sir I am beginner and learn focus link ❤
hi man. nice video, nice explanation, straight to the point. one thing though, do you know how to disable this function on sony a7iii? its really annoyed me when im making a stop motion content, the exposure is always change even in manual mode. thanks you.
Thanks so much!
Unfortunately not...it would be good to be able to remove it from the display but it is on all of the different display options.
Thanks for watching. 👍
Mike Smith it turns out the auto hdr option needs to be turn off. thanks for the reply though👍🏻
Nice. Just lile always short and detailed
That's great Sony Camera
Most definitely!! 😁👍
awesome
Thanks! 😁👍
I have DSLR camera only. So only evaluative, center and spot meter is available.
Nice video. Thumbs up..
Thanks Ravi!
They’re all still good metering modes with their different uses no matter weather it’s a dslr or a mirrorless. 😁👍
And thanks for the thumbs up!! 😁
@@mikesphotography Thank you sir.
Great series of videos for the sony A7iii which is a bit baffling at first glance. Lovely camera though, and you won't always be in the menus. The Fn (function) button gives access to the main things you want to change.
Most definitely James! The Fn button does give you a customisable sub menu area for quick access, and also when you're in the navi display which gives you all the info on the back screen and use the Fn button, you can change settings directly on that screen as well. The Fn button is definitely your friend! 😁👍
please do a video on the correct camera exposure for different picture profiles :)
I’ll see what I can do. 👍
Another awesome and helpful video... but where is the Foo Fighters shirt? :)
Haha!! Thanks man! Monday is boxheadmike polo shirt day....it should be back on Thursday!! 😁👍
Thanks so much for these informations. So if I do video work, whats the best metering mode for that? I guess its multi, right ?
Thanks for the question.
When shooting video to get the best results I always shoot in Manual mode and set the exposure myself...if you’re not sure about that, use the multimeter mode and the exposure compensation dial to hone in your exposure.
Hi Mike, great channel!
I have a question about the metering. I'm using the spot metering but I would like to know if there is a way to make it not turn the view brighter or darker depending where you point the camera at ( like in your video when you moved the camera from pointing at the window to pointing at the wall) I already disabled the live view option to learn to read just the metering values of the differents part of an image, kind of turning my a7iii into a normal DSLR, and I find the continuous changing in viewing exposure very disturbing. Thanks for your help, hope I wrote it in a way that was understandable
Thanks Luca!
It sounds like you've already done what you can. Disabling live view is the only way to do this...and even then it will change the exposure on the screen to show you what you can see in your frame.
The only other way is to go back to a dslr...👍
@@mikesphotography Thanks for your help, have an awesome weekend!
Hi Mike, what if the subject is on the right or left side of screen? How do I move the spot from the centre?
Subscribed- What metering mode are you using for this video?
To shoot the video, I used the histogram and had the camera in manual mode so the exposure doesn't move at all.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Hi Mike! what metering mode you suggest to use for a day to night time lapse ? been out two nights now and I get a very annoying problem, camera Aperture priority and auto iso works well until it gets to max ss in ISO Auto set up (i.e 8 seconds) and stops ramping BOTH the iso and shutter speed. The result is a beautiful time lapse but going dark from the half. Two times now. May it be it's because I m using the multi mode in metering ?
The scene is dark nature. This is driving me nuts :P
Any help much appreciated. Thanks for all your videos very interesting!!!
Hi David,
I hear a few people have been having a similar problem...and I can imaging it is a really frustrating problem as the exposure times should just keep getting longer and then the iso should keep rising once the longest shutter speed has been reached...have you contacted sony yet to find out if they know about this? They're normally good at responding.
As soon as I can get to a dark location, I will be trying out a day to night timelapse without the city lights keeping the exposures short...once I've done this, I'll let you know...and maybe even make a video on it. 👍
Mike Smith thank you! I am doing some tests tonight too. Let s see what comes out of it. Thanks for your reply!
No worries, let me know how you get on. 😁👍
I realize this video is a few years old, but I have a question. If I set my metering to spot metering and select "Focus Point Link" will the metering work off the focus point if I am also in continuous focus mode? (For intsance if I am shooting birds in flight, will it take the metering off of a bird that is being tracked?) (I shoot an A7R3.)
That is a good question...and to be honest, I'm not 100% sure about that. The best bet would be to test it out...try it on on afs and then afc...and then with wide area and then flexible spot.
I think it's more designed to work with flexible spot or center focus ... But I could be wrong.
I hope that helps. 👍
So in manual you change it by the iso shutter speed and aperture right? So you can lea e the meter on any?
Yes... When you change any of these principle settings, it will move the pointer on your built in meter, the more light you let in, the more the pointer will move towards the plus figures and viseversa.
Good video. I bought a used a9 and multi-metering mode seems to be a bit overexposed in bright settings. My go-to metering is now highlight mode. Anyone else find this to be the case? I know I can calibrate the meter as well, just wondering if anyone else has had this experience or if there might be something wrong with my (used) camera. I’m just surprised that such a fine camera is so prone to blowing out highlights in its default metering mode, I set the zebra to 100+ and there’s a whole lot of zebra in most outdoor shots. Anyway, just a nitpick that I can work around, other than that it’s freaking great.
BTW, as an unexpected (to me anyway) perk, highlight metering is great for night/party/event type shooting, especially at events with market lights. It doesn’t try to create daylight exposure, and the market lights themselves aren’t completely blown out, creating a very refined look.
Hi Nick,
I think this is just one of the downsides with multi metering mode in general. It is always trying to get a good exposure for the shot as a whole and there are so many scenarios that it will trip up on.
Highlight metering is a great function isn't it!
ANd thanks for the tip with this metering mode...I'll have to try it out next time I'm out on the streets.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
@@mikesphotography thanks! Yeah, highlight is kind of like the easy button ;)
What is the camera adjusting for exposure using spot metering? Shutter speed, iso, aperture? I want to know what's being adjusted so I can fine tune things manually
As long as you have it in the semi auto or auto modes, it will adjust any one of these.
For example if you're in aperture priority with manual iso, it'll just adjust the shutterspeed and if you're in shutter priority it'll just adjust the aperture as you're in control of the shutter.
So it all comes down to what mode you're in.
When they're all auto I'm not sure of the priority in what it changes.
In spot metering it just looks at that single spot and nothing else for your exposure. For me, I usually shoot in aperture priority so it would change the shutter speed.
I hope that makes sense 👍
omg i cant belive that after 6 Month with my A7iii i never used this function! jezz , thx alot !
btw , what do you think is the best mode if you are filming? let it on auto?
Cheers
No worries....I sometimes forget to use it when I’m shooting!! 😆
The best mode to film in is manual for complete control. If it’s harsh sunlight an Nd filter will come in handy to be able to keep the shutter speed to double the frame rate. I rarely film in auto and once you get used to manual, you keep control over everything.
Does that make sense?
@@mikesphotography Yes i do ! and i will try it the next time i film :) thx alot !
Awesome! Let me know how you get on. 👍
My metered manual was +1.3 Is that considered as over exposed ? Thanks
What would be the best metering mode for low light videos?
Hi Sam, for video work, I tend to use the zebra function instead of metering modes. Then I just make sure I am not blowing out my highlights of the subject.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
at first the meter was changing in your video then later it was stuck on 0.0. mine is stuck at 0.0 and won't show me if I am over or under exposed
I'm a bit confused 🤔. I thought the half press of the shutter button 1. focussed and 2. metered the scene and 3. took the shot. I'm using back button focussing on the fujifilm xt3, so does this mean if I don't want the camera metering all the time I'm going to have to lock the exposure before taking the shot?
If you switch on backbutton focussing it should just take the focussing away from the half press. Metering should be still activated when pressing the shutter button half down, then a phot is taken when the shutter is fully pressed.
Does that make sense?
@@mikesphotography yes it does.. Cheers
Hi Mike, I'm new to the A7III and shoot landscapes (always in manual mode). I don't set or have never set a camera (Canon for years) to bracket, I just manually bracket adjusting to cover the full dynamic range.
In manual mode when looking into the EVF the exposure meter has 5 stops - and + but beyond 2 stops it's greyed out. WHY is this and is there a way to override it?
How can you adjust the Exposure Compensation while your ISO is set to 400? I really can't do that only if ISO is AUTO. I have looked it up everywhere, and it is unbelievably annoying! thanks in advance :)
Exposure compensation needs one or more of the settings to be controlled by the camera to work.
It sounds like you are shooting in manual mode. In manual mode, the only way EC works is when iso is in auto.
In aperture priority, which is what I shoot in mostly, I have the iso set to what I want it to be. Aperture is also controlled by me, but shutter speed is controlled by the camera, so when I change the EC, the camera changes the shutter speed to suit.
In shutter priority, the camera can change the shutter speed.
It also works in program mode.
I hope that makes sense. 👍
@@mikesphotography Mike, you are a legend! Thank you very much!! Absolutely help... yeah, I always go with a manual, but maybe things need some change to step up my game.. it was very essential to learn how photography works fundamentally, but it shouldn't be a habit. During the break, I will check more of your videos, especially regarding night because I struggle with the EC and cultivating light, keep it up and if you are around The Netherlands, lemme know would love to grab a coffee with you. And one last thing, do you think by any chance you will make a video for a setup with two flashes and a remote, all from Sony? Maybe other brands also work! Because I really don't see that much about it on TH-cam, and your explanation is fabulous. Thank you again, and please keep going :)
On my A7ii the exposure compensation dial seems to have stooped working. I shoot mostly in A priority, and I used to be able to use the Exposure Compensation Dial to adjust the exposure and move my histogram to the right. Now the ECD doesn't seem to do anything. Any idea if I have turned off a setting somewhere that would cause this?
Hi Mike,
It sounds like there might be a dodgy connection or a component that might need fixing in your camera. Sorry to hear that and I hope you have a camera repair centre close to you.
Thinking about it, it might be worth doing a factory reset in your camera to see if it is a software issue...you can do this by following this short video: th-cam.com/video/dojELI4WK20/w-d-xo.html&t
I hope that helps.
@@mikesphotography OK thanks for this advice and link to the video. I'll try the battery removal first. I assume if I do the factory reset, as well as re entering my settings I will also need to do any firmware updates that I have already applied (I think they only ever did one!)
@Mike Smith I tried the battery removal for 5 mins but no luck.
So I was about to do the factory reset but I thought I would go through the menus 1 more time, and then BINGO, I found the setting that was causing the problem! Somehow Live View Display has been switched to Setting Effect OFF, so putting it back to ON and my histogram if changing again with the exposure comp dial.
Isn't it amazing how cameras suddenly give up their secrets when you threaten to send them back to factory default. I spent all weekend trying to fix this lol.
Thanks again for your help.
@@mikegosheron1679 Ahhhhh....of course...it would show it on the light meter scale along the bottom but not in the actual image...makes sense now.
Great to hear you got it sorted...some good detective work their Mike!! 👌
when im shooting in auto, but i have spot metering set to focal point, will it still work?
Yes it will. What it will do is just look at what is in the focal area and take a metered reading from that. 👍
Could someone tell me why my exposure meter adjusts itself? maybe be a silly question but like in this video I'd like to set it accordingly but everytime I move my camera in a different angle it changes numbers itself, also my exposure compensation wheel doesn't adjust anything, could someone give me some tips? Again, if this is a stupid questions apologies in advance.
Don't apologise...asking questions is a way to get information to help learn about something new. 👍
When you move the camera to a different framing, there might be more or less light coming in to the camera depending on what you're pointing it at...if there's more light, the light meter will go into the positive numbers...if there's less light, it will go into the negative numbers...so the meter is telling you whether you have a good exposure, whether it will be under or over exposed giving you a guide as to what you need to change to get a good exposure once again.
When you are in manual mode, the exposure compensation dial won't do anything. This only works if you have iso on auto, and/or when you are in P, A or S modes...so program mode, Aperture priority mode or shutter priority mode. SO one of your settings needs to be controlled by the camera, and then you can override this with the exposure compensation dial.
Does that make sense?
Mike Smith everything made perfect sense, thanks Mike! Appreciate your time and being so informative. Stay safe
If you want to know what M.M. stands for; Metered Manual
So this is only for Automatic mode correct?
This is for any of the semi automatic modes like aperture priority, shutter priority and program mode.
In manual mode it will give you the meter reading on the bottom of the screen in the form of a +/- figure.
@@mikesphotography Thanks so much for the fast reply! Good info! "LIKED & SUB'D" already
Thanks for the like and sub Cliff, much appreciated. 😁👍
Mike Smith one last question. Does this effect anything when you are shooting video?
It's not working in manual mode?
In manual mode you control everything. So it will put a tag under the meter numbers along the bottom but it won't change anything...in manual mode, that's your job. 👍
If I understand correctly, this does not work if you are shooting in manual and I pretty much only ever shoot in manual.
Yep, you’ve got it! In manual you control all of the settings which is a much more precise way of shooting.
Kudos to you for being a manual shooter! 👊
In the semi automatic modes this gives different options of how the camera looks at the scene to expose the shot.
Mike Smith yeah may be worth playing with for kicks and giggles. Very informative vid though!
Haha! Indeed!! It’s all about the kicks and giggles!! 😆
What you should really do is speed up this video, talk faster, switch from screen to screen really fast... just to make sure nobody can follow a thing you say!
The only thing that is missing in metering modes video is METERING MODES! WTH? Um "Your camera has a buit in light meter but I am not going to tell you how to use it." This video barks out exposure times BUT NOT F STOP! A light meter will give you the recommended F STOP AND exposure time. This guys F STOP STAYS STATIC. THE WHOLE TIME! - Wanna know why people are still looking to educate on this? Because he did not solve the issue! He gave a very generic non useful sound byte.
Thanks for the feedback Michael.
You can talk to me instead of talking at me...I’m sorry I didn’t explain it in a way you could understand...Maybe next time I’ll do a better job.
Thanks for watching 👍
@@mikesphotography You stated "there is a light meter in your camera" (love it) But made the rookie mistake of not showing you to get the recommended F STOP and exposure time. What you showed was 1/2 of what a light meter does. That is not me "not getting it". It is you OMITTING HALF of the subject matter. As far as how you are instructing me how to comment, you will note there is a forum of discussion below each video that can serve as a time saver. TH-cam can be a great research tool. Until you have to wade through a mile of half baked videos to get to the answer. In addition I have seen this video given by other photography buffs. That was annoying as well. If you are giving tut on making waffles and DO NOT EVEN MENTION FLOUR as an ingredient, yeah, you are going to hear about it from the community. Once again, I refer to your description. "Today I show you metering modes in about 2 minutes, in your camera. This is the way the camera calculates what exposure to set your camera to. " (No mention of F STOP which is what a light meter does. NOT exposure time alone. Your words, not mine. I rest my case.)
Well I'll consider myself schooled...thank you oh wise one.
I wasn't instructing you on how to comment, I was merely stating that instead of talking about me you could have spoken to me, politeness doesn't cost a thing.
If you feel so strongly about how us "rookies" are messing everything up, maybe you could do a better job...
Have a nice day. 👍
@@mikesphotography You could have just answered the question. A light mete checks the conditions and gives you an f stop and exposure time etc.... this just gives you the shutter speed. Better to buy a proper light meter.
I probably should have mentioned the light meter in the camera is different to a stand alone light meter, but I was talking about metering modes.
Light meters will indeed give you your f stop and shutterspeed figures for the given light. The light meter inside the camera just tells you what it thinks the exposure should be...granted not a true stand alone light meter as they used to come back in the good old days of film...and are rarely used these days but I was merely showing people what different metering modes do inside a camera in-case of confusion with this setting.
As you said, I probably should have shown that the aperture changes this as well, my mistake.
As for light meters...they’re not really needed with these modern cameras.