The Best Metering Mode for Street Photography
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- čas přidán 14. 07. 2024
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There are a few options when it comes to metering modes, and in this video we try to explain them to some degree, while really focusing on the best one for street photography: evaluative metering. Of course, this is pretty subjective, and it's only our recommended way, but it has proven time and time again on our workshops to be the most reliable and easy-to-use metering mode. Check out the video!
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For me it depends on what I want in street photography: if I want to capture a scene I use matrix metering, if i want to create a scene (usually if there’s high contrast light) i’ll use spot metering (with ae lock)
The other method works. I don't mean to be too strong in my opinion and make it sound like a rule. Certainly every mode in the camera has its uses. I just find that spot metering tends to be too unpredictable, for me at least.
Always to the point, very clean and simple explanation, awesome video! Keep up with the good work 👌👌
Thank you! Will do! :)
The metering mode is of course important when shooting completely manual (if you do not use a light meter). It is the camera that is used as a light meter and you have to interprete the results. I use mainly spot metering and "some sort of zone method" in street photography in conjunction with the histogram. Wtrh spot metering I evaluate important areas and their exposure requirements. Only when the light situations are rapidly changing I use matrix metering.
Yeah, you can pay attention to the camera's meter when shooting in Manual, but if you're going to do that, you might as well shoot in Aperture mode and then use exposure compensation. To me, this is the same thing. When I shoot in Manual I ignore the camera's meter as this is the main point of shooting manual, for me. The second reason I use manual is to get consistent exposure between shots. If I'm going off the meter, I just use Aperture mode.
But anyway, you seem to have a good grasp of these things and have devised a method that works for you, which is great! My goal is to recommend a method that works for most people, especially beginners, without confusing them! :)
I think matrix metering works best if you move a lot and the lighting changes very quickly. For me who wait at one spot, I prefer full manual or spot metering with a mirrorless camera. Thanks for sharing.
Full manual is definitely an option when you stay in one spot. I use that technique as well sometimes. I still wouldn't use spot metering though for another reason: you generally have to focus and meter in the same place and that's not always the case. Although, I guess you can use AE lock to get around that. I can see how it can work, and if it works for you, great!! :)
Thanks! I have been guilty of using spot at night and now I know why that is a mistake.
Glad you found this vid informative!! :)
Spot metering is great for high contrast street photography on really sunny days that cast long shadows. For general street photography i use Nikon's matrix metering.
Yeah, I can totally see how it can work in such situations, but I find it simpler and faster to keep it on Matrix metering and just drop the exposure compensation by -1 or -2 stops. But, if spot metering works for you, don't let me discourage your from using it! :)
This is what I've been looking for! Thank you!
Nice! Glad to hear it! :)
Thank you again Lukasz for another great tutorial!!😀
My pleasure! :)
I just got me x-e3 and so far i had been shooting in spot metering. that's where all the problem was being created. Thank you i cant wait to try this now!
I hope it helped!! :)
@@EYExplore Definitely!
Since I started I have not "really'' paid attention to this metering thing. MOre lately since I have more photos under my belt and starting to get a good grasp of what exposure is correct or not, I have been exploring the different metering modes. I didn't know that basically, this is why we have an Ev compensation + or - ...I have learned something and will save your video to make sure I get back to it and digest this "thing" :) thanks for sharing
My pleasure!! Glad you are gaining an understanding of this. I found it kinda confusing in the beginning as well!
Thanks, good information, I seem to always learn something from your videos, please keep up the great work!!
Thank you so much!! :)
Thanks so much for the info. When the quarantine is over i will do that practice all of your guides and technique
Sounds good! :)
Thanks. This was very helpful. When I make it back to Japan, I look forward to taking part in your photo tours.
Thank you! I look forward to it! :)
You did a perfect video to explain this to those starting out in photography. Thank you! I shoot with a Nikon, Panasonic and Olympus cameras and notice that during the day, unless facing the light, an adjustment on prime lenses ( faster aperture ) of - 1/3 or more is needed in many shots, but the slower kit lenses seem to favor a + 1/3 EV. Maybe it is my imagination -- maybe not. Seems to happen with some Olympus and Panasonic primes where the photos highlights may clip if not taken down -1/3 or -2/3 .
I'm sure it's not your imagination! Cameras are just not 100% perfect at metering. Sometimes they nail it, but sometimes they make mistakes. It's good that you are not noticing when your camera requires certain adjustments. This is why we say the most important part of the camera is the 20 centimeters behind it: your brain! :)
This video came in clutch thank you
Glad to hear that!! :)
I have a D3s. Just picked it up used last month for an outstanding low price. Thanks for the insight!
I love the D3. I have one too but unfortunately the shutter died and cannot be serviced any longer.
Thanks for the insightful advise once again!!! =) Still learning about my camera, this surely helps as I find taking night / street photography very tricky at times!!!...
Glad to hear you found it useful! :)
Great topic and very useful. You are very articulate.
Thank you!! I'm working on it! :)
Thanks for that!
Glad you found it useful! :)
Street photography kinda reminds me of rally racing. Love it. U can go wild
Haha, I like this analogy!! :)
Metering change exposure reading in manual mode when you use Auto ISO.
And one tip, on Auto ISO (Nikon) your default ISO setting is your lowest ISO, so you can correct shuttersped in A or aperature in S mode.
Yes, that's right. But as I mentioned when say Manual I mean full manual, including manual ISO. If you leave Auto ISO on, then of course the metering is engaged and will affect the exposure via the ISO (within limits). And you also are correct that the manual ISO settings becomes the minimum ISO when Auto ISO is enabled. It is a soft minimum however. Nikon does not make this very clear in the camera.
Why do you have only 8510 follower? You have great videos!!! I learned a lot and you gave me nice ideas for my next walk.
Thank you!! We are working on it. We've only really been at it for about 6 months. Full steam ahead! :)
Raw format when shooting. Then you compensate exposure later in Your computer and not loosing image quality. Matrix mode yes works often very good. And ofcourse check the photo on the lcd screen on the camera after you took the photo. Could also use bracketing.
But safest thing is to shoot in rawformat together with a jpeg
It's cool if it works for you, but I don't see any use of shooting in JPG at all. Raw only is fine, you can always produce JPGs later if you need them.
Also, if you compensate in post, it depends on the camera, but in some cases you will see lower quality. This is a complex topic, but ISO invariant cameras, when you compensate if makes no difference to the amount of noise. But in my Nikon for example, photos look much better if I choose the correct exposure first rather than compensating later.
This all refers to bringing up the shadows. However, for highlights, if they are blown out, then there is nothing you can do to bring them back. In conclusion, I think it's very important to get the correct exposure in the moment.
EYExplore well Jpegs can be good if You want to put Your photos quickly on social media or sending to friends. Many cameras has wifi today and via smartphone this is quickly done.
I shoot Fuji x and the jpegs are very good.
Sometimes when taking a lot of photos we want to save them and not correct them in post. Maybe a trip with a family for a week and and you take maybe 500 photos then i prefer to have jpegs.
And like i said check the lcd screen after taking the photo is very important. Then normally the exposure is close to perfect and if not raw is good for correcting it later. With my Fuji x i see really no difference in image quality if changing the exposure in post.
Cheers
@@gunnarblomquist4412 That's a good point about JPGs! I think Fujis are ISO invariant, which is why you don't see a difference. As I said, it depends on the camera. :)
Good tips, thanks!
Thanks!!
Something I’ve been wanting to learn more about! You’re super good at explaining this! Thank you for the examples as well!
Thank you!! I'm so glad it's easy to understand. Sometimes I fear I over-explain or under-explain.
very nice tuto, very helpful
Thanks! :)
Hi eyexplore, I honestly stumbled on your CZcams channel but I immediately loved it especially the fact that you use few minutes and straight to the point. So thanks for that. I have a question. Am totally new in photography and I was gifted with a D800, very well kept and in more then good conditions. The question is, how does it work if you use the ISO sensitivity settings and then you are trying to compensate with -/+ EV? Does the camera try to counter compensate it by using the available ISO? Am a bit confused. Thanks for your good work.
Thank you! That's a good question: basically, you have 3 ways to directly control the brightness (exposure) of the image: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Then on top of that, you have exposure compensation. If all three of the basic settings are on manual, then exposure compensation does nothing. If any of the 3 basic settings is on auto, then exposure compensation indirectly controls them.
In the case that you have manual shutter and aperture but auto ISO, then exposure compensation will control only the ISO. For example, if the camera choose 800 ISO for a particular photo, then if you change the EC (exposure compensation) +1 it will double the ISO (a 1 stop increase), making the ISO 1600. If you go to -1, (a 1 stop decrease) then the ISO will be half, or 400.
In the case that more than one of the 3 basic settings is on Auto, for example on Aperture or Shutter priority, or on P + Auto ISO (all 3 basic settings on auto) then the exposure compensation will change some combination of the 3 settings (apeture, shutter, ISO).
But nonetheless, +1 would double the exposure, and -1 would halve the exposure.
Hope that makes sense! :)
Thank you
Thank you for watching! :)
Highlight metering mode on my Nikon underexposes my landscapes. I haven’t tried it for night photography. I think Nikon’s matrix metering is pretty accurate and it’s easy to apply exposure compensation.
Totally agree! :)
Thank you!
Our pleasure! :)
Very helpful as I am wondering how to get the best setting for shooting at a wider angle. Spot focus is great for centre subject detail - but shooting wider is a whole different ball-game.
Glad it's helpful! :)
Love your helpful and short tutorials with just one topic. Thank you! One question: why you don't meter manual if you compensate the automatic metering adapted to the situation anyway?
Thanks! The reason is that on manual exposure settings are absolute (and there are times where I prefer manual) while using the automatic metering and then applying compensation of +1 or -1 stop is a RELATIVE adjustment.
It means I don't have to keep changing it as I move from location to location as long as the lighting conditions are similar (e.g. lots of shadows like at night in Tokyo). If I use fully manual exposure then I have to adjust settings every single time the scene/light changes. In my opinion this is slow and unnecessary for street photography.
Mid center if I want contrast, matrix if I want full lighten pic, and Spot I nearly never use. But I tried the new af from fuji and it got eye meter and it looks damn good … but I am not sure if I can trust it. Need to test more
I just stick with one that is most consistent. The fewer settings I have to change, the better! :)
Congrats for this video!
What about if I'm in full manual mode (I control ISO, shutter speed and aperture)? I guess it doesn't matter which light metering mode you choose (spot, evaluative etc...). Am I right?
I've done some tests, and the metering mode makes no difference when I'm in full manual.
Thank you!! Yeah, in full manual mode the metering really doesn't do much. It will still be used by the camera to suggest when it think is the right meter. You'll see the exposure comp indicator move around +/- but you don't have heed its advice. But it will not affect the image at all. :)
Hey @eyexplore could you show how to use exposure compensation along with Aperture priority and Manual mode in a live setting? Thanks alot i love your work
Well, we do have this video: czcams.com/video/20HtSDYsfXo/video.html
Or do you mean actually in practice, while just walking around and shooting? That is something I'm planning but can't really go out and shoot these days sadly!
Recently I was trying out different metering modes on a newer Nikon body in an evening with bright full moon on clear sky. Here are all JPEGs from camera, I did only cropping and down sizing. In the post, photo 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 used spot metering. Exposure locked on either the moon or the light on the column. Photo 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 used matrix metering. Photo 13, 14, 15, 16 used highlight-weighted metering. What's noticeable is, Nikon is really doing well with its matrix metering and highlight-weighted metering in a contrasty scene like that. sangwenjin.medium.com/photos-moonlight-sonata-with-festival-lights-7c09bb64cd7f
Yes, I completely agree!
You said you under expose by -1 stop or minus -1/3 of a stop? A whole stop under seems like a lot for night scenes.
One whole stop, -1. It is not that mach, but I guess it depends on the camera. :)
Noob here, so please correct me if I'm wrong - in the underexposed examples shown for Spot Metering, I noticed all the focus points were pointed directly at light sources, which is why the entire frame probably became dark (underexposed). I noticed this myself recently when I was trying out Spot Metering on a Fuji X100F with the Spot setting dialled in to expose for the focus spot. On a couple of shots I put the focus point on a light source and the entire frame went dark. So I moved the focus to a point near the light source instead, and it worked quite well and gave me the contrasty look I was going for. As I understand it, exposing for highlights means to expose for REFLECTIONS of light rather than light sources directly, right?
Exposing for highlights is exactly what you want it to be. You define the highlights. Highlights just means 'the brightest part of the image that you want to expose correctly'. A nice example is the moon. A full moon is very bright, much brighter than the landscape below, but in many cases we don't expose for it. But of course, sometimes you might want to! So it really depends on you and what you're trying to achieve.
Nikon d3500
I usually go for -3 to -7 .. yeah im in pretty dark places sometimes.. just gotta balance the meter lol
You're thinking -.3 to -.7 (in other words, 1/3 or 2/3 of a stop). I could be wrong, but I assume so because I've never seen a camera that goes to exposure comp more that EVE +/- 5.0. However, I was talking about -1.0 (1 full stop) or even as much as -3.0 (3 full stops).
Awesome, thanks! Is japan not requiring people to stay home right now?
People are being recommended to stay home and avoid unnecessary contact with other people. But it's not mandatory.
@@EYExplore thanks for the reply. Be safe!!
What are your thoughts on metering in mirrorless cameras? With an EVF, plus a heads-up histogram if you enable it, you're essentially in Live View permanently. Does metering method really matter in that case?
I think it still does! You want to automate as much as possible. For street photography, it is essential to get your mind OFF the camera, and onto the scene in front of you. Moments are fleeting, and any time spent messing the camera can lead to missing the shot. So, it's still imperative to get the metering as reliable and accurate as possible. I would also never shoot with the histogram in my veiwfinder as I find this to be a huge distraction. I learn to trust myself and my settings to get the exposure right without constantly monitoring it. Actually, I like having as little info in the viewfinder as possible, only the basic stuff: shutter speed, aperture, ISO, exposure comp. That's all I really need to keep an eye on while shooting.
Why Lens use for street photography?
Whatever you want. There is no right lens. :)
Christopher Walken "Camera has to decide"! @ 00:35 secs.
Haha! Sometimes I talk funny in these videos because I'm trying to carefully think about what I'm going to say next and it comes out a bit awkward like this. I'm working on it!! :)
Maybe i was shooting Wth spot at night! Idk.. The photos sucked. I usually leave the camera in Evaluating mode. I will try tmrw.. night shooting
Yeah spot metering can be very tricky at night as I demonstrated. It's better in the day time but I still prefer not to use it. Good luck!! :)
I enjoy your videos, and I might join your workshop on a trip to Japan. But I have to say your wording on what is a "problem" when using spot metering is too strong. I shoot predominantly street photography and avoid matrix metering at all cost. I shoot spot metering 90% of the time. For me, its all about getting the correct exposure of the subject I have chosen, and letting the shadow fall where they may. That is not saying your method is in any way wrong either. They are all correct, its more a matter of style, and what you want to achieve with your photo. Your video might make it sound like an image being over or under exposed is a problem for street photography. Its not. Keep up the good work, and I hope to make it to Japan and join you on a shoot.
Thanks for the feedback! Perhaps my wording is strong, but I stand by my reasoning. My issue is that spot metering tends to be quite touchy. And although my goal is also a well exposed subject, there is really no reason to mess up the exposure for the rest of the scene in most cases. To me, the whole scene is the subject. It's certainly possible to get everything well exposed along with the subject, in most cases. If spot metering works for you, then that's great. If you already have a way that works for you, then you can just ignore my advice. I don't think anything I say is 100% universal.
But in my experience just using evaluative metering and adjusting exposure compensation accordingly to the scene is more consistent/reliable and therefore faster. And that's why I think it's the best mode overall.
I also have anecdotal evidence for this: I regularly see my students struggle with spot metering, and as soon as they switch to evaluative their shooting becomes more consistent and they are wrestling less with the camera.
I do admit though, that every setting in the camera can have its use and I could have just mentioned that briefly in the video. I just like to keep my message brief and clear, so I went with my personal recommendation, and I personally literally never use spot metering.
One last thing: if I do need a to expose for a very specific object in the scene, then instead of spot metering I prefer to simply switch to full manual exposure and dial in all the settings myself. It doesn't really take much longer than fiddling with spot metering and once I do have the settings dialed in, I can be confident my exposure won't drift if I move the spot a little bit.
@@EYExplore Thank you for a good reply. I can see us having some interesting discussions in a workshop. And I will also tell you something about my shooting setup. I have a FujiFilm X100V and a Sony A7rIV. And here is funny part. On the Fuji I prefer back button exposure lock. And on the Sony, I prefer Back button focus. (I don’t know why, I have just gotten into this habit on different approach between a DSLR and a compact.) On the Fuji I use spot metering, and “freeze” my exposure with the back-button. And I use the shutter release to focus. Often moving the view finder around to find the light. Then I re-compose, do my focus and shoot. While, on the Sony I use the metering mode you mention in the video - Highlight protection. So, for me, that is close enough to what I would do with spot metering.
So, with that setup on my Fuji, spot metering is a very reliable setup. I just hold my back-button in and shoot and recompose many times while freezing my exposure. But yes, sometimes I must hunt for the light.
Btw, in your video at 04:13 you show an example of an under-exposed image. I personally feel that was the best image. Moody, dark shadows and nice warm color tones on the bright objects. But that’s the thing with photography and you say yourself, its personal. So, I agree. Feel free to check my process on my YT channel, or the finished results on my Instagram: @jtpettersen
Have a good day! Stay safe.
@@jtpettersen378 All that makes sense to me!! I can certainly admit that there are many methods that work. I kinda push my method in the video, but it is ultimately only my method and may not be perfect for everyone. Also, having looked at your IG, I can see why you like my 'underexposed' shot, but as you say it does come down to a matter of creative tastes and vision. But that's a topic of another video! :)
Meh... Highlight metering is not that good in my opinion. Because in the dark it will always expose under to adjust for light sources. I end up with under exposed shots way more often than with matrix metering. Some times you just need to over expose by a stop or maybe even two to be able to restore certain details.
Ah, thank you for that info! Like I said, I never use highlight weighted metering personally, but I've heard from some people who used it that it works well. Currently, I just like simple evaluative/matrix metering. Works very well for me!
@@EYExplore Yeah, you are not missing something in my opinion. Try it when you have the opportunity, maybe it works for you. I have the option on my Nikon and I pretty much went back to matrix since testing out highlight metering. Ruined some great shots for me.