Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/03/14

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Subject: Re: [Leica] [LEICA] Why use center-weighted metering with R8?
From: Dan Cardish <dcardish@sympatico.ca>
Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 07:29:39 -0500
References: <20010314090947.13446.qmail@web9107.mail.yahoo.com>

It's the "weighted" part of centre-weighted which has always bothered me.
When I use my eyes to view a scene, I see with equal sensitivity
everywhere, but the camera meter sees 75% in a circle at the centre of
view, and 25% in the remaining field.  My eyes can't do that, and I have no
idea what the camera is doing.  I would rather have equal metering across
the whole field, or better yet, in a restricted zone as with the M6.

I may not understand what matrix metering is doing, but the smarts behind
it usually does a good job.  There are no smarts behind centre weighted.

dan c.

At 02:46 AM 14-03-01 -0800, Mark Rabiner wrote:
>> 
>I have a lot of experience with the center weighted vs matrix option from the
>extensive use of my Nikon 8008 in the early 90's.
>The reason why you'd want the center weighted option is because you want the
>metering to be center weighted!!! Why?
>This is how most cameras work and is the most obvious and still the most
useful.
>With matrix you don't know what it's doing. It's metering from all over the
>place and it's decided you're shooting a Mary Smith by the sunset. You could
>really be shooting Harvey the steam shovel by a low pressure sodium light and
>the situation could require a much different light balance.
>That said i gonna say that at least with old Nikons, matrix metering
usually works.
>What if you want to take readings off different areas?
>What if you want to control what you are doing?
>Then you leave it at center weighted metering and take readings and make
>decisions based on those readings.

Replies: Reply from Dan Cardish <dcardish@sympatico.ca> (Re: [Leica] [LEICA] Why use center-weighted metering with R8?)
Reply from "Stanislaw B.A. Stawowy" <watteau@krakow.neurosoft.net> (Re: [Leica] [LEICA] Why use center-weighted metering with R8?)
In reply to: Message from Ray Moth <ray_moth@yahoo.com> ([Leica] [LEICA] Why use center-weighted metering with R8?)