The irrelevance of metering

[IkarusJohn]

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Back in the day, we carried handheld meters for incident readings, then we got built in reflective meters (averaged), centre weighted, spot and matrix. Ansel Adams told us to set values for particular objects under the zone system. Gossen and others impressed us with how accurate their 1° readings and zone calculations were.

 

All this was to deal with one single critical issue - we set the sensitivity of the recording medium (film or digital sensor) but we had no idea how the image was being recorded until the film was processed, or we chimped.

 

With CMOS sensors, we can see in real time what's being recorded on the sensor. The meter has, therefore, become irrelevant.

 

I have been using exposure simulation pretty much continuously on the SL since I got it, and it works perfectly - no need for meter settings or exposure compensation, and with AWB, the resulting raw file needs minimal adjustment. It seems to me that we still have some hang-overs from film we should consider ditching. The SL's EVF has really made this possible.

 

The downside is that the SL still needs to focus wide open (presumably for AF speed and accuracy), so you need to press the fn button twice to engage simulation for every exposure. Leica has confirmed that it will not provide for exposure simulation as a default (I'm sure for perfectly good technical reasons).

 

If we're really talking reduction to the essentials, how about a raw only camera (like the Monochrom), no meter at all, fixed auto white balance (like the M60), exposure simulation (by default), raw histogram and see what else can be removed. I like the idea of just recording raw, with the best exposure possible to reduce post processing - if Leica focussed just on that, surely the SL (or a simplified version) could be coniderably reduced to its essentials?

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[jaapv]

You still need to meter precisely when you need the full dynamic range.

[LocalHero1953]

As I understand it (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) the SL histogram is based on the EVF display, not the raw file, so is only an approximation to the actual exposure. Does any camera give a histogram of the actual scene or a raw file?

[IkarusJohn]

As I understand it (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) the SL histogram is based on the EVF display, not the raw file, so is only an approximation to the actual exposure. Does any camera give a histogram of the actual scene or a raw file?

Not sure about that. I like the raw histogram on the Monochrom.

[FlashGordonPhotography]

Firstly, all that's happened is that the meter has moved from a separate unit to being in the camera.

 

Secondly the histogram isn't based on the EVF display. It's based on the JPEG settings. You can set aRGB and lower the contrast to the lowest settings. Then you just need to learn how much headroom the raw has over the jpeg (about a stop and a bit).

 

Exposure simulation is fantastic. But using ETTR can, in some cases, drag a little more out of a really tricky file.

 

Mostly though exposures are in the ball park without really doing anything.

 

Gordon

[gerhard.hagen]

As I understand it (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) the SL histogram is based on the EVF display, not the raw file, so is only an approximation to the actual exposure. Does any camera give a histogram of the actual scene or a raw file?

 

No, not that i know of. RAW histograms would be one of the requirements for obtaining maximum dynamic range, but no camera manufacturer implemented it ever. We can only hope....

 

Gerhard

[IkarusJohn]

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You still need to meter precisely when you need the full dynamic range.

Sounds like technical knowledge looking for an issue (again).

 

Dynamic range is, of course, a factor inherent in the sensor, rather than an issue of metering. To capture the dynamic range yor sensor has to offer, you need to set the exposure best for the sensor. After exposing, you then adjust (by eye) in post processing. Setting exposure using the EVF simply takes you to this stage first, assuming the EVF is a fair reflection of what the sensor captures (fair assumption, I'd say). Using the EVF, it's very easy to see whether you're under or over exposing - protecting highlights or shadows.

 

Conversely, using the meter, are you centre weighting, spot metering or matrix metering? Do you use exposure compensation? What do you do when you chimp? And what are you then doing in post? The EVF skips all that and takes you to the final image.

 

Provided you're capturing the detail you want, either in the highlights or shadows, needing a meter for full dynamic range sounds like nonsense to me. The sensor will capture the full dynamic range anyway - you're just determining the mid-point (or extremes, if you prefer).

 

PS - Gordon cross-posted. I guess this will depend on the accuracy of the EVF. I have had very pleasing results using the meter in the SL, but short of bracketing, taking an average grey reading or doing zone calculations, I'm not sure the results are that much better.

 

Gerhard, the Monochrom histogram is based on the raw file, but it takes a few moments to load. I doubt it could be used for anything but chimping.

[jaapv]

You can do even better (as in easier)- some cameras offer an in-camera HDR setting - including smart phones- Never mind the results.

[IkarusJohn]

Right. HDR. Perfect. Maximise your dynamic range to make everything wild, and curiously ugly!

[jaapv]

Indeed. That at least we agree on

[earleygallery]

I'm not sure I'd want to rely on how an image looks like through an EVF - the result in print (assuming that is the intended medium) could look very different.

 

In any case you ARE still metering, just by a slightly different method.

 

Additionally - surely it's important to understand metering. Some people think they're great at manual light reading but they're just turning knobs/dials until they get a green led for go. They're not considering the aperture/shutter speed and the effect on the final image. That seems not so different from doing the same until you get an OK-ish looking image through the EVF.

 

In any case surely program mode will give you an acceptable or workable result each time?

[helged]

You still need to meter precisely when you need the full dynamic range.

 

 

And blown-out highlights are forever gone, so some sort of metering is, generally, wise... With a conventional sensor, one of the colour channels may have some hidden info despite highlights appear to be gone, but there is no-regret on the Monochrome, for sure. In my experience - with my admittedly limited pre-prosessing abilities  - metering based on ETTR does not necessarily give the best end (printed) result; so typically I aim to meter a scene according to how I imagine the end product. A scene with lots of snow in diffuse light is an example where post-prcessing of ETTR-guided captures can be a true nightmare to get 'correct'. In this case I prefer to have the info more centred, not everything pushed towards the far right, on the histogram.

 

Regarding the histogram in the SL EVF: I find this to estimate he true (RAW-based) histogram in a good and reliable way; I can hardly remember serious metering mistakes since I got the SL 1.5 years ago.

[antigallican]

I still use a sort of adapted version of the  spot meter process, but now provided by the camera. In my M9 I'm looking for what I want exposed as the mid tone in a scene. I meter it, set the shutter and aperture, recompose, adjust the focus and press the shutter. Okay, it's not exactly spot meter but it's not often you need 1 degree spot. On the SL it's even better - fully manual you can just choose what you want to be the mid tone, then push the viewfinder circle over it, correct the shutter/aperture/iso. That's your reading. Adjust the settings. Click. I think it's fantastic. As someone who started out with completely manual film cameras finding Leica electronic cameras is like finding my roots again. With dslrs I was always looking for ways to turn stuff off. Leica puts you the photographer back in charge of the process, not just being a sort of menu jockey. And as a new user of the SL I have to say the files coming out of it are fantastic.

 

I still have handheld meters and do use them occasionally, especially for flash or reproduction work.