M11 Dynamic Range Specification

[Tortuga]

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One question about this aperture priority auto ISO approach with multi-field metering: with the rangefinder, how do you do exposure compensation?

What I mean is that with a manual approach and center weighted metering you evaluate the light and decide the exposure parameters, but with multi-field the camera evaluates the light, and you have no idea why it is choosing a certain exposure, so you can’t correct with exposure compensation. Say there is a light and a dark area in your picture, multi-field could expose for either or an average, so how can you judge the amount of compensation needed?

[jonoslack]

27 minutes ago, Tortuga said:

One question about this aperture priority auto ISO approach with multi-field metering: with the rangefinder, how do you do exposure compensation?

What I mean is that with a manual approach and center weighted metering you evaluate the light and decide the exposure parameters, but with multi-field the camera evaluates the light, and you have no idea why it is choosing a certain exposure, so you can’t correct with exposure compensation. Say there is a light and a dark area in your picture, multi-field could expose for either or an average, so how can you judge the amount of compensation needed?

Hi There

you put exposure compensation on the thumbwheel (where it should be). If you use the EVF you can see the exposure (and thus judge the exposure compensation) . If you are just using the rangefinder then it has to be practice! 

But although I don’t use centre weighted that much I do certainly use spot metering a great deal - multi field does really well, and in an image with equal amounts of light and dark it really does a good job (whereas centre weighted may not) 

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[Tortuga]

Thanks, Joni. How often do you need exposure compensation with multi-field metering?

[shirubadanieru]

2 hours ago, jonoslack said:

Hi There

you put exposure compensation on the thumbwheel (where it should be). If you use the EVF you can see the exposure (and thus judge the exposure compensation) . If you are just using the rangefinder then it has to be practice! 

But although I don’t use centre weighted that much I do certainly use spot metering a great deal - multi field does really well, and in an image with equal amounts of light and dark it really does a good job (whereas centre weighted may not) 

Just sharing a different approach in case anyone finds it useful. 

I never use exposure compensation on a digital camera. I go about it as I do with my film cameras, if there’s a high contrast scene, let’s say a backlit object / person, and I want to get the details of the object / person’s face, I point the camera to the middle bottom of where that object / person is standing and lock the exposure by half pressing the shutter (so the meter would probably read 1/60 as an example). If I want to get a silhouette, I point the camera to the sky and lock exposure (so the meter would probably read 1/1000).

If I know I want to retain both shadows and highlights, then I shoot in the middle (in this case, 1/250)…and that’s it. I believe Leica film cameras / M9 etc offer center weighted metering as the default, and that actually has allowed me to do the above with accuracy because I know what the camera is measuring when I point at something.  

Edited January 20, 2022 by shirubadanieru