M11 Spot metering

[Spo]

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I've only had my M11 for a month or so now and admit this may be a silly question...

I've not yet fallen in love with it, may be my eyesight is not as sharp as when I had an M8 years ago and focusing is an issue but hopefully it'll come, anyway...

I shoot mainly by spot metering and when in live view I can see where the spot is set to and metering from. I don't use live view though as I prefer the viewfinder from which I cannot see the metering point. Have I just now switched something on or is it not an option. 

Thanks

[M11 for me]

SPOT
Spot metering only captures and analyzes a small area in the middle of the screen image, which is shown in a circle. The metering field may shift.

 

See page 155 of the manual.

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[lct]

4 hours ago, Spo said:

[...] shoot mainly by spot metering and when in live view I can see where the spot is set to and metering from. I don't use live view though as I prefer the viewfinder from which I cannot see the metering point. Have I just now switched something on or is it not an option. [...]

I don't use spot metering with the M11 so take my post with a lump of salt. AFAIK there is no metering point per se in RF Mode. Just use the RF patch as such. The latter cannot shift though so better use LV if you want to set the metering point elsewhere.

[DrM]

I used spot often. It helps to set the option to reset the position in the center, that way you can use the RF patch. Depending on your handling and setting you might reposition the spot on the screen, in that case just switch of the display and enjoy the RF

[DadDadDaddyo]

I use the spot metering habitually, simply because I became used to checking out a scene with s spotmeter years and years ago, so it feels natural and comfortable. 

It does, or can, slow you down, so its use depends on the situation as well as your shooting style. Sometimes I switch to highlight-weighted metering, which suits me far better than averaging or simple center-weighted metering. 

I shoot strictly manual, again, by force of comfortable habit. The idea of using aperture-priority and/or auto ISO, then applying exposure compensation when needed is, well, completely baffling to me. 

But that's just me. I started using Leicas in the 1960s and a spotmeter in the 1970s. 

Guess I'll just keep at it....

[Jon Warwick]

How big is the spot, ie, presumably bigger than a 1% measure on dedicated handheld meters? And with the M11 in spot meter mode, is there a circle in live view that shows what area is precisely being spot metered?

[lct]

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1 hour ago, Jon Warwick said:

How big is the spot, ie, presumably bigger than a 1% measure on dedicated handheld meters? And with the M11 in spot meter mode, is there a circle in live view that shows what area is precisely being spot metered?

There is indeed a circle in LV mode. It will give you an idea on the size of the spot but my only infos about this size come from earlier cameras sorry.

[DrM]

The percentage I don't know, but I can imagine it just uses the pixels in the circle. If this assumption holds, measure the size and you can calculate the percentage and the depending on the lens used the angle.

Edited February 9 by DrM

[DrM]

Based on a quick and dirty screenshot with the spot on it is about 1,3% of the pixels.

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Edited February 9 by DrM

[J S H]

I use spot metering for any tricky lighting conditions, as it eliminates the guesswork. With a full frame view, the spot is relatively narrow and precise. With a magnified view, it is extremely precise. Probably just a few hundred pixels. It slows you down, but sometimes that's not a dealbreaker. The OP is asking about a way to reference the spot field/positioning while composing and focusing with the rangefinder and there's no easy solution. As suggested above, if you leave the spot in the center, it should be roughly aligned with the RF patch, so that would be the most practical approach. It is very sensitive, so I think it might be hard to use effectively by just roughly knowing its location if there are high contrast areas of the scene.

OP, if you are also having focusing problems due to failing eyesight, it sounds like the EVF might be your best overall solution to both problems. I have good eyesight, but the EVF never leaves my camera.  

[M11 for me]

vor 4 Stunden schrieb DrM:

Based on a quick and dirty screenshot with the spot on it is about 1,3% of the pixels.

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Plus the spot can be moved around . . .

Edited February 9 by M11 for me

[Revolvrphoto]

Does anyone know if there is quick way to re-centre the spot meter? I thought double tap but that zooms the screen ? Thanks 

[DrM]

18 minutes ago, Revolvrphoto said:

Does anyone know if there is quick way to re-centre the spot meter? I thought double tap but that zooms the screen ? Thanks 

Single tap...