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ESP metering (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter pshute
- Start date
Why auto ISO? I've been using manual exposure for birds in flight, but normally use spot metering for everything else, so it means I have to be ready. I was hoping this mode might be smart enough to work it out itself.
NoSpringChicken
Well-known member
I use ESP metering most of the time, making manual EV adjustments as required. It seems to work well for most of the time but for backlit bird I think spot metering might be better. I don't often use spot metering as it can come up with some very strange results if an inappropriate part of the bird is selected. I think Centre Weighted metering is the second most useful, provided the bird is in the centre of the frame or you are prepared to use the AE button.
Ron
Ron
I assume that this mode is similar to matrix metering on other cameras. If that is indeed the case, then a medium darkness bird is likely to come out perfect; however, a white bird filling much less than all of the pixels is likely to come out too white while the rest of the frame becomes too dark. Try it out with a white piece of paper placed in different backgrounds, and if you want to do really well, a black piece placed some distance from the first.
Niels
NoSpringChicken
Well-known member
Cristian Mihai
Cristian Mihai
I usually use spot metering for taking shots with birds (in flight or not). I change the metering mode only when I have a bird that cover a large area of the frame (the bird is very close to the camera) and has very dark/light colors. In such a situation I strongly recommend ESP.
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ammadoux
Registered doux
THANKS Christan this is very helpful, let me try it.
NoSpringChicken
Well-known member
I am resurrecting this thread as I have been using Spot Metering quite a bit recently. It is useful for birds in flight or in difficult situations, such as against bright sky etc. However, I have found that the results can vary wildly if the bird has variable plumage colours, such as a Magpie for example. Depending on which bit of the bird the Spot is metering from, the image can be badly over- or underexposed.
This brings me to the real point of this post. I have been reading on another forum that many people choose Centre-weighted as their metering mode for bird photography, as a compromise between ESP and Spot Metering. I haven't tried it myself but will give it a go next time I am photographing birds. Has anyone else tried it and was it effective?
Ron
This brings me to the real point of this post. I have been reading on another forum that many people choose Centre-weighted as their metering mode for bird photography, as a compromise between ESP and Spot Metering. I haven't tried it myself but will give it a go next time I am photographing birds. Has anyone else tried it and was it effective?
Ron
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Cristian Mihai
Cristian Mihai
I've used it rather rare and I don't have a conclusion about it. As I wrote above I usually use Spot and, from time to time, ESP. A magpie is always a hard subject for photography, like any black and white subject...
