Metering versus focusing

rmp

Hi, I am thinking about breaking down and actually trying to learn about the meetering and focusing systems on my Z7. In the past, I avoinded the details and just used spot focusing and meetering. I got away with my blind-approach for a few generations of Nikons. Now, I think I might be willing to try to seperate them and study -- a little. So my question is where do I go to study this stuff? I have Hogan's manual, but I find I can only read a few thousand pages a day. (That was a joke, but you get the message.)

mhedges

You regularly use spot metering?

WestEndFoto

I would just persevere through Thom’s manual.

rmp

Spot focusing and spot metering. Yes, stop laughing. I use spot focusing because I often have junk in the foreground. Don't ask me why I use spot metering, I cannot remember that far back. I think it was because I had faces in the frame and other distractions that would affect the outcome.

BVS

Face/eye AF appears to meter for the face automatically.

mhedges

Well I usually use spot focusing too. But spot metering? No thanks. Matrix Metering has been a strength of Nikon cameras since forever.

rmp

I also think that face/eye AF automatically meters for the face. Does anyone know if does? If it does, I can change to some other metering -- like matrix metering.

WestEndFoto

I usually leave it on matrix and be done. I use exposure compensation when I want to adjust something. But that said, if you have a significant ratio between your subject and background, spot metering can be very useful.

Capt_Spaulding

In my case it depends on the subject. I generally use matrix metering and single point continuous AF. If trying to track a fast moving object (aircraft, racecar, bif) I'll use dynamic area af, usually 9 or 21 point on my d7200 and d750. This may not be of much use in the Z body world.

On the metering front, I'll use spot metering in cases where I'm trying channel some zone system zen or the dynamic range in the scene is insanely wide. The rest of the time I usually let matrix metering The sad thing is, with the dynamic range these cameras have and the capabilities of image processing software, most times I just shoot and find my zone 5 (or whatever I'm looking for) center in post.

I got a lot out of Steve Perry's e-books on the Nikon AF and Exposure systems. They're written for the DSLRs but I'm told that most of the concepts and some of the settings translate to the Z body pretty well.

rmp

Me again. Hogan said the AF face/eye detection appears to adjust the background on the fly dependent upon the focus area mode. Being the nerd that I am, I will try it. Typically an in-the-office with a person inform of a window when the outside light is quite bring and the office lighting is dull. More later.

FreezeAction

Today was a day for spot everything. With the strong back lighting here there is now way I wanted to deal with fixing the subjects when the backstage of the image was easy to fix in post.