Does anyone else notice this? Is there a setting that I can change to bind metering with the focus point?
I'm using both Flexible spot Focus and I tried with both Centre and Spot metering but it just meters in the middle of the frame weather it's Spot Metering or Center metering.
Help!
Yup. That's how it works. I don't know of any camera that uses center weighed metering on the focus point, kinda defeats the purpose. Some cameras will give you spot metering based on the focusing point but not the sony. It is always center. I have the button in the middle of the AE switch to lock spot metering. Works well. If it's any concillation in canon world it's no better with the 5D3.
Beni, that is a conciliation indeed
But it's stupid, because my Canon 30D can do it, or at least i'm finding it easier to shoot my desired exposure on Aperture priority.
Only the 1D class? Were my expectations outlandish? I've probably been using my phone to take pictures too much... But if a phone can do it, why the heck can a mirrorless camera not?!
EVF is pretty good, but it's not amazing... and if you're a stop off, which you can be if you're shooting an event and everything is moving fast, that shot is much less than it could be...
All i'm asking for is spot metering on the face, with focus, off-center. Doesn't have to be in the extreme corners.
Flav wrote:
Only the 1D class? Were my expectations outlandish? I've probably been using my phone to take pictures too much... But if a phone can do it, why the heck can a mirrorless camera not?!
On my 1DX and 1DIV, I can link the spot meter point to any, individual active AF point. I can also do multi-spot metering, where the camera averages up to eight discrete spot measurements, at locations of my choice. My venerable 1Ds can also link the spot meter to an AF point, but it only allows three points for multi-spot metering.
I recall some of my old Minolta AF cameras used to weight around the focus point IIRC. But I think it was mostly hypothetical. There were so few focus points, film latitude, metering errors, I don't know whether it made too much difference
p.1 #11 · Sony A7 doesn't meter on the focus point
Yeah it was always a bug bear with me as a canon shooter that Nikon didn't similarly cripple their cameras. With the A7r, as someone said above, just spin the dial to dial it in but for severe backlighting the meter at center, lock and shoot (as much as you like till you press again and cancel) is a nice feature. The lock till you unlock is on the 5D3 but you have to know how to find it.
p.1 #12 · Sony A7 doesn't meter on the focus point
The problem as I see it, if you do this, flav, is that your exposure could be off wildly if your focus point happens to be significantly lighter/darker than the lightest/darkest points in the picture. All manufacturers think twice before introducing possibilities that, while helpful to experts, will lead to awful results in the hands of beginners. Just my 0.02$
p.1 #13 · Sony A7 doesn't meter on the focus point
Just checked my relatively humble Canon G1X and the meter is definitely linked to the focus point as I move it around the frame, in spot and evaluative mode, not centre weighted though, reasonably enough.
Checked my 5DII and it's just the same. I'm using live view and A mode.
Sad that the A7 isn't the same, I haven't got to grips with mine yet, to discover its foibles and strengths.
p.1 #15 · Sony A7 doesn't meter on the focus point
philber wrote:
your exposure could be off wildly if your focus point happens to be significantly lighter/darker than the lightest/darkest points in the picture.
When you're shooting portraits it doesn't matter if the skies are blown out, or if the shadows in the background are clipped off into darkness...
Also, that's why we have dynamic range, to pull back some highlights in the background, or raise some shadows..
BUT, whenever you adjust an image in this way, the colours get distorted, whatever colour space you use, you get some degree of variance, so if the exposure is not perfect for the skin, you then adjust it and turn that person into John Boenher or someone from the Jersey Shore - and that's a terrible thing to do to a person, me thinks.
Nevertheless, i started practicing the AEL function, so i can grab the center weighted exposure and then compose-focus-shoot in one go. Though the small A7 is not the easiest camera to do this on due to it's very slim profile - pressing several buttons is not exactly comfortable.
I just hope they know they did it wrong and the next version will have these functions. I wanna be able to shoot everything on this system, i love the FE55 1.8
p.1 #16 · Sony A7 doesn't meter on the focus point
philber wrote:
The problem as I see it, if you do this, flav, is that your exposure could be off wildly if your focus point happens to be significantly lighter/darker than the lightest/darkest points in the picture. All manufacturers think twice before introducing possibilities that, while helpful to experts, will lead to awful results in the hands of beginners. Just my 0.02$
Sure but spot metering feature is already there in all these cameras. What you are describing can happen regardless of whether the spot meter is linked to the active AF point or the center of the frame. In fact the chances of something bad happening are greater when the spot meter it not linked to the AF point.
p.1 #17 · Sony A7 doesn't meter on the focus point
mogul wrote:
With an EVF, you set the metering anywhere by just spinning the exposure dial.
This. Haven't used metering since getting the A7R, I leave it in manual and adjust the settings 'till I see the exposure I want in the EVF.
With the nearly non-existent read noise when shooting RAW there's no penalty for using ISO400 instead of ISO800 if the shutter speed and aperture are the same, so when shooting above base ISO I can happily underexpose everything and never accidentally clip a highlight.
There's still an advantage to exposing to the right with the A7, but only at the minimum ISO. In low light when you're shutter speed and aperture limited, you could just leave the ISO permanently set to 100 if you really wanted to. On a Canon 5D3 this would destroy your dynamic range.
