Metering
Image: Although evaluative metering performed well in this scene, by switching to centreweighted metering the area of blown-out highlight detail has been reduced.
I was very impressed with the 144-zone multi-pattern metering system. In particular, the Intelligent Multiple evaluative metering, which in nearly every situation calculates the correct exposure for producing print-ready images. Of course, it is not 100% flawless, but does perform as expected. This makes it simple to identify when to add a touch of exposure compensation, or when to switch to centreweighted or spot metering mode.
When I photographed some ducklings on a shaded stretch of water, predictably, the evaluative metering did get the exposure wrong. It saw the water as being too dark and adjusted the exposure to lighten it, causing the ducklings to become very bright and burnt out. However, knowing that a camera is going to behave in such a way when photographing a high-contrast scene, makes it easy to adjust the exposure compensation, prior to taking the shot.
Obviously, spot and centreweighted metering are on hand for more accurate metering in difficult lighting conditions. It may sound rather surreal, but centreweighed metering proved useful when photographing a life-size plastic fisherman. Compared to the Intelligent Multiple metering mode, the centreweighted mode compensated for the highlights in the centre of the image and created an exposure around 0.6EV darker, which produced less blown-out highlights.
