Metering

Metering refers to how camera measures the amount of light reflected by the scene. There are a few metering types that every camera model will have.

Evaluative or Matrix meter
This meter works by splitting the scene into smaller parts and then measures individual part. The overall exposure will be obtained by the camera algorithm. This meter is complex in a sense that although it works well in most case, it is hard to predict which parts of the scene the camera choose to obtain a proper exposure.

Centre-weighted average meter
The camera will meter the entire scene and average it but will give more weight towards the centre. This type of meter is ideal for portrait where the subject of interest is place at the centre.

Spot(Partial) Metering
Some camera will have both meter available. Although both perform the same function but the difference lies in the percentage of scene used to meter. For partial metering, it measures about 9% of the scene at the centre whereas spot metering measures about 4% at the centre. This metering is ideal for backlit object and moon shot which requires a small amount meter area.

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