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Author Topic: ETTR and Nikon Highlight Weighted Metering?  (Read 4945 times)

dwswager

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ETTR and Nikon Highlight Weighted Metering?
« on: January 26, 2015, 10:37:30 am »

Has anyone tested medium to low DR scenes with Highlight Weighted Metering versus Matrix Metering?  Does it place the brightest areas to the right side pulling everything with it?

During a presentation by a Nikon Technical representative,  he was discussing the highlight weighted metering and it's intended function.  He indicated that the meter evaluates some 96,000 'zones' and then ensures the highlights are preserved.  As he was wrapping up the topic, he threw out that if you do ETTR, then highlight weighted metering will do it for you.  I didn't get to ask any followups on this.

Obviously, there are not many scenes outside the DR of the D810, and the shadows are so good that it makes ETTR much less important than previous cameras. And this is not actually based on the sensor data which would require a test shot, but off the exposure meter.  I've tested highlight weighted metering is extreme contrast situations and found it does exactly what is says; preserves exposure in the highlights.  In scenes with large dynamic range you are going to get a darker exposure with highlight weighted than matrix metering.  Question is what does it do when there is plenty of DR to play with?  Does it set the brightest 'zone' to a specific set point or does it merely ensure the brightest 'zone' is at or below that set point?
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dwswager

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Re: ETTR and Nikon Highlight Weighted Metering?
« Reply #1 on: January 28, 2015, 10:02:00 am »

Ugh!  Nope.  Tested this out myself.  Highlight Weighted Metering will keep the highlights from blowing out, but in low DR situations, doesn't materially affect the results you get with Matrix Metering.  At least the shadows on the D810 are very good!

**Update**
Where this might be useful is HDR brackets.  Since I have yet to have a single shot with highlight weighted metering blow the highlights, one could set highlight weighted metering and that becomes your darkest exposure and then do the bracketing only on the additional exposure side.
« Last Edit: February 03, 2015, 10:17:12 am by dwswager »
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