Subject:	Depends on the camera (+)
Author:	drdread
Date:	4/4/2002 8:47:19 AM
Message:

The N90s has a 5- or 7-segment (I can't remember which) light meter, so it can meter the whole frame regardless of where the subject is. The meter is patterned to put the smallest and heaviest-weighted segments at the center of the frame (annoying if you want rule-of-thirds composition), but typically this is OK.

Anyway, if the your foreground subject is very large in the frame (say, >~ 50% of the total frame area), then, sure, you can have some exposure problems. But mostly this isn't true in WA, so you can get away without the AE lock.

Consumer cameras (no offense intended, but the Oly 3040 and 4040 are most definitely *not* pro cameras) typically don't have that complex a light meter setup. They try to get away with a 3-segment or even a 1-segment light meter that covers a small part of the frame. It's not a true spot meter, but rather a meter that only looks at the center ~10% of the frame area. In this situation, the AE lock becomes critical for obvious reasons.

Another point worth mentioning is that I don't use TTL strobe in wide angle shots. It's just too !@%&^ unreliable. I shoot completely manual strobe. As such, weird decisions from the camera about strobe lighting don't really affect me.

Today and tomorrow are busy days for me, so I'll probably post more complete thoughts over the weekend or on Monday...

D

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