RX100ii: does metering mode matter with strobe?

[Professor_Chaos]

Shooting the rx100ii for the first time. Wondering if spot metering works when the strobe is on. I see exposure change between multi and spot when the strobe is off, but with the strobe spot metering doesn't seem to have any effect.

Anyone know if this is the case? Thanks!

 

[Incident]

So the short answer is yes, it does matter which metering mode you use.

The long answer is that if you are shooting with strobes, you should try to use manual exposure mode, and then the metering mode will make much less difference.

The longest answer is that if you are using a mode other than manual (to set your exposure), the metering mode makes a huge difference. If you allow the camera to set your exposure (in say A, S or P mode), then the camera will try to set the exposure based on how the meter reads the light. Trying to meter off a small spot can really throw the camera for a loop, based on the color and reflectivity of whatever falls into that small spot.

Your best bet is shooting in Manual exposure mode, and then the metering mode really makes very little difference.

Hope this helps!

 

[Professor_Chaos]

But I am seeing this effect in modes like A. If the flash is off
in A mode, then with spot metering the shutter speed changes if I move the spot from a dark to light area of the scene.

However, if the flash is set on, then moving the
spot changes neither the shutter speed, nor the final flash exposure. There is still headroom in the flash, since I can adjust with flash compensation.

I normally shoot in M; I had a dark eel against bright coral underexposed and I thought spot metering might help. But in test shots with the onboard flash,
i see exactly the same exposure regardless of whether the spot is on a light or dark area of the scene.

(this is all with TTL flash of course)

 

[Interceptor121]

Most of the times the camera internal flash TTL only meter centered weighted average regardless of how you set the metering mode
Working in aperture priority with the RX100 is a very bad choice as the camera tends to shoot at 1/30 and so it does in P mode
So if you can't manage manual mode try shutter priority it will most likely shoot at wide aperture but at least you don't get motion and shake blur

 

[Professor_Chaos]

Thanks for the info - from what I have seen in discussions of
older Sony compacts, metering mode is ignored for flash exposures.

I do shoot in M; just using A to compare the spot meter with a flash and non-flash exposure.

 

[Interceptor121]

You don't need to when you use M the camera meters correctly irrespective of the flash. The reality is that if you want to illuminate a spot you need a snoot