Camera built in spot meter

[Chan Tran]

The Olympus OM-4 and OM-3 were the first to have built in spotmeter (I think) and they can do an average of several readings. All modern cameras have spotmetering but none I know has the averaging function. My handheld spotmeter has the function but I never used it. I wonder if anyone uses it?

 

[paddycook]

I use it all the time with my OM4Ti & my OM3Ti

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

I;ve been using my Olympus E-PL1 camera as an exposure meter for awhile lately. It has spot meter readings but no average I don;t believe which gives about 2 degree spot with its normal Zoom lens 14-42mm at full tele equivalent to 2x or 28-84mm. Of course you can reduce the degrees of the spot by using a larger telphoto. ANother feature of using the camera is it has a histogram and blinkies which stand-alone meters don't have. I also use the camera as a director;s finder, can see what bw images might look like, helps select the lens, records video to keep notes and as a reference to my LF film shots, etc.

 

[koraks]

I wonder if anyone uses it?

Yes; it's one of the reasons I like the Canon T90, which also has this feature. When I photograph with that camera, I virtually always use the multi spot measurement system. I find it very useful.

 

[ic-racer]

Rollieflex 6008i has this function.

 

[Chan Tran]

So I wonder why newer cameras don't have this feature while they all have the spotmeter.

 

[koraks]

So I wonder why newer cameras don't have this feature while they all have the spotmeter.

I suspect it wasn't used as much as anticipated, and/or that it made more sense from a usability viewpoint to improve in the area of matrix metering and similar 'evaluative'/'smart' modes that took only a single press of the button to get the job done.

 

[Chan Tran]

I suspect it wasn't used as much as anticipated, and/or that it made more sense from a usability viewpoint to improve in the area of matrix metering and similar 'evaluative'/'smart' modes that took only a single press of the button to get the job done.

I asked because although I do use spotmetering I never do the average.

 

[Paul Howell]

Miranda had built in spot and average on the EE model. The Minolta 9000 has spot, midtone, shadow and highlight mode. The Leicaflex first model and standard model had spot metering, no average meter.

 

[xkaes]

The Leicaflex first model and standard model had spot metering, no average meter.

The Leica R3 (a Minolta XE-7 in Leica clothing) has average and spot metering.

 

[MFstooges]

So I wonder why newer cameras don't have this feature while they all have the spotmeter.

Newer Nikons since F-801 have evaluative Matrix Metering with data that were gathered from thousands of pictures including the tricky ones. The engineer decided that it is very capable of doing the computation for the photographer.

 

[MattKing]

The OM-2s provides a single spot meter result as well.

 

[cerber0s]

I don’t have it in any camera, but would love to. I often take several measurements and average them in my head. Having a meter do it for me would be great.

 

[bags27]

Mamiya 7 has a spot meter that seems to be incredibly accurate. I've rarely missed a shot with it.

I usually use a spot meter with my Blad 500 c/m, though since I tend to shoot wide and post-process digitally, it probably isn't so necessary.

 

[ic-racer]

Newer Nikons since F-801 have evaluative Matrix Metering with data that were gathered from thousands of pictures including the tricky ones. The engineer decided that it is very capable of doing the computation for the photographer.

Matrix is fantastic!

 

[Paul Howell]

In the vast majority of scenes matrix metering is outstanding. Minolta 600, 800, onward, Sigma SA 7 and 9, Nikon F4, work so well the only time I use a spot meter is when I want set a small shadow in zone II or III.

 

[koraks]

I asked because although I do use spotmetering I never do the average.

By 'the average' you mean the multi-spot feature resulting in the camera computing the average of the measurements? Or average/evaluative "automatic" metering with no spot metering involved? The latter I only use on cameras that have nothing else; i.e. older, more basic SLR's. On the T90 with multi-spot the camera automatically calculates and average and you can then easily shift that up or down using two buttons on the back of the camera. All measurements remain visible on the metering scale, so you can actually see the whole thing go up and down until you're happy with where it is. To me, it almost feels like shifting the entire image curve up and down; it's very intuitive. The only thing I can't wrap my head around is why they abandoned this system.

 

[xkaes]

The Olympus OM-4 and OM-3 were the first to have built in spotmeter (I think)

WAY before Olympus, Mamiya introduced spot & averaging metering in 1968 with their DTL series of cameras -- 500, 1000, 2000.

DTL = DUAL Through the Lens metering. Apparently it wasn't as appealing as Mamiya hoped.

 

[Chan Tran]

By 'the average' you mean the multi-spot feature resulting in the camera computing the average of the measurements? Or average/evaluative "automatic" metering with no spot metering involved? The latter I only use on cameras that have nothing else; i.e. older, more basic SLR's. On the T90 with multi-spot the camera automatically calculates and average and you can then easily shift that up or down using two buttons on the back of the camera. All measurements remain visible on the metering scale, so you can actually see the whole thing go up and down until you're happy with where it is. To me, it almost feels like shifting the entire image curve up and down; it's very intuitive. The only thing I can't wrap my head around is why they abandoned this system.

By average I meant if you take 3 readings it would calculate the average of the 3 not the entire screen. You know that function that is available on a number of spot meter. Mamiya doesn't have the average or the spots just average of the entire area. For that most modern cameras has in the form of center weighted but you set the weighted area to take up the entire frame.

 

[xkaes]

Mamiya had SPOT and AVERAGING metering in the same SLR.

When it debuted in 1968, the 1000 DTL (Dual Thru-the Lens) built upon the successful 1000 TL (Thru-the Lens) Series which preceded it in 1966. The TLs had been the first production SLRs to include a TTL spot meter ("partial" would have been a more appropriate descriptor for the square 10% bottom central chunk of the viewfinder that the meter measured from).

The DTLs steered even harder into the curve with a 6%-coverage Spot meter (in the same location as the TL's) AND...the addition of a full-screen Averaging pattern (thus the "Dual" part of DTL ). The user could simply push a switch on the left bottom side of the lensmount to select between "S" and "A"; no muss, no fuss.

This made the DTLs the first SLRs ever to offer a choice of metering patterns.

 

[Chan Tran]

Mamiya had SPOT and AVERAGING metering in the same SLR.

\

it doesn't average the spots like the Olympus OM-4 does.

 

[Paul Howell]

I think only the OM 4 and if memory serves, the Pentax LX.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

The Olympus OM-4 and OM-3 were the first to have built in spotmeter (I think) and they can do an average of several readings. All modern cameras have spotmetering but none I know has the averaging function. My handheld spotmeter has the function but I never used it. I wonder if anyone uses it?

I much prefer Nikon's matrix metering. It never let me down!

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

By 'the average' you mean the multi-spot feature resulting in the camera computing the average of the measurements? Or average/evaluative "automatic" metering with no spot metering involved? The latter I only use on cameras that have nothing else; i.e. older, more basic SLR's. On the T90 with multi-spot the camera automatically calculates and average and you can then easily shift that up or down using two buttons on the back of the camera. All measurements remain visible on the metering scale, so you can actually see the whole thing go up and down until you're happy with where it is. To me, it almost feels like shifting the entire image curve up and down; it's very intuitive. The only thing I can't wrap my head around is why they abandoned this system.

The Digital camera also has histograms and blinkies and you can view the LED screen. If any of these indicate the exposure is off, you move the exposure adjustment wheel and you're done. Averaging spots seems like overkill and not needed.

 

[MartinCrabtree]

I use matrix and spot metering on my F5 but rarely center weighted. I like that area of spot and center weight is adjustable via custom menu. It's been decades but still need a cheat sheet for them.