Sorry, but I'm completely unfamiliar with Pentax film SLR bodies other than the MX, which simply had CW Averaging and nothing else.
All this stuff was much simpler in the past. Nikon pioneered the CW Averaging meter pattern way back when they shipped the Nikon F Photomic FTn in 1969. There were no other options and it's all I used for 30 years until I bought the Leica M6, which only had a central selective area spot meter... I never had any trouble getting excellent exposure with either, it was simple and the behavior easily understood on a coupled, manual match-needle metering camera. The advent of full automation AE program modes with the EOS-IX (my first 'modern' autofocus SLR camera...) and such "complexified" things a great deal. I only had one camera that linked exposure mode with metering pattern (the Canon EOS-IX) and it made me a little crazy: you had to choose one of what they referred to as the Creative exposure modes or some other option to get anything other than multi-segment metering ... I never did sort out exactly when CW Averaging or Spot modes were being used. Luckily, it generally made good exposure settings and took good pictures despite (or perhaps because of) this linkup. I greatly prefer having a simple switch on the body or even a menu pick to choose which meter pattern to use. The K10D has a switch around the exposure mode selector which works well, the L1 has a switch around the exposure mode/time controller and shutter release which works even better. With that I can see what CW Averaging, multisegment and Spot modes would judge the scene to require without even taking my eye from the viewfinder. Simplify, simplify. I mostly use the K10D in just one or two exposure modes, or Manual, and worry more about what I'm looking at to photograph than what the camera is thinking. ;-) Godfrey On Sep 5, 2007, at 6:30 AM, Glen Tortorella wrote: > Godfrey: when you say that good modern cameras allow for both CW and > multi-segment, do you mean this in terms of a setting (a switch) made > on the camera body? I ask because my ZX-M goes into CW mode when > using an older lens (i.e. an M-series lens). Is this what you had > meant, or were you referring to a body setting? I have not noted a > body setting on my ZX-M for CW metering. I just love the ZX-M-- > especially with the added weight of the battery pack--and I would not > want to have to part with it (in fact, I am thinking of getting > another ZX-M body)...unless it were inhibiting my skill development > in some way. Advice is welcome. > >> Multi-segment metering generally is evaluative: camera makes light >> readings of several areas and compares a "signature" of the >> distribution of metered values to some reference signatures, develops >> an exposure setting based on that comparison. >> >> Center-weighted metering is simpler: it is integrating the brightness >> across the whole screen but biasing the center-most area as being >> most important, without regards to individual area measurements. >> >> There are times and reasons for the use of both metering options. If >> you want to use exposure automation to it's fullest capabilities in a >> hands-off manner, multi-segment metering generally does a better job >> since it is looking for scene signatures and trying to do a best fit, >> one way or another. However, exactly what it's doing is sometimes not >> easy to predict. If, on the other hand, you want to meter manually >> and stay in complete control of the exposure setting, CW Averaging is >> simple enough that you can generally understand precisely what the >> meter is doing and make your own judgments as to where to place the >> exposure. >> >> This is why any good modern camera worth using that allows manual >> settings has both .... -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
