One of the most critical parts of photography is getting the right exposure. Unfortunately, mastering that process isn't always straightforward. Tricky lighting conditions like backlighting or high-contrast scenes can complicate things, whether you're using automatic or manual exposure settings. The key is to master metering modes, settings that tell your camera how to measure light in a scene.

Metering modes can be confusing, though, especially since each brand uses slightly different names. In this article, we'll break down the most common modes and provide examples of when you should use each.

What are metering modes?

Before exploring the different settings, it's important to know what metering modes are. Digital cameras are able to measure light within a scene. The camera uses that information to suggest how bright or dark your photo should be, helping you get an accurate exposure.

We'll have more on how to use that light meter later, but for now, what's key to understand is that you can adjust how your light meter reads the scene, allowing you to tell the camera what's most important in terms of exposure. For example, you may want it to evaluate the entire scene for a balanced exposure, or the center of the frame could be what matters most.

Changing the metering mode will affect how your camera determines a proper exposure. This is vital in automatic or priority modes, but it's also helpful if you're using manual mode. After all, if the meter reads the wrong part of the scene, you may end up with an image that is far too dark (underexposed) or bright (overexposed).

Evaluative metering

This scene doesn't have any particularly challenging light, so evaluative metering mode handles the metering nicely. Photo: Abby Ferguson

Evaluative metering is the default setting for most cameras. Canon and Sigma call this mode Evaluative, and it's labeled as Matrix on Nikon, Multi on Sony and Fujifilm and Digital ESP on OM System.

While each brand might have its own nuance, it's typically more than just a basic average of the entire scene on modern cameras. Broadly speaking, this mode divides the scene into zones and assesses the brightness of every zone. The camera may also factor in color and the location of the focus point. That information is all processed using an algorithm that suggests a balanced exposure for the entire setting.

Evaluative metering is the default because it works well in most situations. It is useful for landscapes, portraits, wildlife and many other everyday scenarios.

Center-weighted metering

My subject was right in the middle of the frame, making center-weighted metering a useful choice. Photo: Abby Ferguson

Center-weighted metering (also called Center-weighted Avg. on Canon and Center on Sony), as the name suggests, prioritizes the center of the frame. It doesn't completely disregard the edges of the frame, but the camera will make sure the center is correctly exposed, even if that means the edges will be a little too dark or bright.

Center-weighted metering is useful for any situation where you know the subject will be centered. Portraiture is a great example, as it typically involves the subject in the center of the frame.

Spot metering

High contrast scenes, like a black dog on a snowy field, can benefit from spot metering. Photo: Abby Ferguson

Spot metering is the most precise metering option. This mode calculates exposure based on a small area of your selected focus point. Each system is different in the size of the area it references, with most using just 1-5% of the frame. In addition to Spot metering, Canon also offers what it calls 'Partial' metering, which is similar but uses a larger section that covers 6-10% of the frame.

This mode is ideal when your subject is on a very dark or bright background. Situations like backlit portraits, a dark subject against a snowy backdrop or the moon in the night sky are good candidates for Spot metering.

Highlight-weighted

Backlighting is a great example of when you might want a highlight-weighted metering mode, if you have it available. In this case, the highlights were more important to me than the rest of the scene. Photo: Abby Ferguson

Highlight-weighted metering is less common, but is available on some Nikon models. Sony also offers a similar mode called Highlight. As the name suggests, it prioritizes highlights in the image to ensure bright areas aren't overexposed. It uses the same information as evaluative metering, but instead of balancing the exposure, it calculates what's necessary to retain highlight detail.

Highlight metering mode is useful in bright or high contrast situations where you want to pay particular attention to highlights. In such situations, you may be willing to underexpose the image to retain highlight detail with the intention of lightening the shadows when editing. Capturing a sunset, photographing in the snow or documenting someone on a stage with spotlights are good examples of when you may want to use this setting.

Final thoughts on metering modes

Metering modes aren't something you need to change for every image. Most situations will call for one mode the entire time, and the default mode is a safe option that works for a wide range of scenarios. However, if you notice that your images are consistently darker or lighter than they should be (or than you want), it's worth assessing whether the lighting conditions may call for a different metering mode than what you have set, and adjusting accordingly.