Digital cameras 101

[Pete]

Hi,

I found this site through the Yahoo Panasonic FZ3 User Group. I'm glad I did because there is so much helpful information here!

Many in the FZ3 user group say they keep their camera set on spot metering. So I use it all of the time and have had good luck with it. However, I read your article about "Taking photos of the sun with a digital camera" and you recommend using matrix or center-weighted metering.

It made me think that maybe I shouldn't use spot metering for every shot I take. How do I know when it'b better to use one metering mode and not another?

Thank you.

Pete

[ShutterbugGail]

Hi Pete!

Welcome to the Q&A Board, and thank you for your kind words about Digicamhelp. As you probably know, I use a FZ3 and am one of the ones who keeps the exposure mode on Spot. It seems to work well for me in any situation I shoot, but the trick frequently is to lock exposure and check the LCD screen. It give a pretty good indication of if the camera got the right exposure. You can also change the display to view the histogram to check for proper exposure.

Here's some info on the main types of exposure modes, and suggestions as to when to use each:

http://www.digicamhelp.com/digital-camera-features/metering-modes.htm