K-x Matrix metering

Hello all,
Could you give me a little help please. Is there a lot of difference between the 5 and 11 spots? Would the 11 be better for say Landscapes as it includes a wider field?

Would you use 11 on dull and low light shots?

Which of the two do most of you default to when using Matrix?

Many thanks

Geoff

Matrix usually refers to exposure. Metering also refers to exposure. There is no 5 or 11 point exposure on the K-x There is spot, center weight and multi segment.

So I guess you're refering to the 5 / 11 point autofocus (page 117 of the manual).

I never let the camera decide on the autofocus point as it might absolutely not be the point that I want. I don't own a K-x but as it does not have indications in the viewfinder which point was choosen at the moment that focus is obtained, this will make life even more difficult to judge if you got focus on what you want.

Thanks sterretje

I did mean AF, and your point is taken, but I am not that experienced yet. It seems that if I were to take say the centre spot under select, you might get say the birds head in focus, but perhaps not the rest of it.

I am just wondering if it might be best to use C/W metering and Auto 5 for birding shots.

You can only have one distance in focus at once.

So yes if you focus on the birds head then with a really shallow depth of field might render the rest of the bird out of focus. This can be desirable on some shots.

Stop down the aperture to get a wider DOF and get all the bird focus

As Smeggy said.

To add:

If you use 5 or 11 point, the camera will try all of them and once it has succeeded in obtaining focus on one of them, it will use that one. It's not like multi segment light metering where it will average.

The result: a branch (or other subject) closer to you at the right / left of the bird might be in focus and the bird itself will be absolutely out of focus.
And as said, the K-x does not have the indication to tell you where it focused.

All my cameras do have that indication but I (still) use center AF 99% of the time. If the subject is not in the center of the 'image', focus on the subject, and while you keep the shutter button half pressed you compose the shot.
The other 1% I use a selectable focus point.

PS: the described result is from experience. My wife had a P&S which would forget that it was set up for spot AF after it went into sleep mode. So plenty of photos had a bush in focus instead of the subject a bit further away.

Thank you.

So CW is fine for general landscape as well then? If so, I will set mine on that and leave unless I just want say a birds head.

Now I need some fine weather to pactice - rain for most of the next week

CW refers to exposure (again)

Spot AF is fine in most cases (sometimes you want to select a specific AF point).


On the subject of exposure:
CW will do good job in general.

Spot metering, center weight or multi segment exposure metering highly depends on the scene. I use all three; spot mostly in high contrast scenes (e.g. somebody in white clothes in front of a dark bush/wall), multi segment or center weight for landscapes.

With experience (not said that I have lots of that but this is a theoretical approach) you can use any metering and use exposure compensation to get correct exposure. The white subject in front of a dark wall can be taken with multi segment or center weight. Without counter measures the subject will be overexposed as the camera will try to get a good average exposure. So you have to counteract that with exposure compensation (e.g. -1eV or -2eV). Center weight will require less compensation than multi segment in this case).

Thanks again. If it ever stops raining I will go out.

For the time being I will use

Exposure - CW
and
AF - Spot

Will probable use these on the 28-55 and the 50-300, although it is the large Zoom that cause me problems. Having said that,on one occasion, I discovered that instead of altering the shutter, I ended up with -1.7 compensation, which did me no good It wasn't till I got home that I realized.

I know it's practice, but thought I would ask for help anyway, so thanks again.

geoff

P.S. put the only decent shot in the Gallery "pheasant"