New Photo - Panda Cory

Mo: If your camera is like mine (I think it is), the toggle for macro also toggles "spot metering". In ten words or less, what is "spot metering"? And how and when would you combine it with macro mode?

Anyone who knows may reply.

Thanks
judy
Olympus C-3020
 
Here's a pic of my panda cory hiding
157773_6434116409467790207_vl.jpg
 
Judy, Judy, Judy....heh heh. That was my Cary Grany impersonation.

Spot metering is a means of bypassing the cameras preset focus pattern, which is meter averaging. Meaning it takes in a large portion of what is in the viewfinder and settles on the average focal distance, compensates with the proper aperature opening and takes the picture. When you spot focus the camera takes the point dead center in your viewfinder and focus's right there.

The macro feature just enables me to get closer. The same meter average would apply if I just used this feature. Spot focusing takes it up a notch and allows me to get more of what I am shooting at in focus. You can't do it without the flash. As you zoom in closer the camera's depth of field will narrow...meaning you will have less of what is in front and behind the immediate subject. The flash enable me to pick a wider aperature to let more light into the shot...greatly improving the depth of field.

A little more than ten words. I hope I explained it clearly enough. If not, let me know and I will try and clarify.
 
Okay - more than ten words, but I can handle it. That explains why, when I took the spider picture, I was able to use macro, but not combine with spot metering unless I used the flash. And the pics with flash did not look good, trust me. She was better in natural light. It's just that those toggles are so small and touchy, I often end up set on both macro and spot without knowing it, and then don't immediately realize why my camera is not behaving as I think it should. I guess my fingers are too big!!
thanks!!
j
 
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