Quote:
Originally Posted by PhotoDave1
1 spike in the middle of the in-camera Histogram display that gently slopes downward on both sides of the spike to touch the bottom of the display on both sides of the in-camera Histogram.
|
That is not necessarily a good histogram. A histogram is good if it represents the tonal range of the scene properly. So in a high key scene we would see more spikes on the right, on low key, more on the left. The bell curve might be okay for a shots that has mostly middle tones. The real key is to use a method that lets you have a consistent working method. That is why the PhotoVision target (black/gray/white) is so helpful. In any scene, shoot it full frame. Now the histogram represents in 3 spikes where the tonal values will fall. If one spike is missing, then you know you're way off the correct exposure. Shoot the target full frame till you get three full spikes and then usually move them to the right due to the linear nature of digital photography. Sometimes the tonal range is too great, and then you have the pick the range you want to capture. The target can help you there also.
Re: Metering vs Histogram Question
Cheers,
rfs