Nikon metering modes: what you’ve got and when to use them

By jmeyer | Nikon DSLR Tips | Tutorials | 09/07/2012 10:59am

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Measuring the brightness of the scene you’re shooting is a crucial part of getting the right exposure for your pictures. Before you can think about setting shutter speed, aperture and exposure modes, you need to measure the brightness of the scene. This is where your Nikon DSLR’s exposure meter comes in.

Nikon DSLRs have a built-in meter, of course. But it isn’t simply a matter of taking one reading. The brightness of the scene can vary enormously across the picture – the sky will usually be much lighter than the foreground, for example. As such, an average reading is needed.

Arriving at the perfect value isn’t made easier by the fact that the key area of your image will vary according to your composition and what you want to highlight.

To help you get to grips with your Nikon DSLR’s metering modes, we’ve put together a handy infographic which explains how each of your Nikon DSLR’s metering patterns work… and when to use them. We’ve also broken the options and specifications available with each model of Nikon DSLR.

Simply drag and drop this Nikon infographic on to your desktop to save for later reference. And if you liked this infographic, you might also enjoy the photography cheat sheet series by our friends at Digital Camera World.