DSLR Light Metering Question

[olds]

My wife wears a big, floppy hat when she shoots outside. If she shoots something in direct sunlight and her camera is in the shade of her hat, does she have to compensate?
Or is the metering done at the subject?

 

[Numenorean]

The metering is done through the lens, using whatever it sees. So unless her hat is in the scene it won't make a difference.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

The metering is done through the lens, using whatever it sees. So unless her hat is in the scene it won't make a difference.

This. In most DSLR's you can set the metering to several different modes. Spot mode will meter using a tiny circle in the very center of the viewfinder. Center metering will use a bigger circle in the center of the image. Average metering will use the whole frame. Evaluative or matrix metering will come up with an intelligently weighted average over the entire frame, based on a number of different zones and what the camera's processor perceives to be the subject. Etc.

 

[olds]

Thanks, folks.

 

[Anubis]

for future ref olds when something says TTL metering its "Through The Lens" all DSLRs do this and im sure other cameras do as well

 

[Madwand1]

My wife wears a big, floppy hat when she shoots outside. If she shoots something in direct sunlight and her camera is in the shade of her hat, does she have to compensate?

The big floppy hat is actually a big plus -- it's working like a hood, shading the lens elements from direct light which can cause flare and loss of contrast in the image. What looks like an exposure problem -- washed out images -- is in many cases due to direct light on the lens, not the exposure.