Panasonic DMC-FZ8 Auto Exposure Area Steering?

On Thu, 27 Dec 2007 11:09:43 -0000, Davy <david.RemoveThis@REMOVEallTHISchobham.org.uk> wrote:
> My FZ8 allows me to steer the autofocusing around the image to the area that
> I want to focus on but, unless I am missing something, does not allow me to
> select an area of the image for auto exposure control. I can do it by
> pointing the camera at the area, pressing the shutter half down, then moving
> the camera to the whole scene - but this is not very convenient when using
> a tripod.
>
> Is there another way?

Set the camera metering mode to 'spot'. It will then set the exposure on
one small area. That small area is fixed to be the center of the frame,
so it's still not as flexible as the autofocus system, but it does give
you a bit more control than the matrix metering.

Or, since you're doing tripod shots, you can probably meter yourself
using manual mode and the histogram. Take a shot and look at the
picture. Set the camera to indicate blown-out highlights; if there are
areas that are blinking that you want to be able to resolve, reduce the
exposure (shorter shutter and/or smaller aperture). If the histogram is
crowded over to the left, increase the exposure. Retake the shot. You
should be able to zero in on the Just Right exposure in a couple of
shots at most.

-dms
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