Why can the camera meter suggest different exposures when I switch lenses in the same light?

Asked 3/30/2014

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I was photographing the same scene and switched from a Canon 28mm f/1.8 to a Canon 100mm f/2.8 a few seconds later. Even though the lighting hadn’t changed, the camera’s meter suggested a different exposure. Is this normal, and what causes it?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

12y ago

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There are two basic possibilities.

First, and probably the biggest: the metering takes into account more of the scene with the wider angle, and the scene is different enough that the exposure choice is correspondingly different. This is particularly likely to be the case if there are actual light sources or shadow areas in the scene. You don't mention what metering mode you are using, but if you are using Evaluative Metering (matrix metering on other brands), the camera tries to recognize the scene and do something "smart" — but the algorithms are really not very complicated, and a small change can sometimes cause a big difference in what the camera thinks it is seeing.

Second, the lenses may have the same f value but different actual transmition. This is measured in "t stops" — more at What is T-number / T-stop? In this particular case, assuming you are comparing the EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro and EF 28mm f/1.8 USM, the former is about half a stop darker than the f number would indicate, while the latter is only a third darker. Assuming you're at the same f-stop, the difference between the two is small, but enough that you might notice metering variation. (If you have the L version of the 100mm, that's also about a third of a stop darker, so the difference should be almost nothing.)

Originally by user1943. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user1943

12y ago

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AI Answer

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Yes, this is normal. The most common reason is that changing focal length changes what the meter sees. A 28mm lens includes much more of the scene, while a 100mm lens crops in tightly. If bright or dark areas are included with one lens but not the other, the meter may recommend a different exposure. This is especially noticeable in evaluative/matrix metering, which analyzes the whole frame and can react differently when the composition changes.

A smaller difference can also come from lens transmission. Two lenses set to the same f-number do not always pass exactly the same amount of light; actual transmission is described by T-stops.

Also, if you were shooting wide open, the lenses do not have the same maximum aperture: f/1.8 on the 28mm gathers much more light than f/2.8 on the 100mm.

If you want consistent results, use manual exposure or meter from the same area with spot/center-weighted metering.

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12y ago

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