It's a misconception that an exposure value (EV) reading of 0 indicates a proper exposure.
Shutter speed and f-stop are the camera settings that determine exposure. ISO is used to manage image lightness. In-camera meters take ISO into account, which makes the readings an indicator of the lightness of that portion of the scene being metered.
A reading of 0 indicates a midtone lightness, but a correct exposure.
But on a Sony you have to rely on zebras and histograms. And even that is not as accurate. I manually set my ISO dependant on my ambient lighting, and then set my shutter speed after until my exposure meter is at 0.0.
The meter, histogram, and zebras all take ISO into account. As a result, they're indicators of image lightness. The EVF display also serves this purpose. It shows you how light or dark the photo will be.
Candidly, while I prefer Nikon's implementation of the in-camera meter, I don't see why it should take any longer or be any more difficult to confirm the settings in a Sony camera will deliver a pleasing image.
I've been shooting Fujifilm since 2017 and Nikon since the early 1990s. It's no more difficult or time-consuming to confirm good settings with a Fujifilm mirrorless camera than with a Nikon mirrorless. Yes, the reference displays can be different but the EVF display - the primary indicator of image lightness - is the same.
This is how the Sony EVF works, right? The EVF can be configured as a WYSIWYG display.
I may just have to get used to it. Not use to using Zebras and histograms to adjust the exposure. Zebras isnt always accurate I find. And adjusting ISO can be tricky to set each time if you're constantly moving from vastly different ambient environments, such as going outdoors to indoors and back outdoors. Even just turning or changing your angle can easily require a different ISO.
More importantly, do those changes require a different exposure? The simplest approach I've found to choosing an exposure is to
use the wide aperture (smallest f-number) that delivers a desirable depth of field and the longest exposure time (slowest shutter speed) that acceptably renders movement without blowing out important highlights.
The EVF display and an inset histogram are useful references confirming that important highlights aren't being blown out. Using auto ISO to float that setting enables one to focus attention on the more important f-stop and shutter speed settings, which determine exposure and image quality. Floating ISO does bring exposure compensation (EC) into play.
But generally I find by knowing your type of ambient lighting (sunny, overcast, low light) you will know the general range or a baseline ISO to work off of. But a lot of times, you still need to tweak the ISO to get it perfect.
I recommend starting with f-stop and shutter speed to ensure your creative and image quality goals are being met. You can allow ISO to float to match your choice of exposure.
If you combine this with an awareness of the tonality of the scene you're shooting, that goes a long way toward informing your choice of exposure compensation. Green grass has a midtone lightness. No or very little EC is typically needed. If photographing something that's naturally bright, anticipate needing to dial in a positive EC to achieve a pleasing image lightness. Naturally darker tones usually require a negative EC to produce a photo in which the scene matches the tonality to the eye.
Auto ISO has become so good and reliable in cameras these days that it's a setting I usually dont touch if I dont have to.
The key is to match auto ISO with the right metering mode. In most scenarios, matrix or center-weighted will get the job done. But the camera will, by design, make dark scenes/subjects appear lighter than they do to the eye and brighter scenes/subjects appear darker than normal. If that's the look you're going for, creatively, there's no need to use EC. However, if your goal is to make a photo in which the scene or subject lightness is close to matching how it looks to your eye, be prepared to make a quick adjustment to EC in those situations.
Personally I find it more time consuming to look at a histogram or Zebras. Especially since histograms are fairly detailed and you can easily think it's in the dead centre when you may be slightly off to one side.
A histogram offset to the left or right isn't an issue if it's matching the lightness of what's being metered and photographed. The environments I'm in and the subjects I photograph are often naturally bright. I typically target a meter reading of +2/3 to +1 stop to confirm they'll look as they do to the eye.
Zebras I find easier to see and adjust though. But again neither Zebras or Histograms I have to ever use on my Nikon.
While those references can be handy, there's certainly no requirement that either be used. You've got the WYSIWYG EVF display and the appearance of the scene to your eye as references. If the two match in lightness, that's usually a reliable indicator the photo will have a pleasing lightness. If you've chosen well with the f-stop and shutter speed, you're all set.
