The Horrors of Highlight Weighted Metering + ADL

[Jack Hogan]

One would think that using a smart automatic metering mode by the name of Highlight-Weighted coupled with automatic ADL one would get a properly exposed raw capture and a pleasingly bright OOC jpeg.

One would be wrong, get a raw Capture 2.75 stops underexposed and OOC jpeg too dark. With all the live pixels and processing power available, why is it that in 2020 we can't get a properly exposed image that saves highlights Nikon?


Too Dark, Nikon.


Underexposed, Nikon.

Not smart, stupid.

Not happy, frustrated.

Easy to fix, just do it Nikon.

Jack

 

[24Peter]

One would think that using a smart automatic metering mode by the name of Highlight-Weighted coupled with automatic ADL one would get a properly exposed raw capture and a pleasingly bright OOC jpeg.

Me thinks you misunderstand Highlight Weighted Metering Jack. From the Nikon literature:

"Highlight-weighted metering is a new metering mode that is offered in select Nikon DSLR cameras, in which the camera meters the highlights to ensure that they are properly exposed and not blown out or overexposed. Use highlight-weighted metering to meter highlights when your subject is in motion, and to meter subjects lit by spotlights or colored lighting.

Highlight-weighted metering is the go-to choice when you’re photographing a spot lit bride in her wedding dress, a dancer or singer on stage, or whenever you’re faced with uneven lighting and a background that is much darker than the subject."

Given this description, I think a more apt name might be "Highlight Protection Metering" (reminds me of the witness protection program offered by the DEA, but I digress.)

So... this means the camera sees the highlights as middle-grey. Remember: for sand and snow you always want the camera to over-expose to some degree to get bright highlights.

 

[ZapperVT]

One would think that using a smart automatic metering mode by the name of Highlight-Weighted coupled with automatic ADL one would get a properly exposed raw capture and a pleasingly bright OOC jpeg.

One would be wrong, get a raw Capture 2.75 stops underexposed and OOC jpeg too dark. With all the live pixels and processing power available, why is it that in 2020 we can't get a properly exposed image that saves highlights Nikon?

Highlight-weighted metering is what you use if you absolutely, positively do not want to blow out your highlights. As you show it makes everything dark. Highlights get set to middle gray. But no blown highlights, so mission accomplished!

Thom Hogan (in his Complete Guide to the Nikon Z50) recommends setting a +2.0 exposure compensation when using this mode to get a more normal looking bright image. It's likely the same for the Z6 & Z7.

Turning off ADL or setting it to a fixed level will also make the results more predictable. With multiple complex auto-magic algorithms operating concurrently it is hard to predict what the results will be.

Matrix metering may be more appropriate when used with ADL. ADL makes adjustments based on the tonal balance and dynamic range of the image. Matrix metering also looks at the dynamic range of the image. Highlight-weighted is mostly considering the brightest areas.

 

[michaeladawson]

One would think that using a smart automatic metering mode by the name of Highlight-Weighted coupled with automatic ADL one would get a properly exposed raw capture and a pleasingly bright OOC jpeg.

Me thinks you misunderstand Highlight Weighted Metering Jack. From the Nikon literature:

"Highlight-weighted metering is a new metering mode that is offered in select Nikon DSLR cameras, in which the camera meters the highlights to ensure that they are properly exposed and not blown out or overexposed. Use highlight-weighted metering to meter highlights when your subject is in motion, and to meter subjects lit by spotlights or colored lighting.

Highlight-weighted metering is the go-to choice when you’re photographing a spot lit bride in her wedding dress, a dancer or singer on stage, or whenever you’re faced with uneven lighting and a background that is much darker than the subject."

Given this description, I think a more apt name might be "Highlight Protection Metering" (reminds me of the witness protection program offered by the DEA, but I digress.)

So... this means the camera sees the highlights as middle-grey. Remember: for sand and snow you always want the camera to over-expose to some degree to get bright highlights.

I don't think that's exactly how highlight weighted metering works either. It protects the camera from overblowing highlights, yes. But it does not set the highlights to middle gray.

The problem with Jack's scene is not that he has highlights. It's that big patch of white snow that the camera has no idea is snow and setting that to middle gray.

 

[ZapperVT]

So... this means the camera sees the highlights as middle-grey. Remember: for sand and snow you always want the camera to over-expose to some degree to get bright highlights.

I don't think that's exactly how highlight weighted metering works either. It protects the camera from overblowing highlights, yes. But it does not set the highlights to middle gray.

The problem with Jack's scene is not that he has highlights. It's that big patch of white snow that the camera has no idea is snow and setting that to middle gray.

Thom Hogan describes it thus:

"The Z50 performs differently: in most cases it takes the nonspecular
highlights and places them almost exactly at middle gray"

 

[michaeladawson]

So... this means the camera sees the highlights as middle-grey. Remember: for sand and snow you always want the camera to over-expose to some degree to get bright highlights.

I don't think that's exactly how highlight weighted metering works either. It protects the camera from overblowing highlights, yes. But it does not set the highlights to middle gray.

The problem with Jack's scene is not that he has highlights. It's that big patch of white snow that the camera has no idea is snow and setting that to middle gray.

Thom Hogan describes it thus:

"The Z50 performs differently: in most cases it takes the nonspecular
highlights and places them almost exactly at middle gray"

I don't know what to tell you. The Z50 is different? Thom Hogan is wrong?

The OP is using a Z7. I just took two photos with my Z7 of my backyard that's covered in snow, one with matrix metering and one with highlight weighted metering. The camera was in aperture priority at ISO 64 The camera used the same exposure for each, 1/640 @ f/8.

In highlight weighted metering the camera does not take your brightest object in the scene and expose it for middle gray. That would be just plain stupid of Nikon to do. It takes the brightest areas of your photo and weights higher for the overall exposure calculation.

If you have a scene where over half the photo is white snow, well, you're going to get a 3 stop underexposed photo and snow coming out close to middle gray.

 

[beatboxa]

One would think that using a smart automatic metering mode by the name of Highlight-Weighted coupled with automatic ADL one would get a properly exposed raw capture and a pleasingly bright OOC jpeg.

One would be wrong, get a raw Capture 2.75 stops underexposed and OOC jpeg too dark. With all the live pixels and processing power available, why is it that in 2020 we can't get a properly exposed image that saves highlights Nikon?

Not smart, stupid.

Not happy, frustrated.

Easy to fix, just do it Nikon.

Jack

Highlight weighted metering is Nikons way of centering exposure closer to highlights. It will always expose darker. There's a previous topic on this subject:

• https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/60702571

And what I do in order to remedy this: I use picture controls to define my exposure or exposure compensation, similar to how zebras work.

In your case, I would have selected auto-ISO, selected highlight metering, pulled up my picture control, and played with the exposure compensation until the snow started to clip. I would have then just kept this EC on while shooting that scene, still using Auto-ISO.

What you want is a "raw exposure" metering mode, which would maximize the exposure close to the point of clipping a raw. Quite the opposite of highlight metering. Agree that it's sad nobody has this yet, but the workaround isn't so bad.

 

[j_photo]

I shoot a lot with highlight weighted metering for staged theater. At first I expected it to provide something similar to ETTR, protecting highlights from overexposure. But it's not that simple. In my experience the camera is also interpreting the scene and adjusting exposure for other reasons, more like a blend of matrix and spot metering. For example, the relative proportion of highlight areas in the scene makes a big difference. One actor's face brightly lit in an otherwise dark set is metered differently than a scene with larger brightly lit areas. Your shot demonstrates this. If there were only small areas of bright snow, I believe the scene would meter differently. Color of light also affects results.

In my experience there is not one EC value that will always provide consistent protection of highlights. I find myself using EC values spanning perhaps something like 3 stops depending on the scene. For better or worse, the photographer's judgment is still needed.

And as noted by others, I wouldn't mix Active-D Lighting with this mode. In fact, the Z user manual says that Active-D works best with matrix metering.

 

[michaeladawson]

One would think that using a smart automatic metering mode by the name of Highlight-Weighted coupled with automatic ADL one would get a properly exposed raw capture and a pleasingly bright OOC jpeg.

One would be wrong, get a raw Capture 2.75 stops underexposed and OOC jpeg too dark. With all the live pixels and processing power available, why is it that in 2020 we can't get a properly exposed image that saves highlights Nikon?

Not smart, stupid.

Not happy, frustrated.

Easy to fix, just do it Nikon.

Jack

Highlight weighted metering is Nikons way of centering exposure closer to highlights. It will always expose darker. There's a previous topic on this subject:

• https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/60702571

And what I do in order to remedy this: I use picture controls to define my exposure or exposure compensation, similar to how zebras work.

In your case, I would have selected auto-ISO, selected highlight metering, pulled up my picture control, and played with the exposure compensation until the snow started to clip. I would have then just kept this EC on while shooting that scene, still using Auto-ISO.

What you want is a "raw exposure" metering mode, which would maximize the exposure close to the point of clipping a raw. Quite the opposite of highlight metering. Agree that it's sad nobody has this yet, but the workaround isn't so bad.

It doesn't even have to be as complicated as switching picture controls. Unless one is after the "perfect" exposure capture all you need to do is have the histogram showing in the viewfinder. Just apply exposure compensation until the histogram is where you want it.

I also keep a UniWB setting in one of my WB presets. If I really want to capture a full exposure in all 3 channels I'll switch to that and adjust compensation to get the histogram to the right. Since I don't shoot jpeg I don't mind an occasional UniWB balanced image from time to time.

 

[ZapperVT]

So... this means the camera sees the highlights as middle-grey. Remember: for sand and snow you always want the camera to over-expose to some degree to get bright highlights.

I don't think that's exactly how highlight weighted metering works either. It protects the camera from overblowing highlights, yes. But it does not set the highlights to middle gray.

The problem with Jack's scene is not that he has highlights. It's that big patch of white snow that the camera has no idea is snow and setting that to middle gray.

Thom Hogan describes it thus:

"The Z50 performs differently: in most cases it takes the nonspecular
highlights and places them almost exactly at middle gray"

I don't know what to tell you. The Z50 is different? Thom Hogan is wrong?

I doubt the Z50 is much different. Thom isn't always right.

The OP is using a Z7. I just took two photos with my Z7 of my backyard that's covered in snow, one with matrix metering and one with highlight weighted metering. The camera was in aperture priority at ISO 64 The camera used the same exposure for each, 1/640 @ f/8.

I just repeated your experiment. I get different results depending on what's in the frame. My wide angle snowy photo includes a darker deck railing in the foreground and dark tree trunks in the background. The highlight-weighted image is about a half stop lower in exposure, and there is less clipping.

In addition I took two pictures filling the frame with snow. Both the matrix and the highlight-weighted produced nearly the same exposure. The histograms peak at about 90% (with the matrix slightly higher) with no clipping for either.

Both were taken in standard picture mode and ADL off.

In highlight weighted metering the camera does not take your brightest object in the scene and expose it for middle gray. That would be just plain stupid of Nikon to do. It takes the brightest areas of your photo and weights higher for the overall exposure calculation.

If you have a scene where over half the photo is white snow, well, you're going to get a 3 stop underexposed photo and snow coming out close to middle gray.

That's a problem with all autoexposure modes when you have a lot of light areas - snow, sand, white walls, etc, with fairly uniform lighting. The images always seem to need a boost in brightness or exposure in post.

 

[beatboxa]

One would think that using a smart automatic metering mode by the name of Highlight-Weighted coupled with automatic ADL one would get a properly exposed raw capture and a pleasingly bright OOC jpeg.

One would be wrong, get a raw Capture 2.75 stops underexposed and OOC jpeg too dark. With all the live pixels and processing power available, why is it that in 2020 we can't get a properly exposed image that saves highlights Nikon?

Not smart, stupid.

Not happy, frustrated.

Easy to fix, just do it Nikon.

Jack

Highlight weighted metering is Nikons way of centering exposure closer to highlights. It will always expose darker. There's a previous topic on this subject:

• https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/60702571

And what I do in order to remedy this: I use picture controls to define my exposure or exposure compensation, similar to how zebras work.

In your case, I would have selected auto-ISO, selected highlight metering, pulled up my picture control, and played with the exposure compensation until the snow started to clip. I would have then just kept this EC on while shooting that scene, still using Auto-ISO.

What you want is a "raw exposure" metering mode, which would maximize the exposure close to the point of clipping a raw. Quite the opposite of highlight metering. Agree that it's sad nobody has this yet, but the workaround isn't so bad.

It doesn't even have to be as complicated as switching picture controls. Unless one is after the "perfect" exposure capture all you need to do is have the histogram showing in the viewfinder. Just apply exposure compensation until the histogram is where you want it.

I also keep a UniWB setting in one of my WB presets. If I really want to capture a full exposure in all 3 channels I'll switch to that and adjust compensation to get the histogram to the right. Since I don't shoot jpeg I don't mind an occasional UniWB balanced image from time to time.

The thing you have to be careful about with histograms are that they are post-Picture-Control JPEG histograms, and not raw histograms. In other words, they don't correlate well to raw exposure.

If you shoot raw but also want to be able to use the histograms for raw exposure, you can use a true flat Picture Control to determine proper exposure. However, your JPEG previews and EVF / OVF will be affected. I have calculated and created a true-flat Picture Control here (along with a description of how I created it)

• https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/63529293

(Careful, the flat is about halfway through. I later go on to extend it to a video-friendly log profile beyond being flat).

But here is what the curve looks like (using Nikon's Flat as a base):



Interestingly, the background histogram above is the raw histogram...

Long story short, I took a linear black-to-white render. Here's how Nikon's flat renders this:



Note the "JPEG" histogram in the upper-right--this is how the camera would display this as well. However, a true flat (such as mine above) would render something like this--much closer to the raw histogram.



Note how different the renderings and the histograms are. And this latter one better tells how one would want to expose raw. It can be thought of as a raw histogram, tied to this picture control.

Nikon unfortunately does not provide a real raw histogram in-camera, independent of picture controls. Would be a welcome feature, though!

 

[michaeladawson]

One would think that using a smart automatic metering mode by the name of Highlight-Weighted coupled with automatic ADL one would get a properly exposed raw capture and a pleasingly bright OOC jpeg.

One would be wrong, get a raw Capture 2.75 stops underexposed and OOC jpeg too dark. With all the live pixels and processing power available, why is it that in 2020 we can't get a properly exposed image that saves highlights Nikon?

Not smart, stupid.

Not happy, frustrated.

Easy to fix, just do it Nikon.

Jack

Highlight weighted metering is Nikons way of centering exposure closer to highlights. It will always expose darker. There's a previous topic on this subject:

• https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/60702571

And what I do in order to remedy this: I use picture controls to define my exposure or exposure compensation, similar to how zebras work.

In your case, I would have selected auto-ISO, selected highlight metering, pulled up my picture control, and played with the exposure compensation until the snow started to clip. I would have then just kept this EC on while shooting that scene, still using Auto-ISO.

What you want is a "raw exposure" metering mode, which would maximize the exposure close to the point of clipping a raw. Quite the opposite of highlight metering. Agree that it's sad nobody has this yet, but the workaround isn't so bad.

It doesn't even have to be as complicated as switching picture controls. Unless one is after the "perfect" exposure capture all you need to do is have the histogram showing in the viewfinder. Just apply exposure compensation until the histogram is where you want it.

I also keep a UniWB setting in one of my WB presets. If I really want to capture a full exposure in all 3 channels I'll switch to that and adjust compensation to get the histogram to the right. Since I don't shoot jpeg I don't mind an occasional UniWB balanced image from time to time.

The thing you have to be careful about with histograms are that they are post-Picture-Control JPEG histograms, and not raw histograms. In other words, they don't correlate well to raw exposure.

If you shoot raw but also want to be able to use the histograms for raw exposure, you can use a true flat Picture Control to determine proper exposure. However, your JPEG previews and EVF / OVF will be affected. I have calculated and created a true-flat Picture Control here (along with a description of how I created it)

Nikon unfortunately does not provide a raw histogram in-camera. Would be a welcome feature, though!

Yes, I've read your posts on the use of picture controls before. That's why I couched my response by saying "unless you're after the perfect exposure".

My point being that 99% of photographers are not going to go through the effort of creating a custom picture control or setting up a UniWB preset. For most people the histogram provided by Nikon is good enough for their purposes.

If you really are after better exposure control (feedback) there are methods like yours or UniWB. If one wants to shoot jpeg your method is obviously better. If you shoot raw and don't mind a green tint on the camera LCD upon playback I would prefer UniWB.

 

[michaeladawson]

I just repeated your experiment. I get different results depending on what's in the frame. My wide angle snowy photo includes a darker deck railing in the foreground and dark tree trunks in the background. The highlight-weighted image is about a half stop lower in exposure, and there is less clipping.

In addition I took two pictures filling the frame with snow. Both the matrix and the highlight-weighted produced nearly the same exposure. The histograms peak at about 90% (with the matrix slightly higher) with no clipping for either.

Both were taken in standard picture mode and ADL off.

Yes. With the frame not entirely filled with snow, but including some trees I can repeat your results as well. Both images were underexposed. To get the "correct" exposure I had to raise the matrix metered image by +1.25 in ACR. The highlight weighted shot required +1.90. So they differed by about 1/3 stop. And in fact that's what the camera meter indicated, at f/8 it was 1/400s for matrix and 1/640s for highlight weighted.

As beatbox commented, you'd think by now camera companies could easily provide us with a metering mode that puts the brightest patch in the image at something like 99% on the histogram. Or perhaps he made that comment about a raw histogram.

 

[beatboxa]

One would think that using a smart automatic metering mode by the name of Highlight-Weighted coupled with automatic ADL one would get a properly exposed raw capture and a pleasingly bright OOC jpeg.

One would be wrong, get a raw Capture 2.75 stops underexposed and OOC jpeg too dark. With all the live pixels and processing power available, why is it that in 2020 we can't get a properly exposed image that saves highlights Nikon?

Not smart, stupid.

Not happy, frustrated.

Easy to fix, just do it Nikon.

Jack

Highlight weighted metering is Nikons way of centering exposure closer to highlights. It will always expose darker. There's a previous topic on this subject:

• https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/60702571

And what I do in order to remedy this: I use picture controls to define my exposure or exposure compensation, similar to how zebras work.

In your case, I would have selected auto-ISO, selected highlight metering, pulled up my picture control, and played with the exposure compensation until the snow started to clip. I would have then just kept this EC on while shooting that scene, still using Auto-ISO.

What you want is a "raw exposure" metering mode, which would maximize the exposure close to the point of clipping a raw. Quite the opposite of highlight metering. Agree that it's sad nobody has this yet, but the workaround isn't so bad.

It doesn't even have to be as complicated as switching picture controls. Unless one is after the "perfect" exposure capture all you need to do is have the histogram showing in the viewfinder. Just apply exposure compensation until the histogram is where you want it.

I also keep a UniWB setting in one of my WB presets. If I really want to capture a full exposure in all 3 channels I'll switch to that and adjust compensation to get the histogram to the right. Since I don't shoot jpeg I don't mind an occasional UniWB balanced image from time to time.

The thing you have to be careful about with histograms are that they are post-Picture-Control JPEG histograms, and not raw histograms. In other words, they don't correlate well to raw exposure.

If you shoot raw but also want to be able to use the histograms for raw exposure, you can use a true flat Picture Control to determine proper exposure. However, your JPEG previews and EVF / OVF will be affected. I have calculated and created a true-flat Picture Control here (along with a description of how I created it)

Nikon unfortunately does not provide a raw histogram in-camera. Would be a welcome feature, though!

Yes, I've read your posts on the use of picture controls before. That's why I couched my response by saying "unless you're after the perfect exposure".

My point being that 99% of photographers are not going to go through the effort of creating a custom picture control or setting up a UniWB preset. For most people the histogram provided by Nikon is good enough for their purposes.

If you really are after better exposure control (feedback) there are methods like yours or UniWB. If one wants to shoot jpeg your method is obviously better. If you shoot raw and don't mind a green tint on the camera LCD upon playback I would prefer UniWB.

Yes, absolutely; but I just want to reiterate a point: I don't use this method for every individual shot, except maybe some landscape tripod shots where I'm being extra careful.

What I would do in the OP's above situation is a one-time initial "calibration" of exposure compensation to highlight metering for that scene (being "outside in the snow" or whatever). This normally takes me about 30 seconds or less. I might give myself up to a stop less just in case, depending on how dynamic the scene was, still within that 30 seconds. And then every subsequent shot I take will be well exposed for raw and not a hassle or anything.

On my Z6, I sometimes even switch to movie mode instead of a picture control and use its zebras to do this EC-metering calibration as long as I can get within the right shutter speed range.

Just wanted to reiterate that I don't find it to be any more effort than the histogram. I usually even leave my histogram off for shooting--in most cases, I find it too distracting and get tempted to chase the "perfect exposure" when the above method is perfectly sufficient.

Dear Nikon: raw zebras in stills mode would be a welcome addition.

 

[Jack Hogan]

With all the live pixels and processing power available, why is it that in 2020 we can't get a properly exposed image that saves highlights Nikon?

'Preciate the feedback. Here are a few questions to complement the one above, in the context of 'smart' metering modes.

If I wanted the entire photo to be 2.75 stops underexposed, couldn't I have just used good ol' dumb spot metering on the snow?

If a 'smart' mode needs you to always dial in 2 stop compensation, how smart is it?

Since when does protecting highlights mean putting them at middle gray?

Why should highlight-weighted always mean metering darker?

I know there are many manual solutions to this issue, but isn't this supposed to be a smart mode? Smarter than spot, center weighted or matrix?

And in any case, where are the zebras, raw or otherwise?

So back to the original question above.

Why is your highlight-weighted metering mode so dumb, dumb, dumb Nikon? And don't get me started on how it interacts with ADL.

Jack

 

[stratman1976]

What I realised when using highlight weighted metering is when you have a small really bright spot in your image (sun reflection in something shiny, like buttons, sunglasses, snow), the camera severely underexposes your image.

It might be safer to use matrix metering with exposure comp or make a test shot or make sure there's nothing blown out.

 

[j_photo]

It seems like the smarter cameras get, the more there is to complain about how dumb they are

 

[ZapperVT]

With all the live pixels and processing power available, why is it that in 2020 we can't get a properly exposed image that saves highlights Nikon?

'Preciate the feedback. Here are a few questions to complement the one above, in the context of 'smart' metering modes.

If I wanted the entire photo to be 2.75 stops underexposed, couldn't I have just used good ol' dumb spot metering on the snow?

If a 'smart' mode needs you to always dial in 2 stop compensation, how smart is it?

Since when does protecting highlights mean putting them at middle gray?

Why should highlight-weighted always mean metering darker?

I know there are many manual solutions to this issue, but isn't this supposed to be a smart mode? Smarter than spot, center weighted or matrix?

And in any case, where are the zebras, raw or otherwise?

So back to the original question above.

Why is your highlight-weighted metering mode so dumb, dumb, dumb Nikon? And don't get me started on how it interacts with ADL.

Jack

I agree with you. It is annoying that these expensive ILCs don't handle exposure and dynamic range more intelligently. Especially when camera phones often do it better.

You might also think Lightroom or Capture could by now do a better rendering of the raw files without all the manual fiddling of sliders. But alas, the raw developers are no smarter than the cameras.

That said I often get good results without adjustments in high contrast scenes with matrix meter, ADL extra high, and jpgs or raw processing in Capture.

 

[24Peter]

It seems like the smarter cameras get, the more there is to complain about how dumb they are

Well said!

 

[michaeladawson]

With all the live pixels and processing power available, why is it that in 2020 we can't get a properly exposed image that saves highlights Nikon?

'Preciate the feedback. Here are a few questions to complement the one above, in the context of 'smart' metering modes.

If I wanted the entire photo to be 2.75 stops underexposed, couldn't I have just used good ol' dumb spot metering on the snow?

You wouldn't need to use spot since over half your picture is already snow. My experience is that a shot like that is almost guaranteed to be a couple of stops underexposed.

If a 'smart' mode needs you to always dial in 2 stop compensation, how smart is it?

Until you can speak into your camera and say "snow scene" it's not going to be smart enough. The camera doesn't know you're shooting snow.

Since when protecting highlights means putting them at middle gray?

It doesn't. That's not what highlight weighted metering does and that's not what your camera did. Your camera metered some "stuff" and lowered the exposure because it was pretty bright.

Why should highlight-weighted always mean metering darker?

It doesn't. It looks at highlights in your scene and lowers exposure to try and stay away from clipping.

Try highlight weighted metering on something like a car with chrome trim in the sun. Or an outdoor scene with sun poking through some tree branches. Or a bride in white standing in a large group photo. The exposure will be lowered to protect those small bright areas, but it won't move those bright areas to middle gray.

Take a picture of a white wall with and without highlight weighted metered. You should see no difference in exposure between matrix and highlight weighted.

I know there are many manual solutions to this issue, but isn't this supposed to be a smart mode? Smarter than spot, center weighted or matrix?

It's no smarter than matrix metering. In fact, it really is only matrix metering with a weighting factor to protect the highlights.

And in any case, where are the zebras, raw or otherwise?

Not sure I understand this question.

So back to the original question above.

Why is your highlight-weighted metering mode so dumb, dumb, dumb Nikon? And don't get me started on how it interacts with ADL.

It's not.

And ADL is something totally different. ADL works on top of whatever your metering mode is and underexposes by a bit in preparation for what happens when ADL is applied in post. That is, strong tone curves are applied to the image in post (either in camera for a JPEG or in Nikon software). In fact, unless you are using Nikon software or shooting jpeg you shouldn't even use ADL. All it will do is underexpose your photo by up to 2/3 of a stop or so, depending on the strength of ADL you chose. Someone even responded to you, I believe, and said that Nikon says in the manual not to combine the two.

Jack