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What about using AE lock in Matrix?
It works just fine. I do it, although rarely.
The Matrix meter works by first guessing what you are photographing (the hard part) and
then setting the exposure accordingly (the easy part).
If you lock it to something else then it is much less likely that the meter can guess correctly
what your real subject is. If you are deliberate enough to want to lock exposures it is better
to do it with the center weighted meter.
The first Matrix camera, the FA, omitted the lock button for just this reason.
Subjects that can fool the Matrix
The Matrix meter has been fine-tuned for over 20 years. These are about the only subjects
that fool it today:
1.) Predominantly light colored subjects not in direct sunlight. Since these are not bright
enough in absolute terms (LV16 or above, page A 33) the Matrix cannot guess that they
are supposed to be light. It will tend to render them as gray. If your subject has both dark
and light areas the Matrix is fine. If the entire image is a white card in the shade then you'll
still have to dial in + compensation to make the white card look white.
2.) Bright overcast skies. These are dark enough that the meter can't tell that you want
them to look almost white in your image, because they are below LV16 (page 75). You will
have to dial in + 1 or even +2 compensation if the bright gray sky takes up most of your
image, say when photographing flying birds against the bright gray sky.
3.) Deep or dark filters. Remember that the meter needs to know the absolute Light Value
(page 75) of the subject as explained above under "Absolute light levels." (page 62).
If you put a dark filter like a polarizer over the lens then you may fool the matrix into
thinking that you have a different kind of subject because the transmission of the filter is
not communicated to the Matrix meter.
If you put a filter over the lens you have just confused the matrix meter. Light filters, like a
UV, skylight or A2 (81A) only absorb a third of a stop at most, so the worst-case error these
filters will introduce is a 1/3 stop underexposure on snow or other very bright scenes. You
can ignore this, and I do.
However, let's consider a polarizer with a 2-stop filter factor. With a polarizer your camera
will see what it thinks is LV15 when looking at bright sand or snow, instead of the correct
LV17. Because of this the meter can't tell that you have a bright sunlit white in your image,
and you may get unintended underexposure.
I don't worry too much about this, but then again I don't often use polarizers.
Remember this if you have very bright conditions.
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