What metering mode for indoor hockey?

Hello, ive been taking some photos at girls high school hockey

games and was wondering what the best metering mode would be with

all that bright white ice thats in most picture im taking. I have a

20D and im using evaluative metering for my shots right now is that

the way to go or would one of the other mode work better? Any help

would be great!<div></div>

Short answer - none. There's too much fast-moving action and confusing backgrounds (dark stands, white ice) to rely on any metering mode to work reliably. You'll want to take a few test shots during warm-ups and when you have the right exposure, switch your meter to manual and leave it there.

 

In most rinks, you'll be shooting at ISO800, and at f2.8 you'll be able to get by with a shutter speed around 1/250. Start there and adjust as needed.<div></div>

Hi, I'm using the Canon 10D with the 70-200 f2.8 zoom lens. I recently shot an indoor hockey game. I used a monopod to steady the camera. I used AWB and it worked out great. I shot some in RAW and used Photoshop CS2 to process them. They turned out great. I shot at ISO 1600 on the Action mode. Most shots were 1/500 and f2.8 but that would vary according to the arena. Hope this helps. Colin in Canada<div></div>

Like Dan said above, I'd shoot test shots (or meter the light) and save the workable ISO, aperture, and shutter speed (1/250-1/500) to use the rest of game via manual mode.

Michael,

 

I use the centerweighted metering. (20D 70-200 2.8L USM) I meter the Ice, and then meter the darkest jersey, and split the difference in manual mode. After a few test shots, I tweak it a little bit, and stick with that. You can run ISO 1600 w/ the 20D, and get into the 1/320 - 1/500 range. Make sure you shoot in raw so you get to adjust the white balance, and have the most control over your images. The good thing about digital, you can delete, and shoot again. Just keep shooting, you will get familiar with the rinks you shoot in, and it will get easier.

 

Mike

I've only shot hockey twice but what I did was meter the ice (through the lens) and open my lens up a stop. Seemed to work for me.

Dan and Wilson are on to it.

 

The light ain't going to change and you can get there early and chose the correct manual exsposure to do the job with your 20D by doing some test shot.

 

 

Does'nt really matter whether you shoot JPEG or RAW if you have the correct exposure sorted out before the game starts.

 

 

What you are looking for is correctly exposed faces and let everything else fall where it may.

Everything that everyone else has said is all the technical information you need. However, a lot of rinks don't turn on all their lights for every game. This is especially true shooting high school hockey games played at bigger college or pro rinks. Ask the building manager if all the lights are turned on if your shutter speeds still won't freeze the action. I have gotten another 1/2 stop just by asking for a little more light. Plus, if you are polite about it, the rink manager may know of other limited access areas at the rink (catwalk in the rafters, etc.) that can get you angles you may not have thought of.<div></div>

<p><i>Does'nt really matter whether you shoot JPEG or RAW if you have the correct exposure sorted out before the game starts.</i></p>

 

<p>I know I'm a little "late to the party", but I beg to differ. Take a look at <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos30d/page18.asp">this comparison</a> of in-camera JPEG to RAW converters. There is a difference. Whether or not you care about the difference is a different matter, but the difference still exists. Shooting in RAW isn't just for the flexibility of changing the exposure after shooting.</p>