Metering / AF settings for Figure Skating & Ice Hockey

I use a D70S with a 80-200mm f/2.8D for photo's at the rink. I'm

pretty new to this and would like to know if there is a definitive

setting that you experienced guys use. Do you use a different AF

setting for Hockey compared to Figure Skating?<br><br>

Here's how I setup for my daughters Figure Skating... <br><br>

 

Aperture Priority<br>

f/2.8 <br>

Exposure: +0.3 <br>

Metering: 3D colour Matrix <br>

AF: AF-C / Dynamic Area <br>

ISO 800 (tried ISO 640 but had a little blurring due to slower

shutter speed)<br>

Manual mode is the only way to get satifying results... aperture with a + adjustment might work when shooting a small subject on the ice... but you will get underexposed shots when it move closer (or you zoom in)...

 

The lighting conditions don't change inside.... go manual!

Denis is right, manual is the only way to go. I only wish, however, that lighting didn't change within the rink. It can vary widely in different areas.

 

However, it looks like your settings are pretty much right on. One thing you left out was shutter speed, but this obviosly changes from rink to rink.

 

Not sure why you're using +3 compensation unless the D70 just likes a little more exposure. The best course of action is to get to the rink in time to shoot warm-ups. Take number of test shots to determine the correct exposure (check out your histograms if you don't trust the camera's monitor). You're probably going to end up at about 1/250th, f2.8 and 800iso.

 

Manual is key because a large background of either ice or fans in the stands will throw off even the best meter. You'll get far more consistent results by determining the correct exposure for each rink and then locking it in on manual. The same settings should work for figure skating as well as hockey.<div></div>

:)

In a good (non-pro) arena you should be able to shoot everything at 1600ISO at 1/500 or 1/400 at 2,8 which is fast enough to freeze the action....

 

I sacrifice a stop when I use my extender for close-ups.

Manual Manual Manual. The only way I can get it right. I shoot iso800 2.8 and the best speed I can muster with our lighting down here is 180th. Try not to under expose to much because of noise.<div></div>

Manual metering and white balance are the way to go for indoor arenas & gyms, IMHO.

Ditto manual metering.

 

However I'm going to suggest a bit of heresy, at least as an experiment.

 

If the D70s offers Auto ISO mode, you might try it. I've recently experimented with it in very difficult lighting situations where I needed to shoot at maximum aperture and wanted to be sure the shutter speed remained within handholdable range, but knew the light would vary considerably during the shoot.

 

In particular, last week I photographed a nighttime residential fire. Other than a few dim outside lights the only illumination was from the emergency response vehicles. I set my D2H to manual metering, 1/30 second at f/2.8, and switched on Auto ISO. When I checked the EXIF data later the ISO varied from 200 to 1600 as needed, but all the best photos were well exposed. While I had to tweak the high ISO shots with noise reduction software at least I got plenty of usable photos, which I couldn't have done otherwise. If I'd shot everything at ISO 800 or slower, many photos would have been underexposed. If I'd use any autoexposure mode many photos would have been blurred.

 

The lighting at public school gyms in my area varies approximately one stop between the pools of light and shadow between the lights. I'm guesstimating that if I manually set the shutter speed and aperture appropriately, the ISO would vary between approximately 600-1200, at worst.

Manual - f/2.8 - 800iso - 1/250 Perfect!<br><br>

 

I had to try it out tonight. Got to the rink with 3 minutes to go in the kids practice. <br><br>

 

<strong>RESULT:</strong> Less grain/noise, skin looks normal, not red and grainy. Everything looks great, I'm very pleased.<br><br>

 

Thanks<br><br>

 

Andy<div></div>

1/250 might be enough for kids hockey and Figure skating or steady shots... but you will quickly see that ISO 1600 and 1/500 is required for the Pros levels.

BTW, Andy, you might also want to give some good noise reduction software a try. Noise Ninja, Neat Image and plug-ins from The Imaging Factory are all good.

 

Noise Ninja may be the easiest to use because the programmers (Picture Code) offer ready made profiles for most popular cameras at various ISOs. The interface is straightforward and the software is quick.

 

However The Imaging Factory plug-ins may be the sleeper of the bunch. They work on RAW (Nikon NEF) files, while Noise Ninja and Neat Image require conversion from RAW files first.

 

All three are available as free trialware so you can experiment before deciding.

Lex is right again. I use Neat Image and get great results with it.

 

In the shot I posted above, the dark area behind the glass showed fairly significant noise (especially as this is about a 40% crop). Neat image makes the shot look like it was made at 400iso. Can't recommend it enough.

I recently shot figure sketing for the first time and I ran exactly into the same matters as stated here. I went pretty quickly to manual as it became apparent that I could not expose correctly with compansation anyway. So I decided for manual and push-convert from RAW to jpg. The actual settings were about:<br>

- ISO 800-1000<br>

- 1/125 ... 1/350 s, mostly 1/250 s<br>

- f/2.8 ... f/3.2<br>

And at push-conversion I openned the shots 2.0-2.8 stops with RawShooter Premium. I also reduced contrast, added red tint for skin and saturated some +15 points. And finally heavy noise reduction. Fortunately RAW has the required latitude. I further did some whitewash in PS. You can see an outcome <a href="http://www.photo.net/photo/4170317">here</a>.

Another question: Is the use of flash allowed in figure skating or hockey events?

Just got a copy of Noise Ninja. Excellent plugin, works wonders.

 

Thanks guys

Generally you can't use a flash for figure skaters, but it's fine with hockey. I have shot hockey action for years at the local youth level, doing local, regional, and state championship tournaments. I use a 400 f 5.6 lens for close-ups, and an 80-200 zoom for the rest. I usually use Fuji 800 film, and I alwys use some kind of flash, depending on the circumstance. I shoot out of a dozen different rinks, and each one has different lighting. I have used my Metz CT-60 unit on a lightstand, a show mounted Nikon Speedlight mounted in the hotshoe, and White lightning strobes around the rink. All depends on the site, and what the job is. I'm looking forward to getting my first digital body in the spring so I can shoot baseball and then soccer before next year's hockey season. I don't shoot nearly as much hockey as I used too, since both my boys play, and I coach.<div></div>

How do I downsize that to appear 4x6?

Ron

 

Right click on the image and then 'open image in new window'

 

Looks like a job for Noise Ninja.

Thanks Andy, but I don't get that option when I right click on the pic. Do I have to do that before I transfer it?

Ron, you need to go into your photo editor (usually photoshop) and resize the image to be no more than 511 pixels wide. Then make sure you include a caption when loading it into photo.net.

Let's try this again, now resized?<div></div>

That example was a little light. I'll find a better one.<div></div>