Canon 20D owners. Exposure and Metering.

SteveM

Hey guys,

I know I should already know the answer to this, and it's probably a typical RTFM dilema, but here goes anyhow...

I have a Canon 20D and I shoot a lot of martial arts tournaments. I use a Canon Speedlite 430EX and a Canon 70-300 IS lens. For the most part I'm pretty happy with how my shots turn out. My dilema: The competitors almost invariably wear either a white gi, or a black gi. In either scenario I end up with either the face and skin tones properly exposed, or the gi, often not both, regardless of if it's a white or black gi. I shoot RAW so in post processing, I adjust the exposure for the face/skin, and sometimes that leaves the gi blown out or pitch black. If it's an important shot, I'll actually process two images, one exposed properly for each, mask and overlay and all that jazz.

Is there something I'm missing with metering that could lessen this, or is it simply a matter of the shorter range with digital? Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.

marlinspike

Well...I'm assuming these matches are indoors? Meaning constant light? You could just set everything in manual mode, running test exposures to see what works best, and just leave it there. That's what I do, mainly because I don't have a patience to learn the automatic stuff:D

Dna

There's a good faq on Canon flash over here, ttp://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/


Personally I would be shooting using manual to under expose the background by a stop or so and let the flash fill in the competitors.

Dna

SteveM

Dna wrote:

There's a good faq on Canon flash over here, ttp://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/


Personally I would be shooting using manual to under expose the background by a stop or so and let the flash fill in the competitors.

Dna

I shoot in TV at 1/160 to 1/200, so it accomplishes just that. I like it because tournaments are usually insane with people everywhere with cluttered backgrounds, so between the largest aperture and the really underexposed background, it isolates the subject well. I do admit, it makes the flash work incredibly hard and depending on distance, some subjects are underexposed, but I'll take the occasional loss. But even close up with a properly exposed foreground (subject), I still get the pitch black/blinding white exposure on the same focal plane. I actually WANT the pitch black (or nearly) background, but not the gi of the subject. I think I need to do more reading on evaluative metering and all that lot. I'll read that flash FAQ and see what I come up with, too.

Thanks

claudermilk

I'd try and get a good reading on the lighting before things get going, then set it to M and run with it. For example, if you could arrange to get in a bit early and have an assistant with a grey card stand in the ring, you could both get a good metering and set WB--that would be my perfect solution. Failing that, I'd play with center-weighted and matrix metering to try and get a good compromise setting, then lock it in by switching to M mode--then blast away.

gcrider

Consider a Metz Flash with Automatic Exposure
In addition to the recommendations of using a manual exposure, you might consider investing in a flash with automatic exposure. I use the Metz 54MZ-4, and it is an awesome flash. The automatic exposure mode is way more reliable than TTL. In addition, the flash is very efficient when it comes to recycle speed. I can put my 20d in drive mode, hold the button down, and the flash will fire for 7-9 consecutive shots (depending on the power output) before the charge dips too low for the next flash to pop. Another cool feature is the audible alarm to let you know when a correct exposure was reached, and when the flash is charged up sufficiently for the next pop. This is very helpful when shooting action because you can keep the camera to your eye, and crack off your next shot once you hear the alarm go off.

kschmeits@charter.net

This is one of those topics where there are several ways to get what you want... but they cost. If I recall correctly, that lense your using has an F4.5-6.0. That is not enough to get the light you need, hence the need for the flash. Go to manual mode like it was suggested and underexpose the background.
I have not set the custom background like Claudermilk suggested. That is something I need to check into my self. What I do though, is use the preset for White Balance and set it to flash, instead of Auto. The auto is so inconsistent it easily bounces around and over/under flashes you. The other thing to think of is to only use 1 of the 9 focus points for metering. This will allow you to consistently to focus on the face or gi, rather than letting one of the 9 randomly determine the metering. The other thing to do is to move your ISO up to 800. But usaully when I am forced to use a flash, I prefer the 400 ISO to keep it cleaner. (Yes I know very little noise between 400 and 800 but...) Anyway these tips mayl get you by...

If this still is not getting you there, I like the idea GCRider uses to get around this... a really good flash with nice bells and whistles. The more expsenive option is to get better glass with an F2.8 and avoid the flash all together. But sinking $1500 into a lense is hard to swallow. ( I am flash biased... I hate using them so keep that in mind)

Hope this helps.

Kelly