How would u shoot people playing bowling?


sin77

Senior Member
Nov 28, 2004
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Using nikon D7000 with Tokina 50-135 f2.8. Without flash. ISO set to auto limit at 3200.

So for other settings, should I use:

Manual focus or auto focus?

Auto-tracking or single point focusing?

Shutter priority or manual settings?

Centre metering or matrix metering?
 

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Depends how many lanes. If let`s say you are 2~3 lanes away to avoid chance of bowling ball hitting you, you can shoot from side front/side/back and etc.

Trust the D7000`s AF but if you want more control, set Tv mode with adequate shutterspeed to freeze the action or motion blur the subject slightly.
 

Either or any will work. Your skillset, technique and ability to judge the right moment and the lighting are key.
 

Using nikon D7000 with Tokina 50-135 f2.8. Without flash. ISO set to auto limit at 3200.

So for other settings, should I use:

Manual focus or auto focus?

Auto-tracking or single point focusing?

Shutter priority or manual settings?

Centre metering or matrix metering?

50-135 lens on a DX body, so it is eqvantly to 70-200 lens on a FX body, so I presume you are shooting individual bowlers.

if you Google bowling photos, you will notice the most nicer pose are shot from the front or from the side.

shoot from the front is very unlikely, unless you are given permission to walk on the lane and shoot from there,

shoot from the side with 50-135 lens, which mean you need to shoot from 2-3 lanes away, you might affect other bowlers having their games,


anyway, when the bowlers release the ball, they will hold their poses for about one or two seconds, that is the best time to get their shots, do you think you need super fast AF tracking and high shutter speed for such pose? and do you foresee the lighting consistently changing in bowling alley?
 

Thanks for all the replies.

I will shoot from side and use manual 1/80 f2.8, ISO limit 3200, matrix metering, auto-tracking.

But dunno if should +0.3 EV?
Is 1/80 good enough to freeze action?

As for group photo dunno if should use orange gel on flash.
 

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Thanks for all the replies.

I will shoot from side and use manual 1/80 f2.8, ISO limit 3200, matrix metering, auto-tracking.

But dunno if should +0.3 EV?
Is 1/80 good enough to freeze action?

As for group photo dunno if should use orange gel on flash.

Why 1/80? You need to know the LIGHTING that is there and adjust accordingly. Why +0.3EV? Again, this will adjust your aperture, shutter speed, ISO, to give you a +0.3 higher exposure than your settings. Why do you need it? You won't know this unless you know the lighting level there.

Is 1/80 enough? Depends on the exact moment and the amount of movement.

Orange gel on the flash? Again, WHAT IS THE LIGHTING?? People use colored gels on the flash for specific reasons - better read up on why people use colored gels instead of anyhow using.
 

I will shoot from side and use manual 1/80 f2.8, ISO limit 3200, matrix metering, auto-tracking.
Wow, you will know all this upfront without even having been there on the spot to check the light? :bigeyes:
Why f/2.8? Ever heard that no lens is sharpest when wide open? And the thin DOF? I think the bowlers want to have pictures for memories, not some technical experiments with thin DOF.
Matrix metering is nonsense, any light from top or background will throw off the metering. Use Center weighted and keep the metering area always on the bowler.
But dunno if should +0.3 EV?
Why would you do this? What is the background of your question?
Is 1/80 good enough to freeze action?
Let's assume you refer to the bowler's action .. then it should be ok. I used 1/100 the last time and it worked. But I also had a flash
As for group photo dunno if should use orange gel on flash.
Shoot RAW, correct later. Keep the frame tight as not to capture too much of ambient light and see that the flash is covering all persons in the group.

If you are looking for the Magic Camera Settings for Bowling .. there are none. Similarly to landscape, kids, birthday, marriage and whatnot. You cannot sit at home and do a dry run on your camera settings. But you can learn the basics, then apply them on the spot. Without knowledge all messing with settings is just tinkering without structure, hoping for luck and coincidence.
 

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Why 1/80? You need to know the LIGHTING that is there and adjust accordingly. Why +0.3EV? Again, this will adjust your aperture, shutter speed, ISO, to give you a +0.3 higher exposure than your settings. Why do you need it? You won't know this unless you know the lighting level there.

Is 1/80 enough? Depends on the exact moment and the amount of movement.

Orange gel on the flash? Again, WHAT IS THE LIGHTING?? People use colored gels on the flash for specific reasons - better read up on why people use colored gels instead of anyhow using.

1/80 because it is moving action but I dun think it is super fast.

+0.3 EV because everytime I use Nikon it looks dark if I use matrix metering. If I use spot/centre metering, it will not be accurate since the person will move.
Alternatively I may have to use RAW to bump it up.

Orange gel because I presume the lighting there is orangy? no?
 

Wow, you will know all this upfront without even having been there on the spot to check the light? :bigeyes:
Why f/2.8? Ever heard that no lens is sharpest when wide open? And the thin DOF? I think the bowlers want to have pictures for memories, not some technical experiments with thin DOF.
Matrix metering is nonsense, any light from top or background will throw off the metering. Use Center weighted and keep the metering area always on the bowler.

Why would you do this? What is the background of your question?

Let's assume you refer to the bowler's action .. then it should be ok. I used 1/100 the last time and it worked. But I also had a flash

Shoot RAW, correct later. Keep the frame tight as not to capture too much of ambient light and see that the flash is covering all persons in the group.

If you are looking for the Magic Camera Settings for Bowling .. there are none. Similarly to landscape, kids, birthday, marriage and whatnot. You cannot sit at home and do a dry run on your camera settings. But you can learn the basics, then apply them on the spot. Without knowledge all messing with settings is just tinkering without structure, hoping for luck and coincidence.

f2.8 because I don't want to bump up iso too much. But after your advice I think I should consider f4 if it is possible on that day itself. If no choice I might just use f2.8 perhaps.

Metering I will have to trial and error there.

I using APS-C rather than full frame, hence want to cut back on the shutter speed in order to get lower ISO. I assume 1/80 is a sweet spot.

How come u can use flash when they are bowling? The flash can reach that far?

Will shoot RAW. Only concern is not enough memory space because I also intend to use continuous shots at 4fps. Event is 4 hrs. I hope I can gather and standby 32GB in total. No video required.

No lah not really want a magic setting throughout. Just want to imagine the setup, get mentally prepared and adjust the default settings first. Once on the ground have to think fast and adjust, and cannot wait.
 

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1/80 because it is moving action but I dun think it is super fast.

+0.3 EV because everytime I use Nikon it looks dark if I use matrix metering. If I use spot/centre metering, it will not be accurate since the person will move.
Alternatively I may have to use RAW to bump it up.

Orange gel because I presume the lighting there is orangy? no?

1/80 on the 135 end of your lens, you might get a lot of blur shots as fatigue sets into the later part of the day.

+/- Exp, arrive, shoot, chimp, adjust, it could be +7, or it could be -3, or it could be +1.3, you dont know, it differents from scene to scene and its the experience with understanding the metering system that matters.

Lighting could be greenish, or could be a mix. Ceiling could be yellowish wood, you bounce it, it becomes yellowish. Ceiling could be painted blue, you bounce it, it becomes blueish. You must be there to know, then you do what you need to do base on what you know.
 

1/80 on the 135 end of your lens, you might get a lot of blur shots as fatigue sets into the later part of the day.

+/- Exp, arrive, shoot, chimp, adjust, it could be +7, or it could be -3, or it could be +1.3, you dont know, it differents from scene to scene and its the experience with understanding the metering system that matters.

Lighting could be greenish, or could be a mix. Ceiling could be yellowish wood, you bounce it, it becomes yellowish. Ceiling could be painted blue, you bounce it, it becomes blueish. You must be there to know, then you do what you need to do base on what you know.

yah man, and the tokina lens is very heavy. I keep my fingers crossed at 1/80, max I will go is 1/100.

Sometimes, I don't have the luxury to test my flash. when I can fire flash that time already too late. Everyone in the group photo is watching and waiting for me.
 

yah man, and the tokina lens is very heavy. I keep my fingers crossed at 1/80, max I will go is 1/100.

Sometimes, I don't have the luxury to test my flash. when I can fire flash that time already too late. Everyone in the group photo is watching and waiting for me.

You are what you believe.
 

Metering I will have to trial and error there.
I using APS-C rather than full frame, hence want to cut back on the shutter speed in order to get lower ISO. I assume 1/80 is a sweet spot
How come u can use flash when they are bowling? The flash can reach that far?
Will shoot RAW. Only concern is not enough memory space because I also intend to use continuous shots at 4fps. Event is 4 hrs. I hope I can gather and standby 32GB in total. No video required.
No lah not really want a magic setting throughout. Just want to imagine the setup, get mentally prepared and adjust the default settings first. Once on the ground have to think fast and adjust, and cannot wait.
Reduce trial and error, use knowledge and logic. Learn how the metering system works. There is no 'one setting fits all', your camera has different ones for different purposes.
There is no sweet spot for anything, it all depends on the factors around you and your intention. Even for landscapes (which usually don't tend to move) the only sweet spot is f/8, if any... But then again, many will come in and prove it wrong.
Flash reached across 4 lanes easily, even when bounced. Just check the angle of the flash and the ceiling height.
Why this gunning down? Will your audience appreciate it? Or just for fun? Remember: people expect you to deliver for their memories. Your own fun and experiments are likely not wanted.
Imagining the setup is ok for certain details, but without knowing the light it's a bit pointless. Why don't you go down earlier? Bring your cam, do some readings, take test shots.
 

sin77 said:
f2.8 because I don't want to bump up iso too much. But after your advice I think I should consider f4 if it is possible on that day itself. If no choice I might just use f2.8 perhaps.

Metering I will have to trial and error there.

I using APS-C rather than full frame, hence want to cut back on the shutter speed in order to get lower ISO. I assume 1/80 is a sweet spot.

With long lens, DOF of f2.8 or even f4 may not enough.

Maybe go to place with friends n take some test shot while playing few games.
 

Thanks, and noted all the advice. I will go beforehand to recce.
 

if possible try not to use flash when shooting infront of the bowler (eg by standing near the door where the mechanics access the pinsetting machines) :)

as a bowler myself, its quite irritating when a flash goes off at the corner of your eyes when you are sending the ball down the lanes :(

this goes for most other indoor sports like badminton... you very rarely see PGs shoot them in action with a flash for this exact reason... :)
 

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I shot a couple of bowling events, ISO2500-3200, f2.8 and shutter speed 1/800-1/1000 in order to freeze the action.

If you are shooting at a shutter speed 1/100 the motion will be blurred, not recommended.
 

I also have a 55-200mm VR kit lens.

Should I use this or the Tokina 50-135 f2.8?

My considerations are:
1) 200mm is longer reach.
2) I might not need f2.8 since the dof is thin.
 

How would you shoot people.

Either through the heart or headshot. If cant get clear shot, wait, all else fail, body shot should incapacitate.
 

tested on ground that the manual mode (instead of Av & Tv) is most suitable.

Aperture set to f4
Speed set to 1/100s
Auto-ISO to 3200 max

One problem I faced is the 3D tracking which is not accurate, fast or sensitive enough.