Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

If your lighting is even, set the camera to manual exposure, measure your brightest highlight that you want detail in, add 1 stop to that reading, and use that for all of your images. Be careful of cycling lights, like halogen, LED or fluorescent. Exposures shorter than 2X the frequency of 60hz, will result in uneven lighting and/or color balance issues, sometimes even in the same image - as the light cycles. So make sure your Flicker Reduction setting is turned on, and always take a few test shots.

If you have uneven lighting, matrix might be the best.

Shooting raw in uneven lighting may improve your results.

rdubreuil Loc: Dummer, NH USA

Not if you use the AE lock. That allows you to spot meter an area of your scene, lock the exposure and recompose. If you're using BBF you can assign the AE lock to the half press of your shutter button that used to do the task of focusing before you went to BBF, or program another of your function buttons to do it as an on or off button.

I prefer the half press myself as its quicker when shooting changing action scenes, also less likely to forget it's on and screw up some other shoot because the settings were wrong. As for the question on which to use, if the whole scene isn't the most important thing in the composition, center or spot on the bowlers where you'll be capturing them. This should give you good results while panning the bowlers. If you're not panning the bowlers on their approach, you can meter the area where you want to capture the images, probably use one of the bowlers with the brightest team shirts so you'll know you're not blowing out high lights, then set yourself a focus trap say at the release line from a position that best captures the bowler in action and shoot away.

WessoJPEG Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

Thanks Gene, gonna go with matrix, will post one in a couple of weeks.☺

WessoJPEG Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

Good info, thanks.☺

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

Read the manual; when all else fails use matrix. Center-weight aims for center mass and you have more of a moving target and more of a group shot.

WessoJPEG Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

Thanks. 😂

tomc601 Loc: Gilbert, AZ

You're indoors. The lighting doesn't change. Take a test shot. Check the exposure and adjust if needed. Set the camera to M and put the shutter speed and f stop from your test shot and forget about it.

WessoJPEG Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

Not so, with spot metering, like if it's on a white shirt when I click. It will be dark. If on a dark shirt it will be light. Hard to expose in Spot when subject is moving g fast.😆

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Hope it works for you. I am interested in seeing how you made out.

d3200prime

Here is a new section on UHH: http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-129-1.html where you can get help from pros. Maybe you haven't insulted ALL the pros.

WessoJPEG Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

Thanks, don't mean to insult anyone.😢😨

WessoJPEG Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

ThanksLWW.👍👌

The Watcher

I would suggest that the OP and some others here brush on the use of histograms. Understanding how they work and what they should look like for a given scene makes them the on-site ace in the hole when it comes to metering.

tomc601 Loc: Gilbert, AZ

You missed my point. If you're on Manual you're not metering anymore. The exposure remains constant.

d3200prime

"When you use spot metering when you hit a dark spot or a light spot the exposure changes. Just wanted to know what the Pros use Matrix or Center-weighted. But on most of the Pros ignore list."

Don't know what was said but I would suggest you offer an olive branch to get back in the Pros good graces. Their help is invaluable and what's so good is it's unbiased.