SBrodsky Loc: Northern Colorado

Hi Folks,
Have a quick ? Re: images. Was shooting my granddaughter's gymnastics competition the other day in a not so well lit building, with high ceilings and the typical sodium vapor gym lights. There were a few windows, which were allowing some north light into the building. Used my Nikon 7200 with Nikkor 70-200 2.8 lens in Manual/2.8 1000 and 800 shutter speeds and burst mode. Some shots revealed close to the right color balance, particularly on the gym's white walls, though others in succession, were kinda pink-ish. I've recently shot some HS hoops in not so well lit gyms, but haven't quite seen these kind of discrepancies. Any thoughts?

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

One possibility would be the 60 cycles powering the lights. Your camera could have caught the image while the lights were at their brightest or dimmest. This would influence the color of your image.
--Bob

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

What Bob said... about color cycling due to AC power cycling. When in this situatlon, you can't really win, unless your camera has a function to defeat it.

Another possibility or variable is that sodium vapor lights produce a discontinuous color spectrum with HUGE holes (missing energy at certain frequencies or colors) and HUGE spikes of output at certain frequencies. Every brand is different, too. Every age of lamp is slightly different. When you mix that mess with daylight, who knows what you are going to get? I've been in some gyms lit with a little of everything... Daylight from high windows, plus fluorescents of several ages and brands and types, plus mercury and sodium vapor... plus incandescents...

You can TRY doing a custom white balance at each exercise location, using a gray card or a digital calibration target of some sort. OR, you can use strobe (flash). If all else fails, convert to B&W.

SBrodsky Loc: Northern Colorado

Thanks guys, these answers seem to make perfect sense. I was playing with the White Balance in different areas of the gym which had different apparatus. And lighting for each was not the same. Unfortunately, flashes are prohibited, and I was sitting in the bleachers with the rest of the parents and grandparents. Couldn't get down on the floor, like I often do, when shooting basketball on assignment. Over the last year I've been doing the latter, and I've noticed some real differences between gymnasiums. Some schools, including the Univ of Colorado at Boulder, have upgraded their lighting to include newer LEDs. Others, not so much, and it sure as hell shows when you turn the camera on, to shoot sans flash at high speeds.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

I've run into the same situation and even a custom color balance doesn't help.
I've read that cameras like Canon's 7DmkII and Nikon's D500 (and other high-end) have a flicker reduction feature to help with the lighting issue.
Renting a D500 in a few months to shoot in that same gym.

From a PetaPixel Article regarding the D500's flicker detect feature:
"A minor but very important new feature of the D500 is flicker reduction when shooting under 50/60 Hz lighting, such as fluorescent lighting. The D500 essentially detects the oscillation of light levels and minimizes this effect by shooting at the brightest moments.
This is of particular advantage for anyone who shoots sports or other high-speed photography, where minute changes in lighting exposure can ruin the best frames of a decisive moment."

I want to see examples!
Not finding examples yet!!

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

You're correct about the anti-flicker capability of the 7DII as well as the 5DIV. I have both cameras and they both have the feature. I have used them under artificial lighting in gymnasiums a number of times with no flicker issues. The technology definitely works. A friend recently bought a D500 and he tells me it also has the feature, as does Canon's 1DX MkII and probably Nikon's D5 I would think.
I don't know that examples would do you any good. You would simply be looking at properly exposed images. You just gave me an idea. If I think of it next time I will shoot a string with the feature on and then with it off. Should be interesting. Thanks!

Haydon

It's great to see Nikon catching up to the anti-flicker race. This should provide the competition that will truly benefit the consumer.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

Thank YOU!
I shoot graduations in the gym and don't like the look of flash. The photos I do get right look a lot better than with flash, but the exposures are so inconsistent, it takes a while to tweak them.
Student programs wants them on the web by the next morning. I do like to sleep once in a while.
We have some really amazing technology to use!
I never would have imagined this back in the '70's.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

If you are going to be renting a D500 you should be pleased with the results. With Canon the feature is not automatic. You have to go into the menu to turn it on and off. I would guess that the D500 is the same way.

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

Both color and brightness are affected.