I have a Sony PMW-200 and would like to shoot a skiing slalom competition. I am a little nervus as most of our work is done in a studio with controlled conditions. Now I have the challenge of bright snow, blue skies and colorful outfits! I have a few questions:

1. Any tips on the best way of setting up the camera (white balance, ND filters, f/stop, color profiles etc.) - I am no friend of auto settings ;O). I am a little concerned with over-exposure in such bright conditions. Shooting with zebras is a must, right?

2. Auto-focus vs. manual focus. I will be standing by the finishing line - the skiiers are fast and will firstly be 500m away and then within 20secs 10m away! That means filling up between 10% and 100% of the picture. Best to using peaking here? Thoughts?

3. Temperature issue. I reckon it be between +5ºC and -5ºC. The manual says operating temperature range is 0ºC to 40ºC. Should I be using some kind of protection cover? What about going from outside to inside with the camera - condensation issue?

Many thanks for any tips / recommendations,

Oliver

Mostly you may need to be on either ND2 or ND1 with the shutter speed on.

Peaking is important for when you're fully zoomed in on Manual focus. If you're on a wide shot though, too much peaking would mean it would override everything else in the picture.

Outdoor lighting changes. Clouds roll by affecting color temp and aperture. Auxillary lighting at the finish line ... ditto.

I can't speak to profiles but I would use the camera's custom WB to tell you what the color temp is and have one for bright sun and another for cloudy then switch as that happens throughout the day.

Presumably you are on a tripod. Auto focus probably won't work during a pull so manual may be the way to go. I like peaking for that. Exposure may be more consistent than you think and once you dial it in, need only small adjustments. Using two rings simultaneously is doable with practice. You *may* be able to practice focus and exposure at a nearby street on cars coming at you.

I've had bright situations where I had to go to -3db ND2. So a .3 ND filter may be in order for snow. Definately a polarizer.

Careful not to pan with the polar..!! under exp a bit for the snow..