mfanderson

I am shooting indoors basketball and wondering which setting is better one shot or servo. I am also wondering what are the best settings using 70-200 and a 100-400 (canon) lense for action shots. Thanks

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Some might want to know if it is HS, College or Pro and how close.
Not my bag but if HS, for me I would use my Canon 80-200mm L. Other 2, as I likely could not get close, the 100-400mm L.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

AI servo to continuously focus the lens as you pan / follow the action and kept the AF engaged. Indoors, your widest aperture lens, a constant f/2.8 rather than a variable aperture lens like the 100-400 that has a max of f/4.5 only at the wide 70mm end.

mfanderson

Just taking grandson playing organized basketball for first time (right), they are 7th graders. I can pretty much sit where I want from ground floor courtside to top of bleachers about 10ft up and 15 to 20 ft from courtside. Lighting is always interesting and I can't seem to dial it in for a good focused shot. I appreciate your comments and suggestions. The pic above was when I was using my 70-200 lense.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

An an example of results are a great way to start a discussion. Alas, we need to see the EXIF details, where the image file would be attached.

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

I shot basketball (Junior High School) with my Canon 5D MIII & 7D MII DSLR's, f/2.8 70 - 200 and f/2.8 24 - 70 L lenses. I shot al Servo and used the cases outlined in the 7D MII autofocus guide. If you do not have a copy, I'd be happy to email you the pdf document. Send me a PM.
Mark

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Ai servo, f2.8 or faster ...max frame rate .......lenses with smaller optical elements focus faster and turn IS off to focus faster.

Jules Karney Loc: Las Vegas, Nevada

What camera are you using?

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

Thanks to Covid, Feb of 2020 was the last time I shot basketball. That will change in another week when the home games start at the local college. Previously I was using a Canon R with an RF 85mm f/1.2 L lens. Now it will be an R5. You don't mention what camera you have. To get consistently good shots you need a camera that can handle high ISO and a fast lens because no matter how good the lighting looks to you, it is never really good enough for the high shutter speeds you will want to use to freeze the action. f/2.8 would be the slowest I would recommend. Servo is the mode to use because the focus is constantly changing. I also found that turning off Canon's Flicker Detection gave me better results. Probably because focusing was quicker without it. I expect that the R5's IBIS will help since the lens I use has no stabilization, although, lack of stabilization was rarely an issue since you will want a high shutter speed. The 85mm works for me because I can walk around the court or shoot from the stands if I wish. It would be a bit limiting if I could only shoot from the stands. Having the pixel density to crop is a big help no matter where you shoot from. If your 70-200 is a 2.8 you are in luck, but, I would forget about the 100-400. I have found that venues such as high schools and community colleges will often let you roam the sidelines as long as you don't get in the way and avoid the near-basket areas.
Here are two shots I took that demonstrate the ISO and shutter speeds I use. My shutter speed is usually between 500-1000, ISO between 1600 and 6400, and aperature from 1.2 to 2.8. Both of these shots are cropped and were shot JPEG.

f/1.2 1/800 ISO1600

(Download)

f/2.8 1/800 ISO4000

(Download)

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

mfanderson I would suggest you post your query on the Sports Photography Forum.
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-103-1.html where you'll find some truly talented commercial sports shooters.

An example to address your immediate query would be a recent post here...
"2022-2023 NCSU Women's BBall season begins" by rcorne001 a very gifted Sports Shooter.
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-756725-1.html

In this post Rick graciously shares his settings on this series with his Nikon Z9
"Shot with Z9 & 70-200 f2.8, ISO 5000, wide open, shutter at 1250..."

Rick's efforts here are a standout on this Forum and his work is truly breathtaking...
The downloads of Rick's images are totally awesome! And speak to the merit, value and worth of current mirrorless cameras over conventional DSRL'S

Rick's efforts in this paradigm certainly have capture my interest and changed my assessment of what mirrorless brings to the arena of Action Sports Photography.

Hope this helps mfanderson...
All the best on your photographic journey.