gray_ghost2 Loc: Antelope, (Sac) Ca.

I've asked the questions. Gotten tons of advice. Applied the advice, correctly I think, but still not getting the stop action clearity I want. I'm not doing/setting something correct. Got the right equiptment, just need to set it up properly.
I'm in a basketball gym using my 7D mii, 18-250 3.5-6.3 Sigma DC HSM. Sitting in the bleachers. Lighting is set to floursent with flicker enabled. Camera is set to Manual; Shutter set to 1200<; ISO set to 1000<; F-stop 3.5. The photo is dark. Would only get better when I reduce the shutter way down, fstop would adjust differently an ISO 1000. The whole 1st half, pic's #1-4, I was zooming in/out, changing shutter, f-stop and ISO to find the right combo that would work. Photos would come out blurred, dark, half in/out focus. Did learn something though. Changing depth of field changed my f-stop, which I knew, but had a brain fart! Camera hand held, IS on. Frustrated.

So, 2nd half set camera to P mode. Let my Camera make all the adjustments. Photos #5-8 are 2nd half. Not much better. I also need to adjust my focus patterns. I had it on spot and 9pt focus. Most of my photos years have been on Program mode with my other Canon cameras. Next basketball game I'll use my 70-200 Sigma, 2.8. Maybe I should of used this lens from the start. I'm in my learning curve. Have 16 more grand kids doing sports and other activities I want to record. So I need to learn. Ok UHH, have at it!

#1, 1/30, f4, ISO-1000, FL-22mm


#2, 1/20, f6.3, ISO-1000, FL-128mm


#3, 1/20, f5.6, ISO-1000, FL-43mm


#4, 1/40, f6.3, ISO-3200, FL-128mm


#5, 1/30, f6.3, ISO-3200, FL183mm


#6, 1/30, f6.3, ISO3200, FL-155mm


#7, 1/80, f5.6, ISO 3200, FL-106mm


#8, 1/40, f5.6, ISO 3200, FL-106mm

Past Pro Loc: Spring Hill, Florida

Mostly caused by too slow of a shutter speed.

Dan R Loc: Way Way Way Upstate NY

It looks like your shutter is too slow. I shot a triathlon several months ago and had to keep my shutter at minimal 1/350.

I hope that helps.

ggttc Loc: TN

Shutter speed!

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

I assume these were all hand held. There's reason why you see pros use monopods at pro football games. They need camera support also. A monopod may make those slow speeds more sharp.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

First: wrong lens!

Use the 70-200 f/2.8 wide open at f/2.8. That will give you more than 4 times as much light!

The results will be much much better, but still not as good as you would like. But the next step is expensive; however, with a sizeable gang of grandkids coming along I would highly advise that the investment is truly worth it.

Buy a full frame camera body.

For technical reasons that you don't need to worry about a full frame body is the same as twice as much light. Canon has several, starting with a model 6D, and getting nicer as the price goes up.

The sooner you upgrade the happier you will be!

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

Hi, your photo info says your shutter speed ranged from 1/20 to 1/80 but you said your shutter speed was set to 1/1200. The shutter speed for the photos you show is very slow and would not catch stop action. You said the photos, when you set the camera to begin with, were too dark: did you make sure that you started out with the meter set at zero, or in the middle with the shutter speed set at 1/1200? If you could not get the meter to be set at zero you would then need to move either ISO or DOF to obtain the desired shutter speed. An f/stop of f/5.6 should allow you to get a good enough DOF, so then you would only have ISO to work with to obtain the desired results. Maybe you listened to the wrong advice or to too many people…it’s a thought. You could also use shutter priority and set your ISO to auto ISO and see how that worked, with the camera then setting f/stop and ISO as needed but the shutter speed remaining the same.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

gray_ghost2 - I don't remember seeing your questions from your earlier post. Other than a bit dark and blurred from too slow a shutterspeed, these are not "bad" and hopefully have given you the urge to improve. You're not that far away. You have the right equipment (when changing to the f/2.8 lens). You need some practice and some technique improvements. A couple of thoughts on these images and what to try next:

1. Post your example images with store original selected so the attachment can be downloaded and reviewed at 100% on our local computers. This lets anyone providing feedback to "see" the focus as well as the EXIF data and for Canon photographers, we can load the image and analyze using DPP.

2. Ignore advice about being far away or up in the stands. Your images simply look like anyone else's sitting next to you in the stands. If you want dramatic images, get closer. Sit down in the first row or on the floor, if allowed. Arrive early to assess the location, the lighting and get the best location first. Some situations, maybe a row or 2 up for eye level with the players will work better.

3. Adjust your exposure in manual in the following order: a) shutter speed, b) aperture, c) ISO. You need a SS fast enough to freeze action. You need at least 1/100 and preferably in the 1/250 to 1/500 range, at least for this basketball action. If you need the aperture wide open to get this speed, so be it. But, if you can step down a bit, it will help get more than 1 player in focus from your first-row / floor shooting position. Use the ISO needed for the SS and Aperture used. We'd all like to shoot at ISO-100. But, in the real world, use the full capabilities of your 7DII and shoot as high as needed to capture clearly focused images in a bright exposure.

4. Look at the Zone AF system for your camera. Look at AI Servo and consider back-button focus.

5. Yes, use your f/2.8 lens from your first row, floor shooting position. That f/2.8 lens should also allow for stepping down as mentioned in item #3.

6. Visit and subscribe to the Sport Photography section at UHH. You'll get feedback from people interested and experienced with this form of photography.

agillot

you cannot take action shots at 1/40 of a second and expect to freeze the action .there are time where you cannot take action shots due to low light .a strong flash would do the trick , or using a device called a better beamer on a flash that use the hot shoe .

Jim Bob

You should have more than enough information to improve your images.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

I shoot these venues, both FF and crop, at 1/400, F2.8, auto ISO and WB. 4,000 to 8,000 is where the ISO ends up. Not perfect, but not bad. 70-200 2.8 on FF and 24-70 Crop Sensor. The 24-70 is often on the short side. I would prefer 1/640, but 1/400 usually works out pretty well. I typically end up with a lot of shots fro 70 to 105mm. I'm going to experiment with an 85mm 1.8 on the FF and 50mm 1.8 on the crop. Spot focus or small group.

BD68sports Loc: SC

I shoot high school basketball using a Canon 70D with a Tamron 70-200 f2.8 and have also used a Sigma 70-200 f2.8. I set my camera for Tv and 1/500 sec. This speed comes very close to freezing most of the action. Because the lens will be wide open to begin with, I use ISO to set my light. A gym like yours starts at ISO 3200. If the histogram is balanced, all is well. If it is too dark and you can adjust the ISO higher, try a higher setting until you get a good picture. Picture quality is less at higher settings, but you will have a good usable image. If you need more depth of field, increase the ISO so your camera can adjust the f stop value higher, like f4 or f5.6.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

First that lens is an outdoor in good light walk around lens. Not an indoor sports lens. It only does f/3.5 at the wide end. And those shutter speeds are too slow for moving subjects unless you are very good at panning.

Joe Blow

OK, so I think most everyone has narrowed it down to too slow a shutter. My recommendation would be a minimum shutter (Tv) of 350 and more if you can get it. 1000 is pretty good.

From the stands, a larger aperture won't make much difference. Use as wide an aperture as you need to.

Third, crank that ISO up to a minimum of 3200 or even 12000. You may end up leaning to a grainy photo, but you'll have frozen the action. I'm not familiar with the 70D, but similar Canons are good at 3200, acceptable at 6400, and starting to get iffy at 12800.

Most high school gym lighting suck. It's one of those facts of life you have to learn to adjust to. Now if your pictures are coming out a little dark, increase your exposure a stop or two. You can also increase it a bit in post editing. Don't be afraid to use post to bring your lighting up.

Hey, I got our rug rat through her middle school BB. And middle school sucks more than the high school lighting does. I estimate I tossed half the shots as unacceptable. Good luck.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

This is where I would start - try higher ISO values to get higher shutter speeds. Once action is stopped as desired, then I would evaluate noise. Either clean it up in PP or consider a newer camera shown to do better - I believe that is the future.