New camera coming questions about it an Lens and Gymnastics meets
Nov 10, 2011 15:00:39 #
OK I ordered the Cannon 60 D and have the following lens Cannon EF 85mm 1:18, Quantaray AF 70-300 14-5.6 Tele Marco, Cannon 28.135 mm Ultra Sonic IS,
and Cannon EF 50 mm 1:18 II and the Cannon EF 18-55 IS, OK I currently use these on a Cannon XTI I like to think of my self as a Hobbiest with a huge desire to learn more. I am hoping that the 60 D is not more than I can handle. I still have so much to learn and the terms are still a little confusing but have managed some really nice photos expecially in the last few months as I have learned more about F-stop ect. OK my quesstion is this I have a competitiv gymnast as a grandaughter and her stat competition is next week what recomendations do you have for which lens to use from what I have and settings ect should I try. Any advice on best way to lean my new camera also would be appreciated.
and Cannon EF 50 mm 1:18 II and the Cannon EF 18-55 IS, OK I currently use these on a Cannon XTI I like to think of my self as a Hobbiest with a huge desire to learn more. I am hoping that the 60 D is not more than I can handle. I still have so much to learn and the terms are still a little confusing but have managed some really nice photos expecially in the last few months as I have learned more about F-stop ect. OK my quesstion is this I have a competitiv gymnast as a grandaughter and her stat competition is next week what recomendations do you have for which lens to use from what I have and settings ect should I try. Any advice on best way to lean my new camera also would be appreciated.
Nov 10, 2011 15:09:58 #
There have been several threads here about shooting indoor sports. Bottom line is, you need a fast lens with good light gathering ability, because either a) you won't be allowed to use flash, or 2) your flash will not light up a subject 30 feet away.
Your nifty Fifty is about the only piece of glass you have that will open up enough to get some light in, but it may not have the reach you need. Depends on where you'll be sitting.
The problems is Indoors = generally bad lighting in big gymnasiums, and Sports = fast action. The combination is NOT GOOD unless you have a very sharp, very fast lens. Might I suggest renting a Canon 70-200 f/2 L IS lens?
Your Quantaray will get you close enough, but probably not wide open enough.
The 85 MIGHT be sufficient, you'd have to test it out. Crank it down to f/1.8, knock the ISO up to around 800, and see how fast you can get the shutter to go.
DO NOT use "auto" or "sports" mode for indoor sports - that's not what they were designed for. (Sports mode is for outdoors, plenty of light, and about Croquet speed...)
Your nifty Fifty is about the only piece of glass you have that will open up enough to get some light in, but it may not have the reach you need. Depends on where you'll be sitting.
The problems is Indoors = generally bad lighting in big gymnasiums, and Sports = fast action. The combination is NOT GOOD unless you have a very sharp, very fast lens. Might I suggest renting a Canon 70-200 f/2 L IS lens?
Your Quantaray will get you close enough, but probably not wide open enough.
The 85 MIGHT be sufficient, you'd have to test it out. Crank it down to f/1.8, knock the ISO up to around 800, and see how fast you can get the shutter to go.
DO NOT use "auto" or "sports" mode for indoor sports - that's not what they were designed for. (Sports mode is for outdoors, plenty of light, and about Croquet speed...)
Nov 10, 2011 15:13:51 #
Thanks so much. I have used both the QqQuatary before and the 85 with so so results. never thought abought using the 50 but if seating is lucky I should try that.l yes.. Absolutley no falsh and usually lighting is horrible...
Check out Video for DSLR and Point and Shoot Cameras section of our forum.
Nov 11, 2011 07:24:27 #
I shot a lot of high school volleyball and this was the general process I used: ISO 800 or less, shutter at 1/200 second or faster, aperture at one click from wide open. I generally ran all manual mode, manual focus, and high speed continuous shutter. I used my 70-200 f/2.8 when it would give me enough exposure, switched to my 100 f/1.8 if I needed more. And a few times I just put it all back in the pack becuase there just wasn't enough light.
I shot for the left side on the histogram (about -1 stop) with plans to up the exposure in Photoshop. This will kill the shadows but those are not usually critical in this kind of action shot. I then used Imagenomic Noiseware Professional to clean up the shots I wanted to keep. There are many good pieces of software to clean up the noise in the background -- Photoshop does OK but the specific software tends to work better and give more control. Once you find the best fix you can apply it to all the pics in the shoot.
I used the high speed continuous shutter to help with two things: trying to get the best action point and hopefully get a lucky shot with no lens shake. Volleyball is not a sport for a tripod or even a monopod, using IS was too slow to lock, and a 200mm lens really needs 1/200 second to minimize hand-hold movement.
I shot JPG just for the camera speed and shot capacity. I normally shoot RAW for the post production capability, but not while shooting volleyball. The JPG also gives faster PP work in finding the keepers and cleaning them up. Save the RAW shots for the trophy presentation!
Good shooting.
I shot for the left side on the histogram (about -1 stop) with plans to up the exposure in Photoshop. This will kill the shadows but those are not usually critical in this kind of action shot. I then used Imagenomic Noiseware Professional to clean up the shots I wanted to keep. There are many good pieces of software to clean up the noise in the background -- Photoshop does OK but the specific software tends to work better and give more control. Once you find the best fix you can apply it to all the pics in the shoot.
I used the high speed continuous shutter to help with two things: trying to get the best action point and hopefully get a lucky shot with no lens shake. Volleyball is not a sport for a tripod or even a monopod, using IS was too slow to lock, and a 200mm lens really needs 1/200 second to minimize hand-hold movement.
I shot JPG just for the camera speed and shot capacity. I normally shoot RAW for the post production capability, but not while shooting volleyball. The JPG also gives faster PP work in finding the keepers and cleaning them up. Save the RAW shots for the trophy presentation!
Good shooting.
Nov 11, 2011 08:09:28 #
I do not know if you intend to shoot from the stands or the floor. First rule for pictures like this: shoot from the floor. Walk around for interesting angles and to avoid obstructions such as people and equipment. Do not be bashful or you will miss shots.
I have a Canon 60D with a 18-200 mm lens and the fastest memory card. I shoot at 6400 and clean up the noise in post-processing. You may be able to shoot at a lower ISO but try to maintain a shutter speed of at least 1/200 or so. I shoot raw's in P mode, program AE. However, you can take jpg's in the fully automatic mode if you wish.
Now, for the overlooked settings. Set the AF to servo and drive mode to high speed continuous. You can now shoot burst of pictures as if you were using a movie camera. Hard to miss a good shot. You will go thru an awful lot of memory but you can cull out the bad shots later. I do not delete during a shoot because I may pitch something good. Have a second card in your pocket or start with an empty one.
These are the tools. The rest is up to you and as I said before, do not be bashful. Do not worry about getting in someone's way; get your pictures. Good luck and post the winners.
I have a Canon 60D with a 18-200 mm lens and the fastest memory card. I shoot at 6400 and clean up the noise in post-processing. You may be able to shoot at a lower ISO but try to maintain a shutter speed of at least 1/200 or so. I shoot raw's in P mode, program AE. However, you can take jpg's in the fully automatic mode if you wish.
Now, for the overlooked settings. Set the AF to servo and drive mode to high speed continuous. You can now shoot burst of pictures as if you were using a movie camera. Hard to miss a good shot. You will go thru an awful lot of memory but you can cull out the bad shots later. I do not delete during a shoot because I may pitch something good. Have a second card in your pocket or start with an empty one.
These are the tools. The rest is up to you and as I said before, do not be bashful. Do not worry about getting in someone's way; get your pictures. Good luck and post the winners.
Nov 11, 2011 08:18:42 #
Thanks so very much! I have so very much to learn. but will try suggestions and I feel the upgrade in camera along with my increased knowledge is going to help!
Nov 11, 2011 08:22:12 #
Sometimes I can shoot frokm the floor it all depends on the meet. Sometimes they have stricke rules and I am in a seat or stands. When I can I walk around so I can get to various shots. Of course only certified coaches can actually be on the floor. I guess my next big expense is going to be that Cannon 18-200 L ... Right now I need to pay for my new Camera. and make do with the lens I have.
Check out Wedding Photography section of our forum.
Nov 11, 2011 08:44:54 #
One other thing I forgot to mention in the prior reply and is critical to having good shots in JPG, is shooting a grey card or white balance card and setting the camera white balance. Before the match I would set a matte grey card on the gym floor and take a full frame shot and use it to set the camera's white balance. I would also use it to check the exposure level, setting exposure to -1 stop for the card. I also carried a three-level grey card and would shoot it next, to use for setting the three 'dropper' levels in Photoshop or Lightroom.
Nov 11, 2011 11:17:29 #
I have the sigma 70-200 f/2.8 and it works great for my girls Gymnastics meets.
Nov 11, 2011 11:24:01 #
Nov 11, 2011 12:25:02 #
heltonjkv96 wrote:
They don't. Their 18-200 is a standard prosumer lens, at around $700.00 I didn't know canon had a 18-200 L lens out...
http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.
Check out Wedding Photography section of our forum.