settings for d300 action shots

rhdesigns

I just bought a nikon d300 and have not been able to dial it in to what i want. Ive been shooting pictures at motocross races using an okay canon with little settings. When i switched up to the nikon, i havent been able to get it where the pictures are clear. I tried a few things but it just doesnt seem to help. Im shooting pictures from around 30-40 feet from the subject. They are traveling somewhere around 30 mph and coming towards me for the most part. I am able to get the very center in focus but it fades as it goes back. I am trying to stop the image so i think that i want to quicken the shutter speed, but havent been able to figure out what settings to change. Can anyone give me some of the basic settings for an action shot like this? ISO's? Focus points? things like that.
thanks
ryan

pathfinder

You can examine my exif data in these links that I shot moving motorcycles. Click on the Exif link for the exposure data. Most seem to be about f8, ISO 200-400, and 1/800 in the sun, and f6.3 1/250th ISO 1000 back in the woods in the shade. I tend to shoot in Av mode and just keep an eye that the shutter speed does not get too low. Some prefer to shoot in Tv or Manual, they all work in good hands.


Trials riders at the Very Boring Rally in Duluth last summer





Motorcycle jumpers at the Terre Haute Air Show

rhdesigns

pathfinder wrote:

You can examine my exif data in these links that I shot moving motorcycles. Click on the Exif link for the exposure data. Most seem to be about f8, ISO 200-400, and 1/800 in the sun, and f6.3 1/250th ISO 1000 back in the woods in the shade. I tend to shoot in Av mode and just keep an eye that the shutter speed does not get too low. Some prefer to shoot in Tv or Manual, they all work in good hands.


Trials riders at the Very Boring Rally in Duluth last summer





Motorcycle jumpers at the Terre Haute Air Show


It looks as though yours turned out really well. Do you think that you could stop the wheel rotation without losing quality in the rest of the picture? If so, how would you do that?

pathfinder

To stop the apparent wheel rotation, ( some folks feel it is important to SEE the wheel rotation ), you will need much faster shutter speeds - typically 1/1000th or 1/1500th or even higher.

To get your shutter speeds this fast, will require using much higher ISOs, and hence have a somewhat noiser image. This is not that hard to do in sunlight, but in deep shade, can be more difficult to do. The lens I was using has a maximum aperture of f6.3 at 500mm. An f2.8 lens makes this easier, but there is only one 500 f2.8 lens that I know of ( Sigma ), and it is definitely not portable, nor affordable. I shoot in Av also, because I want to tend to shoot around 1 or 2 stops smaller than maximum aperture, as the lens I was using is not quite as sharp wide open as it is when stopped down a bit. This is typical of most lenses, but even more so of consumer grade lenses, like the Tamron 200-500 I was using for the jumpers. For the trials riders, I used the Tamron 28-300 Di, as it is a convenient, compact 'one lens does it all' to carry in a motorcycle tank bag.

I am content with the wheel rotation being present personally, so I did not try to avoid it. I was more concerned with using lower ISOs in the shade. Neither is right, just which you prefer in your images.


As I said, I shoot these in Av mode. The aperture is constant, so I know what my depth of field is doing. I have to keep an eye on my shutter speeds as they are varied as I swing from light to darker areas. I do not shoot in Program mode at all. I want more control of aperture and shutter speed than Program mode allows. I have not made much use of Auto ISO in these circumstances, ( because the cameras I grew up using did not have such abilities ) but that can help keep the shutter speed or aperture where you want it too, also.

pathfinder

In regard to focus points, hopefully some of the Nikon shooters can answer your questions.

I, personally, find I get much sharper images - properly in focus I mean - by using one and only one AF point, and carefully choosing it to match the part of the image I want sharpest focus on in Canon's single shot mode.

This is difficult to do in very fast sporting events, as you need to direct the control wheel to select the proper AF point in the area it needs to be. I find if I allow the camera to choose AF points, some images do not satisfy my standards, because the camera has chosen the wrong AF point. The focusing algorithms tend to favor sharp, straight, more contrasty areas, closer areas, over softer, curved, lower contrast, fluid areas farther away. Unfortunately, I find, too frequently, that is precisely where I need the AF point to be working, so, I select one, and only one, AF point, and use it (If I can do that in the time available). Or you can prefocus, and wait for the action to come to you.

MooreDriven

Ryan,

When I first received my camera, I used the settings from Nikonians site. Here's the link to the D300 page. You'll see the 3rd sticky is the customer spreadsheet with various settings you can try.

I would highly recommend Thom Hogan's book as well. It's VERY detailed on the operation and functions of the camera. He provides his own recommend settings for various situations as well. Nikonians just published a new book as well, "Master the Nikon D300". I've not purchased it, but has received some good reviews.

Hopefully this will help.

Dale

anonymouscuban

I have a D300. I agree with Pathfinder that AF in single area AF works best. You can also use the dynamic area AF, which is single focus point, but you can move it around the frame. Honestly, I am finding that I prefer to use manual focus much of the time, except in low light when I have trouble seeing through the view finder.

Could it be that your focus problem has to do with DOF, that your are shooting too wide open? If your goal is to only have your subject in focus and everything else blurred, then you want to shoot at low aperatures, maybe f/5.6 or less. This too will allow you to use higher shutter speeds. You want your shutter to be at least at 1/250 if the riders are coming at you. Minumum of 1/500 if the action is moving left to right or up or down.

If you want the back and foreground in focus, then a minimum aperature of f/8 is required, maybe higher depending on how zoomed in you are. You many want to try f/11. However, the smaller aperature (bigger numbers) will require slower shutter speeds so you may have to compensate by cranking up your ISO.

Again, as Pathfinder said, the higher you crank your ISO, the more noise. Many people think you need a high ISO to get action stopping pictures. That is not necessarily so... as long as you have enough light to get your shutter speed at the settings I mention above with correct exposure, then you can shoot as low as ISO 100 or 200. If your outside, in daylight, usually you can shoot with low ISO.

Try shooting in manual or shutter priority, set your shutter speed to one of the settings I mention and then, if in Manual, adjust your aperture until your shot is metered. Shutter will adjust the aperature for you. I've been shooting in Manual a lot lately.

Oh, one thing you may want to do is invest in a tripod or monopod if you don't have one already. You'd be surprised how much sharper your pictures turn out when shooting with one.

Hope that helps.

Alex

jrowphoto

I have a D300 and D700 (most of my action shots are with the 300, since the 700 is new).

for Action autofocus, I almost always use Continuous with the 9 point dynamic, and pick one of the 4 or 5 center focus points as the primary sensor. I find 21 jumps too much to other things I don't want, and have never tried the 51 point. Most Nikon sports shooters I know use the 9 point dynamic as well.

John