Camera: Sport set ups (Nikon)

SUMGUY

What do you use and for what sport? I thought I would start a thread for people to post some starting points for learners with a Nikon (including me) to get a rough idea of where to start. I don't know anything about Canon so feel free to start a Canon thread (Just to keep confusion with brands and their set up seperated).
Camera:300
Lense F: 2.8 (soon to have 1.4, 1.8)
Sport: Fights- Muay Thai/kickboxing, MMA, boxing
Focus mode: C- continuos servo AF
AF-Area mode: Auto or Dynamic 21 points
Metering: Matrix (99% of the time)
ISO: 640-1600
Mode: S- Shutter priority, 250-500
White balance: Auto
EV: +1.3/ -1.3
D lighting: High (sometimes, depending on the light ofcourse)

kiz5

Shoot in aperture priority, and adjust your ISO as needed to keep the action stopped. Use your aperture, rather than throwing it away with shutter priority.

My minimums:
Non-Flashed Friday Night Lights: 1/400th, ISO varies between ISO3200-6400.
Flashed Friday Night Lights: 1/250th, ISO usually around 1000, flash shot 2 stops over ambient to freeze.
Daytime football: 1/800th minimum. I personally prefer 1/1250th, or more.
Girls basketball: 1/320th.
Boys basketball: 1/500th.
Hockey: 1/800th for higher levels. With lower lighting, and smaller kids, you can get away with 1/500th.

Gives you an idea of what to go after. Your ISO really just depends on your lighting. Your shutter is far more important, as blur is more of an issue than noise. There's no reason to stop down in sports past f/4, or f/4.5 if you have a TC on.

AF on continuous. I personally prefer focus on the eyes as much as possible, though if I'm at f/4, I'm usually ok regardless of focus being at the face or chest.

torags

I'm guessing it indoors.

I don't have a 300, but I would use fewer focus points and wide.
I would shoot manual, raw - auto iso max 1600, center weight metering
Depending on your seating I would love to have a 85 1.8 in my pouch.
You may run into colored lights leaving colors on the fighters. Shoot 'em, the good ones convert to B&W

Auto WB unless the lights are yellowish, then you might like to cool your K scale

I don't like matrix metering there because the dynamic range will screw up the average. The light will be on the fighters- the rest black. I haven't had luck with D lighting, left noise when I used it.

All suggestions are precluded by site conditions. I would walk around the stadium when they're making announcements and shoot the announcer check the lcd, EV setting. Look for a lighting sweet spot and stay there (if you can)

Check your lcd and ev each series and don't forget an extra battery & cards (don't ask me why I say that.. )

Jacobovs

kiz5 wrote:

Shoot in aperture priority, and adjust your ISO as needed to keep the action stopped. Use your aperture, rather than throwing it away with shutter priority.

My minimums:
Non-Flashed Friday Night Lights: 1/400th, ISO varies between ISO3200-6400.
Flashed Friday Night Lights: 1/250th, ISO usually around 1000, flash shot 2 stops over ambient to freeze.
Daytime football: 1/800th minimum. I personally prefer 1/1250th, or more.
Girls basketball: 1/320th.
Boys basketball: 1/500th.
Hockey: 1/800th for higher levels. With lower lighting, and smaller kids, you can get away with 1/500th.

Gives you an idea of what to go after. Your ISO really just depends on your lighting. Your shutter is far more important, as blur is more of an issue than noise. There's no reason to stop down in sports past f/4, or f/4.5 if you have a TC on.

AF on continuous. I personally prefer focus on the eyes as much as possible, though if I'm at f/4, I'm usually ok regardless of focus being at the face or chest.

I wanted to get more clarity around the f-stop. I usually shoot with a 400 f2.8 and a 70 - 200mm f2.8 both wide open for most situations ( on D3's). Pardon me for snooping but I checked out your soccer gallery ( VERY nice work BTW) and noticed that you shoot wide open as well. Your 300mm ( I assume it's a 300 cuz it reads 420 at f4 due to a TC) and your 70 -200 is at f2.8. Why do you think that f4 or 4.5 is ok?

tjk60

Jacobovs wrote:

I wanted to get more clarity around the f-stop. I usually shoot with a 400 f2.8 and a 70 - 200mm f2.8 both wide open for most situations ( on D3's). Pardon me for snooping but I checked out your soccer gallery ( VERY nice work BTW) and noticed that you shoot wide open as well. Your 300mm ( I assume it's a 300 cuz it reads 420 at f4 due to a TC) and your 70 -200 is at f2.8. Why do you think that f4 or 4.5 is ok?

Cause the DOF is so narrow at 2.8 on a D3? If you can eek out a bit more DOF w/o getting the background in focus, that is not a bad thing.

torags

My problem shooting wide open is if they ( racing cars, motorcycles, horses, dogs) are in a group coming round a turn and you use 2.8 half or more will be out of focus. That's not always good, if all are trying to pass you might want the entire group in focus. In that situation I like f4.

Additionally, if you're shooting in bright sunlight, you're blown (even with EV -5)

Remember, the further away you are the longer the dof and that reduces subject separation unless objects behind subject are far away. But when it gets dim open it up.

I don't know where I got the idea it was indoors...

kiz5

For racing, I prefer stopping down more, assuming the light is able to let me do so.

Stopping down to f/5.6-f/8 is more than reasonable when you're shooting vehicles.

Also, I really don't like shooting at 2.8 on my D3, unless the light requires it. The 1.4 on the 300 and 400 are flawless together, and the DOF is a lot better though I have to admit that an image can look amazing at 2.8 when done perfectly.

SUMGUY

So you guys are saying to shoot fight sports in A mode? Every event I do
( bar the cable tv / pay per veiw) I have to be at 2.8 or if I hire a 1.8/1.4, just because the light is so dim! I also use matrix because most times the fighters faces are covered up for protection and the lights are most times brighter in some parts of the ring than others. I just find it gets a more even look when I up load them. Dont get me wrong, I have only owned a camera for 10 months and I am willing to give every thing a go! My brain is soaking up as much info as it can, and I'm going to try everything you guys say. I dont know if I'm listening to to many people, but hey gotta give it a go too see what works and what wont!

Cheers
Scott