Hockey, without a clue
Recently picked up a DA 55-300mm F4.0-5.8 lens for my Pentax K200D. From a lens speed, AF speed, and sensor perspective this is about the last camera anyone would choose to shoot hockey at a small-town, indoor recreational hockey rink.
I've heard people discuss the challenges of shooting hockey, and wanted to go out there and fail miserably at it to prove a point. That was essentially the result - K200D ISO maxes out at a noisy 1600, and even there and shooting wide open I was getting shutter speeds all over the place, between 1/160th and 1/500th and underexposing. Had the girls not been 9 years old, I would have had zero good shots. As it was, I have maybe a dozen I'm not embarrassed to show their parents, out of about 250 I took.
Here are a few that at least captured the moment in the game, while they are a bit of a joke from a quality perspective. All shot RAW, and all had to have exposure boosted and some cropping done.
I did actually have some fun shooting it, and when the parents heard I got the winning goal (last pic) they were pretty excited. I think they've all given up on shooting their kids' games, since pretty much any P&S is a disaster in these small town rinks. I'm forwarding a few to a good friend whose team it is, in the event someone is amused by it.
Other than an F2.8 lens and a camera with a sensor that is less noisy at high ISO, not sure there's much I can do. Any thoughts? I do realize I needed to get closer.
Last question - what is up with the white balance in these places? I have shots on burst mode that are completely different from one to the next, and in some cases a player has two shadows - one purple, one green. Those lights must cycle like crazy!
I've heard people discuss the challenges of shooting hockey, and wanted to go out there and fail miserably at it to prove a point. That was essentially the result - K200D ISO maxes out at a noisy 1600, and even there and shooting wide open I was getting shutter speeds all over the place, between 1/160th and 1/500th and underexposing. Had the girls not been 9 years old, I would have had zero good shots. As it was, I have maybe a dozen I'm not embarrassed to show their parents, out of about 250 I took.
Here are a few that at least captured the moment in the game, while they are a bit of a joke from a quality perspective. All shot RAW, and all had to have exposure boosted and some cropping done.
I did actually have some fun shooting it, and when the parents heard I got the winning goal (last pic) they were pretty excited. I think they've all given up on shooting their kids' games, since pretty much any P&S is a disaster in these small town rinks. I'm forwarding a few to a good friend whose team it is, in the event someone is amused by it.
Other than an F2.8 lens and a camera with a sensor that is less noisy at high ISO, not sure there's much I can do. Any thoughts? I do realize I needed to get closer.
Last question - what is up with the white balance in these places? I have shots on burst mode that are completely different from one to the next, and in some cases a player has two shadows - one purple, one green. Those lights must cycle like crazy!
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Comments
Still a good chance to practice timing - like on the game winning shot.
Comments and constructive criticism always welcome.
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As for better photos, it really depends on the quality that you’re aiming for, the amount time you want to invest learning how to shoot the sport, and the money that you want to spend on gear.
With your current gear, you are very limited.
If you’re unable to change your setup, I suggest you adjust the expectation of the resulting photos and the type of photo you’re taking. With your gear, I would shoot as wide open as you can. In your case, it would be shoot only at 55mm/f4 at ISO 1600, with a guesstimate exposure of 1/250 and most likely slower, limiting yourself to frames with players within 10-15 feet in front of you, RAW with a noise processing software in post. I would position myself in from the cleanest glass with window cleaner or the bench if I’m allowed. I won’t track players, but instead focus and wait for specific moments and shoot at times when the players are not moving (e.g. faceoff) or not moving fast (e.g. after a scoring a goal).
If you still want “action” shots, change your expectation, and be happy with the photos that you’re getting and congrats on getting capturing goal!. Remember – not all shots have to be of action or be of SI quality. Moments matter....
As for the color shift, it’s due to the cycling lights and it occurs in rinks/gyms all over the world. Personally, I still like to CWB to one of the cycles, but that’s just my preference.
The important comment that you posted is that you’re having fun