Sports Photographers please respond!!!

luckydog

Hey people,
The World Duathlon is in town this weekend and i'm going down for the day to take hundreds of shots (weather permitting). My question to our sports photogs is this. I'm still using a non DSLR (Olympus C730), okay stop laughing. Am I better off shooting with zoom to bring background OOF and using say aperture priority F3.2 (Low as I can)? The weather is supposed to be fine with some clouds because of rain predicted later in the day. I know conditions will predict but am I on the right train of thought with a low F number? Or should I be doing shutter priority noting that the shutter will only do 1/1000th max.
Hoping to get some good shots of fit people to post on DRIN for everyone to see
Edit: Also ISO 200-400?? (Only go 100, 200, 400 or auto)

Lucky

mercphoto

As a general rule, for people sports go Av mode with the lens wide open (or near to it). I'd go aperture priority as big as you can get, go ISO 400 (unless its really noisy). You get minimum depth of field and fastest shutter speed possible.

luckydog

Thanks Merc. I 'm guessing a couple of test shots first and then try to pick if it's too noisy on the cruddy screen on the camera (the one where shots always look good and then you see how bad they are when you download 'em)

XO-Studios

luckydog wrote:

Thanks Merc. I 'm guessing a couple of test shots first and then try to pick if it's too noisy on the cruddy screen on the camera (the one where shots always look good and then you see how bad they are when you download 'em)

Take the tests shots before the event and evaluate the noise in them on your computer. You will NOT be able to evaluate noise on the camer LCD. Now another method, and I know this only works on certain camera's (like a D70) goto manual, set the lens to wide open, set the shutterspeed to where you want it, and set ISO to auto. In doing so, the camera will vary teh ISO up and dowwn, and allow you to get the shot. Example, I do some stage show/theater shooting, I use a 80-200/2.8. I set the f to 2.8, and shutter to 1/250 (1/focal length) and ISO to auto, no flash. When there is a lot of light in the shot, I get the lowest ISO possible, when there is less light, I still get the shot.

FWIW,

XO,

luckydog

Time zones suck!

Thanks for the comments XO. Unfortunately no computer to preview on site is a pain. Well I went out and took over 300shots and 98% were grainy :cry . Even post processing didn't help. Once I upload some to my site I;ll post in the sports folder so people can say how grainy they are.

PossumCorner

Non-DSLR Day
Don't know if this helps, I set out at dog club today with a new Konica Minolta Z6 to do some dog portraits. First day with the new camera. Doggies finished and the local Soccer Club took to the grounds. I haven't done any people-sports photog, just horse and dog-sports. Didn't have the D70 with me, it was home with the tripod.

So these are hand-held, 1/1000th Shutter-priority, ISO 100 because I have been scared off going higher because of all the noise scare-mongering in reviews and forums, works on me.

Expressive faces, mine was the same, I was a bit nervous being so close to the action.





The problem for me was shutter-lag, I had no hope of catching a moment so had to guess moments before they happened, and they mostly didn't. But this was an end of season challenge match, no-one taking photos, and I explained the camera/operator shortcomings, they said put them on your website anyway, so we can have a look. Have done, but I would not try it again without a DSLR.

PossumCorner

Oops, overtaken by the Timezone.

luckydog wrote:

Time zones suck!

Thanks for the comments XO. Unfortunately no computer to preview on site is a pain. Well I went out and took over 300shots and 98% were grainy :cry . Even post processing didn't help. Once I upload some to my site I;ll post in the sports folder so people can say how grainy they are.

Sorry I jumped in and missed your last post, you'd been and gone already. Well they're no grainier/noisier whatever than my attempts at soccer shots, and I was only on ISO 100 (I think).

Entry Nos 66 and 74, your runners, would have to be pleased with those shots.