football match shooting tips

sully77

I have a canon EOS 7D. I want to record my son playing football as he is applying to the States for a football scholarship. Unfortunately I haven't used the video option on the camera much at all. I have a 75-300mm lens that I think I will use along with a tripod. I was thinking I would use TV/shutter priority mode and then adjust the ISO as needed. I will be videoing at night time. Any ideas or advice anyone could give me would be greatly appreciated. Maybe I should try manual mode instead??

ziggy53

The Canon 7D is capable of very nice video, but the combination of a 7D and a 75-300mm zoom (perhaps it is the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III or EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM) is far from ideal for night sports.

If this is an important event I strongly suggest renting a high-end video camcorder instead. If you want to stay with Canon brand then at least a Canon Vixia HF G30 Camcorder. I also suggest adding a shotgun microphone for best sound quality. Also add a decent video tripod with a fluid head.

The Vixia HF G30 camcorder is designed for long format recordings, and the image stabilization should be very helpful for either American or European football. Night football will still be a challenge, but at least that setup should be more capable.

Whatever you decide, practice recording someone else's game first (in the same location and lighting conditions) and review what you captured 'before' committing to your son's event. Practice and experience will pay dividends for the important event.