Annoying newbie question..

helkat

I need an answer to a stupid, annoying newbie (me) question.

I am a total newbie to dSLRs. I have a Rebel XT and a 20D. When I took pics of my DDs first indoor soccer practice, I didn't like how most of them turned out.
I know it is user error. I was using a Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8 lens. Was that totally a bad lens choice since it is a macro lens? I should also mention that I was mainly using auto mode.

Even this photo taken with a 70-300mm lens at 160mm is crappy. Tell me how to improve. Shoot in Tv mode???


I am in the process of really trying to figure out my cameras and hope to know some of the *basics* before next practice!

Thanks so much!

Shamguess

post some samples
I recommend that you post a few samples. That way those with experience can give you some advice on what to do better next time. Don't worry, most folks will be kind. Since you were indoors, there's a good chance the lighting was bad. Also, 70mm may be a bit too "short" to capture the action unless it happens right in front of you.

jonh68

More samples would be great.

I also suggest sitting on the floor when shooting little ones.

helkat

jonh68 wrote:

More samples would be great.

I also suggest sitting on the floor when shooting little ones.

Thanks for the tip!

Am I correct in assuming that I should be shooting in AI Servo mode (which I wasn't) next time?

Here ya go! Please be kind...I have no clue what I am doing, but I am reading everything I can!

bikingbets

Hi hellkat,

I'm a newbie not very far ahead of you.
This post helped me out a whole lot shooting my daughter's high school basketball, and I'd bet you'd like it too:
http://dgrin.smugmug.com/gallery/1188111

Good luck!
Betsy

KMCC

First of all, there is no such thing as an annoying newbie question. No matter how long any of us have been shooting, we continue to have questions, so you should feel free to ask anything on here.

Here's my $0.02:

I'm not sure what it is about your shots that you don't like, but regardless - your lens is plenty fast enough (f/2.8)

When I'm shooting indoor sports (mostly volleyball and basketball), I always shoot in manual mode. I set the aperture at f/2.8, ISO at 1600 (sometimes even 3200), and the shutter speed at either 1/320 or 1/400 depending on lighting.

I take a few test shots and look at the histogram to make sure that the exposure is looking good and adjust the shutter speed or ISO if need be.

Shooting in manual mode keeps the camera from fooling itself by over- or under-exposing a shot if it "sees" a white jersey or a bright light in the background.

I hope that helps at least a little. Keep shooting and keep posting.

Cuong

The tutorial mentioned by Betsy (bikingbets) is a good start. Kent (KMCC) mentioned about checking your exposure using the histogram. Here's a good tut on histogram if you're not already familiar with it: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/understanding-histograms.shtml

Since you're shooting in the program mode, the camera tries to compensate for the low light by using a slower shutter speed, resulting in blurriness due to subject movement. You'd need a shutter speed of at least 1/250 or faster to freeze the action. Your best bet is to shoot in manual mode and set your ISO, aperture, and shutter speed as Kent (KMCC) suggested. Another suggestion is to shoot in RAW format, which gives you more flexibility in post processing.

Cuong

johng

Kent's advice is on the money.
I will however add a couple pieces to it:
1. Max aperture is NOT the only guarantee to success. Even if 2.8 lets in enough light, that doesn't necessarily guarantee focus success. The lens you are using does not have HSM (sigma's fast focus motor) - it won't focus as fast as say Sigma's 70-200 2.8 HSM and definitely not as fast as Canon's 24-70 or 70-200 2.8 lenses. The problem is most noticable in low light where the camer takes longer to focus. In bright light you might not notice an issue. Is the lens you have good enough? Can't say. I just point out that the lack of HSM is a definite hindrance.

2. Subject distance. You have to keep in mind lenses / cameras only yield crisp detail out to a certain range. Beyond that range you run into a couple issues: a) the lens / camera will not provide critical focus and b) the sensor doesn't capture enough image detail to crop down. For the 17-70 lens you should be staying within about 15 feet. Anything beyond 15 feet is going to yield very soft results. So don't expect to take shots from 30 feet away and get great results - even if the focus of the lens could keep up. This is probably the biggest area new sports shooters struggle with - and it's probably the biggest contributor to poor image quality.

Good luck. Try the advice posted here and be sure to post again with your results.

helkat

thanks for all the replies/suggestions...i really appreciate all the tips! now i can't wait until saturday's practice!

you guys rock!

Scott_Quier

there are two issues I see here

1. focus - when there is something in the shot that is in focus it isn't you DD, but something else. Maybe your lens isn't keeping up with the action or maybe you don't have the active focus point on you DD?
2. The other issue I think I'm seeing is a too slow shutter. Increase the shutter speed and either open up the lens a touch and/or increase the ISO to compensate for the increased shutter speed.