Night LAX with D7100

First foray into sports with the new Nikon D7100. The 1.5x crop took some getting used to, but once I got comfortable with that, I liked it. Moving back a little onto the track allowed me to frame the action in a way similar to the D3s, but the angles didn't change as fast as they did when I was closer to the field, making it easier to follow. The crop factor also encouraged me to use the 70-200 for part of the game instead of relying on the 300 all the time. Yea! No more forearm cramps by the end of the game. Bottom line for me? Without much analysis, for night games, under crappy high school lights, I find the image quality virtually indistinguishable from those I get from the D3s. :huh

I haven't yet really dialed in my noise reduction settings in LR, so things should only get better in future, but all these images were shot at ISO 6400. The lights on this field suck. At one end, there were a total of seven lamps out on the end zone towers. At least a stop darker than the other end. When I had lots of white jerseys in the shot, it tended to be a bit underexposed, which increased the noise.

I was impressed with the D7100's 3D Focus Tracking. Notice the focus on the girl with the ball in shot #1. Even though the other girl cut in front of her, focus stayed locked on. I really noticed this during the game. Focus wasn't quite as quick as with the D3s, but, even with the screw drive antique 300mm, I found it perfectly acceptable. Stellar with the 70-200. I turned the VR off. The body's a mite small for my hands, but not objectionably so. I may break down and get a grip. 6fps was adequate. Battery life seems to be a non-factor. After 470 shots with lots of focusing, most using the screw-drive lens, the meter still said I had 73% battery. Wow.

Yes, the viewfinder is small, especially after the D700 and D3s, but I can get used to it. The small finder and diminutive body are the price I pay for a much more nimble and less tiring kit. I'm happy! :clap

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#4. This one I include just to show you what 24 megapixels on a crop body can do for you in a sports situation. This action was on the far side and far (and dark) end of the field. Using the D3s, I wouldn't have even had the camera to my eye, but a little cropping and it's a useable (though not very exciting) image.