Reading mode: Light Dark

Shooting action in a HS Gymnasium

Go to last post
A

Adrian Hood

Forum Enthusiast
Messages
251
Reaction score
0
Location
MD, US
This past weekend I was asked to photograph some action photos for a friend's cheerleading squad during a competition.

I brought my S2 and 80-200/2.8 on a monopod.

When I got there, to my dismay, I found that for ISO 1600 my shutter speed bounced back and forth from 1/60s to 1/125 @f/2.8 (aperture priority mode). Needless to say I got a lot of properly exposed BLURRY photos. I'm writing to see how others handle this. I was told after the event that I can recover quite a bit of details in the shadows up to about 2 stops under exposure, but I had to shoot in RAW mode. This meant I would have been able to shoot at f/4 1/250 for f/2.8 1/500 which should have worked. I guess, even if I would have lost color in getting the details out of the shadows, I could have just converted to B/W. I'm sure she would have been happy with sharp b/w photos instead of blurry colorful ones.

Also, I chose the 'lightbulb' white balance setting. It seemed to work fine.

Has anyone had any success shooting action in a gymansium? I thought about using a flash, but I felt that would have been too distracting.

Thanks,
Adrian
S2, Nikons: 35-70/2.8, 80-200/2.8, 18-35/3.5-4.5
 
Hi,

Shoot in RAW mode will not get you any more light. Yes you can correct under or over exposurer, but this is not really going to help you much.

When photographing action normally shutter priority would be opted for.

The basic problem here is that there is not enough light. You are going to need a flash or more light. F2.8 is going to be a very shallow depth of field and not good for sports use. The 1/125 shutter speed is no big deal as carful panning should give decent results.
Alex
Adrian Hood said:
This past weekend I was asked to photograph some action photos for
a friend's cheerleading squad during a competition.

I brought my S2 and 80-200/2.8 on a monopod.

When I got there, to my dismay, I found that for ISO 1600 my
shutter speed bounced back and forth from 1/60s to 1/125 @f/2.8
(aperture priority mode). Needless to say I got a lot of properly
exposed BLURRY photos. I'm writing to see how others handle this.
I was told after the event that I can recover quite a bit of
details in the shadows up to about 2 stops under exposure, but I
had to shoot in RAW mode. This meant I would have been able to
shoot at f/4 1/250 for f/2.8 1/500 which should have worked. I
guess, even if I would have lost color in getting the details out
of the shadows, I could have just converted to B/W. I'm sure she
would have been happy with sharp b/w photos instead of blurry
colorful ones.

Also, I chose the 'lightbulb' white balance setting. It seemed to
work fine.

Has anyone had any success shooting action in a gymansium? I
thought about using a flash, but I felt that would have been too
distracting.

Thanks,
Adrian
S2, Nikons: 35-70/2.8, 80-200/2.8, 18-35/3.5-4.5
Click to expand...
 
Try the following.... works for me at 800 & 1600...

set the camera to "AF-C" continuouse AF servo mode with the letter C on the focus mode switch.

Set the camera to shutter priority mode - choose a 1/125 second or faster.

Generally, after you get used to the continuous focus mode quirks, this will usually result in good pictures.

You can also set to "AF-S" single AF servo mode with the letter S on the focus mode switch. With this mode, you may get more unexpected "cannot fire" situations than with the AF-C mode.

The choice between C and S focus mode is a matter of taste - select the style that suits your shooting / reaction time. Depending on the nature of the subject and your finger, one will work better than the other.

Also--- in a gym with flourescent lights, you may run into unexpected lighting problems because of the "flash duration" of the lights. If you wave your hand in front of your face with fingers spread wide and can clearly see independent images of your fingers (a stroboscopic effect), you might want to use 1/125 (and prefereably 1/90) second as your fastest shutter speed.

tony
Adrian Hood said:
This past weekend I was asked to photograph some action photos for
a friend's cheerleading squad during a competition.

I brought my S2 and 80-200/2.8 on a monopod.

When I got there, to my dismay, I found that for ISO 1600 my
shutter speed bounced back and forth from 1/60s to 1/125 @f/2.8
(aperture priority mode). Needless to say I got a lot of properly
exposed BLURRY photos. I'm writing to see how others handle this.
I was told after the event that I can recover quite a bit of
details in the shadows up to about 2 stops under exposure, but I
had to shoot in RAW mode. This meant I would have been able to
shoot at f/4 1/250 for f/2.8 1/500 which should have worked. I
guess, even if I would have lost color in getting the details out
of the shadows, I could have just converted to B/W. I'm sure she
would have been happy with sharp b/w photos instead of blurry
colorful ones.

Also, I chose the 'lightbulb' white balance setting. It seemed to
work fine.

Has anyone had any success shooting action in a gymansium? I
thought about using a flash, but I felt that would have been too
distracting.

Thanks,
Adrian
S2, Nikons: 35-70/2.8, 80-200/2.8, 18-35/3.5-4.5
Click to expand...
 
Unless it has been specifically told to you, not to use flash, that's exactly what I would have done. I shoot a lot of basketball and vollyball action in big schools and little schools. ALWAYS use a flash. Sometimes it's straight flash, sometimes it's 2 flash units set up on the sides of the gym. The only time(s) I have been told not to use flash was when one team is loosing badly and the coach wants to blame his teams bad layups on me.
Adrian Hood said:
This past weekend I was asked to photograph some action photos for
a friend's cheerleading squad during a competition.

I brought my S2 and 80-200/2.8 on a monopod.

When I got there, to my dismay, I found that for ISO 1600 my
shutter speed bounced back and forth from 1/60s to 1/125 @f/2.8
(aperture priority mode). Needless to say I got a lot of properly
exposed BLURRY photos. I'm writing to see how others handle this.
I was told after the event that I can recover quite a bit of
details in the shadows up to about 2 stops under exposure, but I
had to shoot in RAW mode. This meant I would have been able to
shoot at f/4 1/250 for f/2.8 1/500 which should have worked. I
guess, even if I would have lost color in getting the details out
of the shadows, I could have just converted to B/W. I'm sure she
would have been happy with sharp b/w photos instead of blurry
colorful ones.

Also, I chose the 'lightbulb' white balance setting. It seemed to
work fine.

Has anyone had any success shooting action in a gymansium? I
thought about using a flash, but I felt that would have been too
distracting.

Thanks,
Adrian
S2, Nikons: 35-70/2.8, 80-200/2.8, 18-35/3.5-4.5
Click to expand...
--
Only the Dead have seen the end of War....PLATO
 
Adrian Hood said:
This past weekend I was asked to photograph some action photos for
a friend's cheerleading squad during a competition.

I brought my S2 and 80-200/2.8 on a monopod.

When I got there, to my dismay, I found that for ISO 1600 my
shutter speed bounced back and forth from 1/60s to 1/125 @f/2.8
(aperture priority mode). Needless to say I got a lot of properly
exposed BLURRY photos. I'm writing to see how others handle this.
I was told after the event that I can recover quite a bit of
details in the shadows up to about 2 stops under exposure, but I
Click to expand...
Adrian,

This is off the subject, I need your thoughts/comments on your Nikon 18-35 3.5/4.5 ED lens as I am contemplating to purchase this.

Thanks,

Vishnu Reddy
Adrian Hood said:
had to shoot in RAW mode. This meant I would have been able to
shoot at f/4 1/250 for f/2.8 1/500 which should have worked. I
guess, even if I would have lost color in getting the details out
of the shadows, I could have just converted to B/W. I'm sure she
would have been happy with sharp b/w photos instead of blurry
colorful ones.

Also, I chose the 'lightbulb' white balance setting. It seemed to
work fine.

Has anyone had any success shooting action in a gymansium? I
thought about using a flash, but I felt that would have been too
distracting.

Thanks,
Adrian
S2, Nikons: 35-70/2.8, 80-200/2.8, 18-35/3.5-4.5
Click to expand...
 
Vishnu,

I orginally bought a Tamron 19-35mm lens. For this range, a fast lens was not important for me. I just needed it for group portraits. That lens was somewhat soft (compared to my 35-70) but bearable. The problem I had with that lens was dispersion.

I got fed up with it and went ahead and purchased a used 18-35mm after reading Thom's review ( can be found on his website: bythom.com) and the fact that it had ED lenses (extra-low dispersion).

I compared it to my Tamron lens and it was sharper and didn't give me stray blue streaks like the Tamron.

However, I recently shot a large group portrait with it and the quality of the image was very poor! I don't know why and I am trying to investigate it now. I'm not yet sure if it was the lens, my lighting, or my camera setting. I plan to put this lens to a more critical test before I use it again for group portraits.

Adrian
Vishnu Reddy said:
Adrian Hood said:
This past weekend I was asked to photograph some action photos for
a friend's cheerleading squad during a competition.

I brought my S2 and 80-200/2.8 on a monopod.

When I got there, to my dismay, I found that for ISO 1600 my
shutter speed bounced back and forth from 1/60s to 1/125 @f/2.8
(aperture priority mode). Needless to say I got a lot of properly
exposed BLURRY photos. I'm writing to see how others handle this.
I was told after the event that I can recover quite a bit of
details in the shadows up to about 2 stops under exposure, but I
Click to expand...
Adrian,

This is off the subject, I need your thoughts/comments on your
Nikon 18-35 3.5/4.5 ED lens as I am contemplating to purchase this.

Thanks,

Vishnu Reddy
Vishnu Reddy said:
had to shoot in RAW mode. This meant I would have been able to
shoot at f/4 1/250 for f/2.8 1/500 which should have worked. I
guess, even if I would have lost color in getting the details out
of the shadows, I could have just converted to B/W. I'm sure she
would have been happy with sharp b/w photos instead of blurry
colorful ones.

Also, I chose the 'lightbulb' white balance setting. It seemed to
work fine.

Has anyone had any success shooting action in a gymansium? I
thought about using a flash, but I felt that would have been too
distracting.

Thanks,
Adrian
S2, Nikons: 35-70/2.8, 80-200/2.8, 18-35/3.5-4.5
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
Adrian
S2, Nikons: 35-70/2.8, 80-200/2.8, 18-35/3.5-4.5
 
Vishnu Reddy said:
This is off the subject, I need your thoughts/comments on your
Nikon 18-35 3.5/4.5 ED lens as I am contemplating to purchase this.
Click to expand...
Some images with only the 18-35 are on the web page:

http://members.shaw.ca/eclat/

The lense iis very good on a cost/performance basis but has significant blue fringing, even within the limited S1/S2 sensor area. This is most visible with a dark object in front of a white or grey background.

I use both the 18-35 and the 35-105 for zooms - these meet all of my variable focal length needs for "brighter" subjects. For available light, I use fixed focal length lenses.

I could post some images with the 35-105 from the same series if you wish.

tony
Vishnu Reddy said:
Thanks,

Vishnu Reddy
Vishnu Reddy said:
had to shoot in RAW mode. This meant I would have been able to
shoot at f/4 1/250 for f/2.8 1/500 which should have worked. I
guess, even if I would have lost color in getting the details out
of the shadows, I could have just converted to B/W. I'm sure she
would have been happy with sharp b/w photos instead of blurry
colorful ones.

Also, I chose the 'lightbulb' white balance setting. It seemed to
work fine.

Has anyone had any success shooting action in a gymansium? I
thought about using a flash, but I felt that would have been too
distracting.

Thanks,
Adrian
S2, Nikons: 35-70/2.8, 80-200/2.8, 18-35/3.5-4.5
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I had a Tamron 19-35. I was very disappointed with it in all aspects.

I had the Tokina 19-35 on my Canon D60 and was pleased with it's performance. WHen I tried to buy one for my Fuji, Tristate Camera said there were out of the Tokinas, but that the Tamron was the same lens with Tamron's name on it, even though it cost more (go figure...).
I am here to tell you, the Tokina was MUCh better, at least on the Canon.

Stay away from the Tamron lens!!

Ayrow
Adrian Hood said:
I orginally bought a Tamron 19-35mm lens. For this range, a fast
lens was not important for me. I just needed it for group
portraits. That lens was somewhat soft (compared to my 35-70) but
bearable. The problem I had with that lens was dispersion.

I got fed up with it and went ahead and purchased a used 18-35mm
after reading Thom's review ( can be found on his website:
bythom.com) and the fact that it had ED lenses (extra-low
dispersion).

I compared it to my Tamron lens and it was sharper and didn't give
me stray blue streaks like the Tamron.

However, I recently shot a large group portrait with it and the
quality of the image was very poor! I don't know why and I am
trying to investigate it now. I'm not yet sure if it was the lens,
my lighting, or my camera setting. I plan to put this lens to a
more critical test before I use it again for group portraits.

Adrian
Vishnu Reddy said:
Adrian Hood said:
This past weekend I was asked to photograph some action photos for
a friend's cheerleading squad during a competition.

I brought my S2 and 80-200/2.8 on a monopod.

When I got there, to my dismay, I found that for ISO 1600 my
shutter speed bounced back and forth from 1/60s to 1/125 @f/2.8
(aperture priority mode). Needless to say I got a lot of properly
exposed BLURRY photos. I'm writing to see how others handle this.
I was told after the event that I can recover quite a bit of
details in the shadows up to about 2 stops under exposure, but I
Click to expand...
Adrian,

This is off the subject, I need your thoughts/comments on your
Nikon 18-35 3.5/4.5 ED lens as I am contemplating to purchase this.

Thanks,

Vishnu Reddy
Adrian Hood said:
had to shoot in RAW mode. This meant I would have been able to
shoot at f/4 1/250 for f/2.8 1/500 which should have worked. I
guess, even if I would have lost color in getting the details out
of the shadows, I could have just converted to B/W. I'm sure she
would have been happy with sharp b/w photos instead of blurry
colorful ones.

Also, I chose the 'lightbulb' white balance setting. It seemed to
work fine.

Has anyone had any success shooting action in a gymansium? I
thought about using a flash, but I felt that would have been too
distracting.

Thanks,
Adrian
S2, Nikons: 35-70/2.8, 80-200/2.8, 18-35/3.5-4.5
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
Adrian
S2, Nikons: 35-70/2.8, 80-200/2.8, 18-35/3.5-4.5
Click to expand...
--
http://www.ayrow.com
 
Hi Tony, great pics off happy people on your galleries. Although they aren´t original size, they seem very fine to my eyes concerning sharpness and color. In the future, I plan to add a Nikon 24-120 as a companion to my 18-35 but for now, I will stick with my 50 mm F1.8.

Regards,
tony field said:
Vishnu Reddy said:
This is off the subject, I need your thoughts/comments on your
Nikon 18-35 3.5/4.5 ED lens as I am contemplating to purchase this.
Click to expand...
Some images with only the 18-35 are on the web page:

http://members.shaw.ca/eclat/

The lense iis very good on a cost/performance basis but has
significant blue fringing, even within the limited S1/S2 sensor
area. This is most visible with a dark object in front of a white
or grey background.

I use both the 18-35 and the 35-105 for zooms - these meet all of
my variable focal length needs for "brighter" subjects. For
available light, I use fixed focal length lenses.

I could post some images with the 35-105 from the same series if
you wish.

tony
tony field said:
Thanks,

Vishnu Reddy
tony field said:
had to shoot in RAW mode. This meant I would have been able to
shoot at f/4 1/250 for f/2.8 1/500 which should have worked. I
guess, even if I would have lost color in getting the details out
of the shadows, I could have just converted to B/W. I'm sure she
would have been happy with sharp b/w photos instead of blurry
colorful ones.

Also, I chose the 'lightbulb' white balance setting. It seemed to
work fine.

Has anyone had any success shooting action in a gymansium? I
thought about using a flash, but I felt that would have been too
distracting.

Thanks,
Adrian
S2, Nikons: 35-70/2.8, 80-200/2.8, 18-35/3.5-4.5
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
Paulo Abreu
FujiFilm S2Pro - Nikkor AF 18-35 F3.5-4.5 ED
http://www.pbase.com/psergio
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top