D5000 fast subject capture, help please.

bluemoonman · Jul 7, 2012

Hi, I have recently purchased a Nikon D5000 with the kit 18-55 lens & not having used a DSLR before I am on a rather steep learning curve,

I am trying to capture my dog Bazz catching his ball in mid air & although I have had a cople of good pictures out of about 70 taken most are out of focus like the ones I have added to this message,

My question is, what would be the best setting for this type of shot & would I need to try & pan with the dog or try & focus on the ball?

Dont worry I know I have a lot to learn but Bazz is getting on & I would love to have a great photo of him doing his favorite thing before he gets to old,
Many thanks, Jon.

EXDS · Jul 7, 2012

Try setting your focus mode to continuous (AF-C) and use your center focus point. Set the AF area to Dynamic. Definitely focus on the dog and do not attempt trying to focus on the ball (at least not starting out). Make sure your AF-C priority is set to Focus and not Release (it should already be set to Focus as default).

Track your dog with the center focus point and hold the shutter button half pressed. The camera should attempt to continuously focus on the dog as the focal plane changes as he moves. Full press of the shutter button will take the shot so long as focus is locked in. Shoot in bursts with release mode set to continuous for a better keeper rate and to select the best action shot.

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/exds/

Deleted1929 · Jul 7, 2012

First you need to focus on a spot at roughly the right distance from you ( e.g. the ground near where the dog is expected to be ). As it is you seem to be focusing on the background. This takes a little practice, but it's something your brain is highly equipped to due as a result of evolution - we can all anticipate the flight of a ball. Ideally you tell someone to throw into a space that you have focus on, rather than chancing it.

Pop your aperture up to f8 or f11 to gain a bit more depth of field . This again helps with getting what you want in focus.

Then you need to raise ISO enough to get a decent shutter speed to freeze motion. Currently you're using about 1/250th which is way to slow for this. Shooting this on dull, overcast days isn't recommended - the more light the better as it's easier to get those high shutter speeds.

You can pan if you like. It's a tricky technique to learn ( and needs on going practice to maintain ), but it's something anyone can learn with practice. Panning isn't really needed here, but you can give it a go. Note that in panning you normally want some motion blur, so you'll be using a relatively slow shutter speed ( like yours ) and allowing a little motion blur to demonstrate the movement in the shot.

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StephenG

bluemoonman · Jul 8, 2012

Many thanks for the info, I will try the settings & techniques mentioned & see what I can get, I am very impressed with the camera but realise its going to take a lot of patience & practice to get the best results, all the best, Jon.

winparkman · Jul 8, 2012

Shutter speed is too slow. Boost ISO but I don't agree with stopping down. AF-C is a must.

When I try and freeze action in sports photos, I like to shoot at f/4 to f/5.6. I want the blackground as blurred as possible so that my subject stands out sharply. I like to hit at least 1/2000s. For your dog shots, I think a blurry hedge and a sharp dog will look best. You might try again when you have more light.

sjgcit said:
First you need to focus on a spot at roughly the right distance from you ( e.g. the ground near where the dog is expected to be ). As it is you seem to be focusing on the background. This takes a little practice, but it's something your brain is highly equipped to due as a result of evolution - we can all anticipate the flight of a ball. Ideally you tell someone to throw into a space that you have focus on, rather than chancing it.

Pop your aperture up to f8 or f11 to gain a bit more depth of field . This again helps with getting what you want in focus.

Then you need to raise ISO enough to get a decent shutter speed to freeze motion. Currently you're using about 1/250th which is way to slow for this. Shooting this on dull, overcast days isn't recommended - the more light the better as it's easier to get those high shutter speeds.

You can pan if you like. It's a tricky technique to learn ( and needs on going practice to maintain ), but it's something anyone can learn with practice. Panning isn't really needed here, but you can give it a go. Note that in panning you normally want some motion blur, so you'll be using a relatively slow shutter speed ( like yours ) and allowing a little motion blur to demonstrate the movement in the shot.

--
StephenG

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OK, not so purely a hobby.

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D5000 fast subject capture, help please.

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