Your optimal settings for fall sports shooting with D810?

SK · Sep 8, 2015

Looking for peoples preferred setting for shooting fall sports like soccer this fall on my D810

Seems like there are many choices for AF etc..

I am thinking AF-C, 9 pts, Dynamic AF On

Will be using the new 300 f4 pf with a 1.4 teleconverter.

Also, Im assuming shutter priority, 1/500 or higher..

Thanks for any input of key settings. thx

Rich Rosen · Sep 8, 2015

SK said:
Looking for peoples preferred setting for shooting fall sports like soccer this fall on my D810

Seems like there are many choices for AF etc..

I am thinking AF-C, 9 pts, Dynamic AF On

Will be using the new 300 f4 pf with a 1.4 teleconverter.

Also, Im assuming shutter priority, 1/500 or higher..

Thanks for any input of key settings. thx

It's a matter of personal preference within certain parameters on how you set your camera up. For instance, I use AF-C 9pt, however, I use manual aperture and shutter speed with auto ISO. I set my aperture to f3.2 or f4, with a shutter speed of 1/1250 or greater. My auto Iso is set at max Iso 12800, and nominally set at ISO 64 to 100. Instead of using a TC, I use 1.2 crop on the D810.

The auto ISO allows me to control both shutter speed and depth of field. Since I like a shallow depth of field in most cases, and stopping action of the subject , those settings are good for me. Using 1.2 crop instead of a TC, still gives me the full spectum of the lens' aperture range and gets me in a little closer. It also increases my FPS rate to 6FPS. I still have plenty of pixels to work with in PP.

Until recently I've always used matrix metering, but recently switched to center weighted metering, so that I can get faces under helmets more properly exposed. I shoot Lacrosse and football.

Good luck

PSGimages · Sep 8, 2015

Rich Rosen said:
SK said:

Looking for peoples preferred setting for shooting fall sports like soccer this fall on my D810

Seems like there are many choices for AF etc..

I am thinking AF-C, 9 pts, Dynamic AF On

Will be using the new 300 f4 pf with a 1.4 teleconverter.

Also, Im assuming shutter priority, 1/500 or higher..

Thanks for any input of key settings. thx

Click to expand...

It's a matter of personal preference within certain parameters on how you set your camera up. For instance, I use AF-C 9pt, however, I use manual aperture and shutter speed with auto ISO. I set my aperture to f3.2 or f4, with a shutter speed of 1/1250 or greater. My auto Iso is set at max Iso 12800, and nominally set at ISO 64 to 100. Instead of using a TC, I use 1.2 crop on the D810.

The auto ISO allows me to control both shutter speed and depth of field. Since I like a shallow depth of field in most cases, and stopping action of the subject , those settings are good for me. Using 1.2 crop instead of a TC, still gives me the full spectum of the lens' aperture range and gets me in a little closer. It also increases my FPS rate to 6FPS. I still have plenty of pixels to work with in PP.

Until recently I've always used matrix metering, but recently switched to center weighted metering, so that I can get faces under helmets more properly exposed. I shoot Lacrosse and football.

Good luck

Ditto on the auto ISO. I love it. I will dip below 1/1000 on occassion but not often.

in dark venues (indoors) and may use 9-point or single point depending. I'm still trying to decide if 9 point gets me more winners than just plain old single point.

I believe you can get 7fps with a grip in DX mode.... but the problem is the buffer, as it will fill and shut you down if you are not careful (e.g if you shoot in long bursts).

Rich Rosen · Sep 8, 2015

Cogset said:
Rich Rosen said:

SK said:

Looking for peoples preferred setting for shooting fall sports like soccer this fall on my D810

Seems like there are many choices for AF etc..

I am thinking AF-C, 9 pts, Dynamic AF On

Will be using the new 300 f4 pf with a 1.4 teleconverter.

Also, Im assuming shutter priority, 1/500 or higher..

Thanks for any input of key settings. thx

Click to expand...

It's a matter of personal preference within certain parameters on how you set your camera up. For instance, I use AF-C 9pt, however, I use manual aperture and shutter speed with auto ISO. I set my aperture to f3.2 or f4, with a shutter speed of 1/1250 or greater. My auto Iso is set at max Iso 12800, and nominally set at ISO 64 to 100. Instead of using a TC, I use 1.2 crop on the D810.

The auto ISO allows me to control both shutter speed and depth of field. Since I like a shallow depth of field in most cases, and stopping action of the subject , those settings are good for me. Using 1.2 crop instead of a TC, still gives me the full spectum of the lens' aperture range and gets me in a little closer. It also increases my FPS rate to 6FPS. I still have plenty of pixels to work with in PP.

Until recently I've always used matrix metering, but recently switched to center weighted metering, so that I can get faces under helmets more properly exposed. I shoot Lacrosse and football.

Good luck

Click to expand...

Ditto on the auto ISO. I love it. I will dip below 1/1000 on occassion but not often.

in dark venues (indoors) and may use 9-point or single point depending. I'm still trying to decide if 9 point gets me more winners than just plain old single point.

I believe you can get 7fps with a grip in DX mode.... but the problem is the buffer, as it will fill and shut you down if you are not careful (e.g if you shoot in long bursts).

lickity split · Sep 8, 2015

SK said:
Looking for peoples preferred setting for shooting fall sports like soccer this fall on my D810

Seems like there are many choices for AF etc..

I am thinking AF-C, 9 pts, Dynamic AF On

Will be using the new 300 f4 pf with a 1.4 teleconverter.

Also, Im assuming shutter priority, 1/500 or higher..

Thanks for any input of key settings. thx

I kinda like Manual mode w/auto ISO,it lets me control the two most important settings to me. I would think you might have to bump up the shutter speed a bit and chimp a few to make sure it's quick enough.

Texas_Stars · Sep 8, 2015

Using my Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 for baseball photos:

Always f/2.8 and the lowest ISO which provides 1/8000 or thereabouts. My defunct D70 gave me the best because it had the faster shutter speed than the D7000. I now have a D750, and would love to see what it can do, especially with the new Nikkor 300mm fresnel lens, which I don't yet own.

Here are some photos taken while watching the Rice Owls Basball team using the D70 and the 70-200:

Reckling Park: College Baseball - Rice Owls & Texas Longhorns

Taken with a Nikon D70 and a 70-200 f/2.8 Nikkor lens. Shutter speeds were typically 1/5000 sec or slightly faster. A good time was had by all.

gigapan.com

Rice University: Baseball is a Contact Sport - Rice Owls versus Oral Roberts

Oral Roberts is up and Rice is pitching and I was MOST fortunate to have been able to capture this sequence. Single shot, hand-held and no Photoshop except to assemble the image.

gigapan.com

David

Brewse · Sep 8, 2015

SK said:
Looking for peoples preferred setting for shooting fall sports like soccer this fall on my D810

Seems like there are many choices for AF etc..

I am thinking AF-C, 9 pts, Dynamic AF On

Will be using the new 300 f4 pf with a 1.4 teleconverter.

Also, Im assuming shutter priority, 1/500 or higher..

Thanks for any input of key settings. thx

My preference (using D800, with battery grip) is AF-C, Single point, Aperture Priority (lens wide open, so f/2.8 is typical because i'm usually using a 70-200 Nikkor), Auto ISO to achieve at least 1/1500th shutter speed.

Often, I shoot in 1.2x crop mode because this increases frame rate.

I own the 1.4 teleconverter and have never been happy with image quality when it is in use.

chipmaster · Sep 8, 2015

Only thing to add

A3 Focus tracking: For busy background set for longer, for more isolated subjects shorter

Experimented on D810, D3s, D4 and find I like 9 point continuous for action of any kind. For the times I had my D810 never found group focus much better/different.

Like many others I started in a "mode" Aperture for me to control DOF, AutoISO 6400-12800 depending on conditions to keep SS where I needed < 1/500 - 1/1000 and used exposure comp for lighting changes with matrix or spot. These days after some more thought, think full manual is the way to go to control everything with spot meterting. Cause in the end I was fooling myself to think giving the camera control was some how better than just controlling it all.

But I'm back to a D4, nothing replaces FPS for action! Will see how my 200F2 with TC14 and TC17. My CFO will surely balk at a 300/400 2.8 for this hobby!

--
"Today's Pictures Are Tomorrow's Memories"

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Your optimal settings for fall sports shooting with D810?

SK

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Rich Rosen

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PSGimages

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Rich Rosen

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lickity split

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Texas_Stars

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Reckling Park: College Baseball - Rice Owls & Texas Longhorns

Rice University: Baseball is a Contact Sport - Rice Owls versus Oral Roberts

Brewse

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chipmaster

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