Canon 5D Mark iii settings for cheer competition

I just bought this camera but I need help with settings to capture action shots. My Canon 60D did ok but this camera should be better but please help with the right setting. Thank you!

TV, start at 1/1000 shutter speed and auto ISO to get you in the door. Get there during practice and play with the settings from that point. Good luck!

David

Check out the AF 'cases' ...





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For cheering. The best settings are Raw! Raw! Raw!

Thank you so much!

I was wondering what those settings are. So would I choose case 1?

What lens will be the best I'm renting a 24-70 f2.8 L II that should be good right? I have a problem with knowing how to set my focusing points what's the best setting?

tumbalina said:

I was wondering what those settings are. So would I choose case 1?

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I have no experience of cheer competitions. And only the vaguest notion of what one is, but I'm guessing a bit like gymnastics ?? I recommend you read the detailed explanations on the different AF cases in the camera manual, or on the Canon website.

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/rose_atkinson/

I am going to guess on the specifics for cheering.

1) If indoor then lighting is bad. Use high ISO and get 1/500th shutter speed or higher. I use 3200 or 6400 on my 5DII for volleyball. At these kind of shutter speed you can turn off IS. The 5DIII does not have the new anti-flicker mode so you will get some dark shots are the fluorescent lights flicker on and off.

2) If you use fast zoom then you have shallow focused area, but stopping motion is probably the most important unless you want some artistic blur.

3) I am not sure how close you are but generally 70-200 for medium and 100-400 for far. I use 100-400 for volleyball, but I find that 70-200 is probably long enough.

4) RAW to get the most as you are cranking up ISO.

5) Most important is to find the right angle to shoot. I suggest that you shoot some other teams or practice to get a feel for which angle gets you the shot you like. Also change angle if possible e.g. in different rounds.

tumbalina said:

What lens will be the best I'm renting a 24-70 f2.8 L II that should be good right? I have a problem with knowing how to set my focusing points what's the best setting?

Click to expand...

This is a great lens. My question is how close will you be? The 70-200 f2.8 II might be a better choice.

David

tumbalina said:

I just bought this camera but I need help with settings to capture action shots. My Canon 60D did ok but this camera should be better but please help with the right setting. Thank you!

Click to expand...

I shoot cheer for a living. I assume you mostly want to shoot your cheerleader rather than the entire team. If so, 70-200 f/2.8 is a much better lens. When I shoot cheer I generally sit on the floor in front of the judges table. On one camera I use either a 70-200/f2.8 or a 300 f/2.8 depending on how close I am to the floor mat. On my other camera I use the 24-70 to get group shots. If the group is small then I can get it at 70mm with my 70-200 and don't bother with the 2nd camera for that group.

I'm assuming you won't be as close as I get when I'm shooting, so use the longest lens you can get. When my daughter was in cheer and I was not shooting the competition professionally I'd show up with a 400mm f/2.8 to get close up shots of her from the general public seats.

On my 1DX I use AF Case 3 because I quickly move from cheerleader to cheerleader to get as many shots as possible and want instant focus. If you are just concentrating on a single cheerleader I would start with Case 2 which would lock focus on that cheerleader. Each Case has additional settings that you can tweak the AF even more.

The 5D3 is great at high ISO. Do not be afraid to push the ISO to get at least 1/640 sec shutter speed. I always shoot manual exposure indoors, and its always way more accurate than auto exposure of any kind. Shoot at f/2.8. Once you dial in the ISO and shutter speed you will not need to change it since the light will be constant. I also shoot a fixed white balance. Getting is right in the camera will make your life so much easier.

John