Best general settings for indoor volleyball photography

[sm26]

Hi...

I have been tasked with taking photos/video for my daughters club volleyball team. This is my second year-last year I took a lot, but mostly just for my self, and then I shared them on the team photo sharing page. Since I was really the only one taking photos and sharing them, I became kind of de facto team photographer. I played around at every tournament trying to find the best settings. Of course each gym is different-from huge bright gyms, to small dreary ones. So I played around every tourney, but would get images that were either dark and sharp, or bright but noisy. Sometimes they worked out. I'm starting to get embarrassed that they aren't better, since everyone kind of expects them now.


I have a Nikon 5100, which of course isn't the newest/best camera, but I can't justify getting something new at this point. I have the regular box 18-55 lens, and a 50 mm lens, and I know they really aren't the right thing to be using, so I am open to getting a new (not too expensive) lens at this point. Once my daughter/her team get older, I might look at a better camera and more expensive lens, since we will be looking at recruiting in a few years (they are only 13U now).

Can anyone give some advice on what to try for some basic gym conditions? I used to be much more in to photography, from my old Nikon SLR years ago, upgrading every few years. However, since having my own business and not having the time to commit, I have really forgotten just about everything I knew way back when. Plus, the digital era has so much more to learn. Of course back then it was all still photography also...Volleyball can be a pretty fast sport, so it is a totally different learning curve.

Also, if anyone has any advice on an inexpensive video camera for this as well. I have been using my nikon, which actually does pretty good video in general, but I would like to have something separate so I can record full matches instead of trading back and forth between pictures and videos (and video mode kills the battery so quickly!).

 

[Sheacash]

I also want to photograph an indoor sport for my club (medieval combat training). My experience so far...

Pump up the ISO as far as you can with results that are acceptable to you. The images will be brighter and/or you can use a faster shutter to stop motion (if that's what you want to achieve). It's a matter of trial and error to see what balance works for you.

Get the white balance sorted, or you spend a lot of time in post trying to right it. Poor and variable lighting is the usual situation, and you have to deal with it. A white balance card would help no end and it is a definite on my shopping list for this type of photography/video.

The best shots are close to the action, which is what your lenses will not be able to do. A 55-200mm would give you the reach that no matter where a person is on the court you will be able to get a decently sharp pic. Use the 50mm for team portraits.

 

[Sulfur]

Use shutter priority mode. Go for a speed around 1/200th of a sec or faster to prevent motion blur. Maybe look at a used prime lense like a 85mm f2.8, or 105mm f2.8 (I'm probably messing these up, but I'm tired and trying to help.)

 

[Cherylynne1]

One thing I used to do when trying to get a sense of settings was use Flickr to search. In this case, you could search for "d5100 volleyball" and then when you see a picture that looks similar to your situation, click on it, and then click on the "Information" symbol. That will tell you the camera, lens, and settings used to take that shot (unless the photographer has chosen to keep it private, but most don't.) You could also try the search with cameras similar to yours, if yours doesn't return enough results. It should be enough to give you a general idea of where you want to be.

 

[scokill]

Hi...

I have been tasked with taking photos/video for my daughters club volleyball team. This is my second year-last year I took a lot, but mostly just for my self, and then I shared them on the team photo sharing page. Since I was really the only one taking photos and sharing them, I became kind of de facto team photographer. I played around at every tournament trying to find the best settings. Of course each gym is different-from huge bright gyms, to small dreary ones. So I played around every tourney, but would get images that were either dark and sharp, or bright but noisy. Sometimes they worked out. I'm starting to get embarrassed that they aren't better, since everyone kind of expects them now.

I have a Nikon 5100, which of course isn't the newest/best camera, but I can't justify getting something new at this point. I have the regular box 18-55 lens, and a 50 mm lens, and I know they really aren't the right thing to be using, so I am open to getting a new (not too expensive) lens at this point. Once my daughter/her team get older, I might look at a better camera and more expensive lens, since we will be looking at recruiting in a few years (they are only 13U now).

Can anyone give some advice on what to try for some basic gym conditions? I used to be much more in to photography, from my old Nikon SLR years ago, upgrading every few years. However, since having my own business and not having the time to commit, I have really forgotten just about everything I knew way back when. Plus, the digital era has so much more to learn. Of course back then it was all still photography also...Volleyball can be a pretty fast sport, so it is a totally different learning curve.

Also, if anyone has any advice on an inexpensive video camera for this as well. I have been using my nikon, which actually does pretty good video in general, but I would like to have something separate so I can record full matches instead of trading back and forth between pictures and videos (and video mode kills the battery so quickly!).

This is the most difficult advice to give because nothing taxes a camera and lens combination like indoor sports, and what is acceptable to one person may not be even close to acceptable for another. Also, as you mention lighting can range from bad (relatively speaking) to even worse. Can you do better with just some advice? Yes.

I normally don't shoot shutter priority nor recommend it, but in your case with slow lenses (perhaps other than the 50mm) I would. Try 1/250 (which will be some blur) to 1/500 if lighting is better. Use auto ISO with max set at ISO 6400, and min shutter speed set at your shutter priority setting 1/250 to 1/500. You will have some noise/grain and potentially some blur.

Your AF setting should be AFC, 9 pt dynamic (or 11 pt, can't remember on that AF module). Menu a1 afc priority set to release. Make sure to set release mode to continuous shooting....can't remember if it just has single or continuous, or one in between.. With 4 fps anticipation of the action you want to capture and framing/focus before the desired action will be key. The lens and camera you have aren't able to quickly pan and acquire focus quickly, so that will be key.

You could do better with some gear upgrades as you know but impossible to make recommendations unless you have a budget figure.

 

[Tim Reidy Productions]

I was using primes last season and got a similar result.

lenses that are f2.8 or less help alot.

 

[sm26]

I know it is a hard thing to help with. I'm not opposed to spending a couple hundred on a new lense, but at the same time for now it is really just a hobby, so it's not at the point where I want to spend hundreds/thousands on a new camera and lenses. =) It might be more necessary in a couple years.

We will be at a tourney this weekend, so I'll try some of the things mentioned here and see how it goes. I will also look in to the lens mentioned, and see if that looks good.

 

[Tim Reidy Productions]

a prime may be your cheapest bet, a 50, 85 or 100mm around the court may get you some good shots.

I was using a 85mm manual lens in other shots that day and the lens goes for under 200.

 

[REBlue]

I shoot a lot of indoor sports, including volleyball. So, I know the struggle. My "basic" settings for volleyball are f/4 @ 1/500 with a 70-200 f2.8, with auto ISO maxed at 6400. I'm not familiar with your equipment, so you may need to adjust them to fit what your equipment can handle.

 

[dad_of_four]

SInce your indoors, your exposure is the same, set your camera into Manual mode

Set your ISO as high as you dare. This is not high-art, so a little noise is OK
Set your Aperture Setting to the lowest number possible
Now start taking some test shots as you increase the shutter speed 1/250, 1/320, 1/400, 1/500. IF you cannot get at least 1/250, you're gonna have to up your ISO

As you have noticed, Volleyball is difficult to shoot well. The ball moves fast, and unpredictable. The good news is that every point starts with a Serve, and usually to the back like, followed by a dig, bump, spike.
You might consider isolating a single player in your central focal point, and then waiting for the ball to come to them. Of course, you need to anticipate the ball, because by time you see it, it is too late to take the photo. Same for the Spike. concentrate on a single player that you can properly frame.

FInally, remember to take non-action shots.

 

[sm26]

So, this weekend was frustrating! We were in two very old dark college gyms (really old...the windows had large cranks to open them all at once, if that gives you an idea).
I played around with settings and found something I liked when watching the game before ours. But looking through photos, it is crazy how they vary! Even with continuous shots (which I do quite a bit), if I did three continuous shots, one would be fine, the next would be very dark, and the next would be light. How does that even happen? LOL.

Oh well, I will keep playing around. By the time they are old enough for the pics and videos to really count, I might have it figured out. =)

 

[Sulfur]

So, this weekend was frustrating! We were in two very old dark college gyms (really old...the windows had large cranks to open them all at once, if that gives you an idea).
I played around with settings and found something I liked when watching the game before ours. But looking through photos, it is crazy how they vary! Even with continuous shots (which I do quite a bit), if I did three continuous shots, one would be fine, the next would be very dark, and the next would be light. How does that even happen? LOL.

Oh well, I will keep playing around. By the time they are old enough for the pics and videos to really count, I might have it figured out. =)

The indoor lighting will actually "pulse". So the light is actually changing all the time (off/on) so fast that you can't see it. Multiply this by the number of lights inside the court and it can make for an interesting experience. You will see the same thing happen with old computer monitors if you try and video record them.

 

[REBlue]

It's true that fluorescent lights cycle through bright-dark phases, the color of their light will also cycle. The light level and color will also fluctuate depending on the background of your shots. For example if your target is backed by a light colored wall, then against the dark seating area, the same settings will produce different results. You should try to position yourself where the majority of the action is going to take place under conditions that work with your settings. However, I think you should check and make sure you haven't accidentally turned on your camera's bracketing settings. The results you describe are exactly what bracketing is designed to do.

 

[Mwjakel]

One thing I used to do when trying to get a sense of settings was use Flickr to search. In this case, you could search for "d5100 volleyball" and then when you see a picture that looks similar to your situation, click on it, and then click on the "Information" symbol. That will tell you the camera, lens, and settings used to take that shot (unless the photographer has chosen to keep it private, but most don't.) You could also try the search with cameras similar to yours, if yours doesn't return enough results. It should be enough to give you a general idea of where you want to be.

Hello!

excellent advise. I just logged into Flickr and searched. Although my search with d7500 volleyball didn't yield results I typed in Highschool volleyball and most of the pics have the camera settings info listed. Very helpful to me.

Thank you and a big thank you to everyone who gives their assistance

mike

 

[RCRCRC]

I had a D7000, using 50mm 1.8 and 35mm 1.8 lenses and it was still too slow... I find that to do stop action for indoor volleyball, I use 1/800 and aperture wide open. The burst and buffer on the D7000 was too slow too. So I got a D500 with the kit 16-80 2.8-4 lens and I've been truly amazed at how easy it makes getting the shots for indoor volleyball. Almost 100% keepers, at least for image quality. I attempted to use a fellow parent's D3100 and kit lens and I have to say, it was near impossible to get any action shots - and I consider myself a reasonably skilled photographer. So, equipment might actually matter in this case.

I also tend to do better taking shots of half the court - I find the reactions from all the players to tell a better story...


d500 with kit lens. f/2.8, 1/800s, 16mm, ISO3200

 

[Leonard Migliore]

I had a D7000, using 50mm 1.8 and 35mm 1.8 lenses and it was still too slow... I find that to do stop action for indoor volleyball, I use 1/800 and aperture wide open. The burst and buffer on the D7000 was too slow too. So I got a D500 with the kit 16-80 2.8-4 lens and I've been truly amazed at how easy it makes getting the shots for indoor volleyball. Almost 100% keepers, at least for image quality. I attempted to use a fellow parent's D3100 and kit lens and I have to say, it was near impossible to get any action shots - and I consider myself a reasonably skilled photographer. So, equipment might actually matter in this case.

I also tend to do better taking shots of half the court - I find the reactions from all the players to tell a better story...

The D500 has a flicker reduction feature to synchronize exposure with the light frequency. Did you use that?

 

[Greg OH]

Get close. Use the 50mm and ISO 6400. You can always crop the images when 50mm doesn't get you close enough.

As for additional lenses, the best would be a 70-200/2.8, which is expensive. Maybe rent one, or buy a used and/or non-Nikon one. Image stabilization (AKA VR) isn't crucial for this purpose. You do have to ensure that you get one that can autofocus with a D5100.

Take lots of shots to increase the chances of "keepers."

Another idea would be to rent pro-level gear. A two-week rental of a D750 and Nikon 70-200/2.8 would be around $300.

 

[sm26]

Get close. Use the 50mm and ISO 6400. You can always crop the images when 50mm doesn't get you close enough.

As for additional lenses, the best would be a 70-200/2.8, which is expensive. Maybe rent one, or buy a used and/or non-Nikon one. Image stabilization (AKA VR) isn't crucial for this purpose. You do have to ensure that you get one that can autofocus with a D5100.

Take lots of shots to increase the chances of "keepers."

Another idea would be to rent pro-level gear. A two-week rental of a D750 and Nikon 70-200/2.8 would be around $300.

I do have the 50 mm, I take a ton of pics, and I crop them down before sharing with the rest of the team.
We are now just getting in to season again, so it has been a while since I played around, but if I remember right when I bumped the ISO up so high, the shots got grainy. Does that sound right? maybe I'm thinking of the wrong thing.


Some gyms are great-for instance out home gym allows for really good shots, as the lighting is better than a lot of places. But some gyms are just terrible-from old, old college gyms with terrible lighting, to huge convention centers.

And I do play around with settings when the girls are warming up, or when other teams are playing, but it is so hard to tell if the shot that looks good on the 3" screen is going to look good when uploaded to a larger screen.

As for the expensive lens, or the option of renting, that is really something that we will definitely consider in a year or two, when we are looking at building highlight videos. For now, it is really just for our own sharing, and to share with the team. I just feel bad that I'm taking all these pics and they aren't coming out as well as I'd like for the other parents (although, honestly, nothing is stopping them from taking their own pics if it is that big of a deal for them =).

 

[Greg OH]

We are now just getting in to season again, so it has been a while since I played around, but if I remember right when I bumped the ISO up so high, the shots got grainy. Does that sound right? maybe I'm thinking of the wrong thing.

Digital cameras get "noisy" not grainy, but its more-or-less the same thing. However, most people aren't going to pay attention to the technical quality of the image, other than very basic things like proper exposure. Composition and timing are what matter.

I don't have a D5100, so I referred to the review (and my own experience with similar vintage Canons) when I recommended ISO 6400. You can see the noise, but it should be acceptable to most viewers:

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond5100/20

You probably don't want to go above 6400, nor do you want to underexpose. Underexposure, followed by an attempt at correction can make the noise much more visible.

This image is in the Washington Post. Probably shot at ISO 102,400. Technical quality is lousy. But, the story's not about the quality of the photo.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/11/22/trump-says-man-who-helped-convict-klan-members-in-race-bombing-case-is-soft-on-crime/?hpid=hp_no-name_hp-in-the-news%3Apage%2Fin-the-news&utm_term=.3261febea38d

 

[REBlue]

Glad to see you're still hanging in there. I feel your pain. Depending on how much access you have to the court, you may want to move up to one of the 85mm lenses if you do not want to go full on into something like the 70-200 f2.8 option. You could probably get by with the 70-200 f/4 options for less cost. As for the noise/graininess, Nikon's free software NX-D does a good job of reducing the appearance of noise. I've heard it uses the same engine as Noise Ninja, although I do not know that to be true. Noise is the inevitable result of increasing the ISO setting. It's all a matter of what your tolerance levels are. You have to be judicious in your use of noise reduction software, as you can destroy detail/sharpness in your photos with too vigorous use. One minor tip that might help you; if possible, situate yourself so that the players are in front of the lightest background available. The increased contrast will allow your camera to lock on focus more quickly and noise is less visible in the lighter areas of images. Hang in there and keep shooting.