Best settings for Canon 700D with Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS?

Hi all, I have a Canon 700D with 55-250mm that I use for Sports Photography. I recently bought the 55-250mm NON STM bec of the part-time job I got. I was wondering what is the best settings for my CANON 700D? as I really struggle during lowlight, and ALSO, would you recommend any other zoom lens for sports photography? Can't afford the 70-200mm though.

Thank you all!

thednx wrote:

Hi all

Hi there.  Welcome to the forum!

I have a Canon 700D with 55-250mm that I use for Sports Photography. I recently bought the 55-250mm NON STM bec of the part-time job I got. I was wondering what is the best settings for my CANON 700D? as I really struggle during lowlight

The 700D has pretty darn good autofocus (I had its twin, the 650D).  Use a single AF point and aim for a high-contrast target (use AI Servo AF).  Shoot the lens wide open, shoot bursts.  Use as little zoom as possible.

As Olga recommends, use as high an ISO as you can tolerate to stop motion.  Get to know your noise reduction software!

I like to shoot in Manual exposure mode (and RAW), but if you want some automation then I'd recommend Aperture Priority mode (using your max aperture).  This will always return the HIGHEST POSSIBLE shutter speed.  It's for this reason that I prefer Aperture Priority over Shutter Priority for action.

Increase your ISO when blur (subject motion blur, or camera shake) becomes too much of an issue.

Keep in mind, shooting sports in low light is HARD, even for the pros.  So keep at it.

and ALSO, would you recommend any other zoom lens for sports photography? Can't afford the 70-200mm though.

Personally, I like to use primes when I'm shooting action in low light (which means anything indoors).  You'll be able to double, triple, or even quadruple your shutter speed when using a prime (keep in mind that "Shutter Speed is King" when you're shooting action in low light).  The 50 STM would be the low-cost starting point.  I really like the 85 f/1.8 too (it has super fast AF).  There's also its sibling 100 f/2 if you want a little more reach.

As far as long zooms for low light, nothing can touch the 70-200 f/2.8.  Start saving your pennies though!

Good luck shooting,

R2

thednx wrote:

Hello, thank you so much!!! I posted my photos on Instagram, it's @denicesnaps !

Could you have a look and judge what I did on my settings and see what I could improve on? definitely needing a tripod, I recently ordered one online though.

Sorry, I confess to being a Dinosaur (no Instagram account  ).

Could you post some images to your (free) PBase gallery?  I'd be happy to take a look-see (and I'm sure others would too).

R2

Olga Johnson wrote:

That looks a little out of focus to me. He is moving fast. Did you use AIServo?

When you use AIServo, and you focus on your target, wait a tiny little bit before you take the picture to allow the camera focus to settle a bit. I also use one point of focus, the center one. This way the camera does not choose where to focus; I do that.

In a venue like that I would prefer a monopod instead of a tripod.

As a start i think you did very well, especially considering the lens you are using.

+1 to what Olga wrote.

Your settings are about maxxed out. This is pretty typical. Your keeper percentage will always be quite low indoors.

If you're having a hard time acquiring focus, one thing I often like to do is focus on the (high contrast) jersey. You'll FF or BF at times (esp if the subject is close), and you can run out of DOF too.

Consider that prime lens. You'll need to crop more (often), but a blurry image just never cuts it.

Best of luck!

R2