topic Re: nighttime shooting at sports event in General Discussion

nighttime shooting at sports event

Hilda1 — Sun, 09 Sep 2018 20:38:58 GMT

I have a Canon Rebel Xs and when shooting football games all is great until it gets dark. I use the sport mode, rapid shooting and I realize there isn't enough light for the shutter speed, so blurry pictures are the result. I use a 250 mm lens but am thinking of getting a 300 mm lens, not sure if that will improve the problem. A friend uses a 300 mm lens (Nikon) and her photos are not blurry. What can I do to improve the nighttime pictures?

Thank you, Hilda

Re: nighttime shooting at sports event

cicopo — Sun, 09 Sep 2018 21:15:23 GMT

You'll need a faster lens (f2.8 or better), and a higher ISO which will add noise but it will help get a faster shutter speed, & I'd recommend shooting in either Av mode or Tv mode & trying different settings to see which works better in your environment.

Re: nighttime shooting at sports event

Hilda1 — Sun, 09 Sep 2018 23:22:33 GMT

Thank you for the speedy reply. I appreciate your help and will try this. I have also been advised to not use the image stabilizer but, won't that add to the blurry problem?

Re: nighttime shooting at sports event

wq9nsc — Sun, 09 Sep 2018 23:35:14 GMT

The only worse lighting I have found than high school football is the indoor soccer arena where my daughter plays her winter club games. Low lighting requires a fast lens and a sensor that will provide reasonable noise performance at high ISO. You also want a lens and your placement that will allow images to fill as much of the sensor as possible since you have far less latitude for cropping as noise increases.

I shot a few images for a friend at a football game last week and I was shooting from some distance away unlike soccer where I am just off the field of play. I am adding a 300MM F2.8 before my daughter's club season starts this year and it would have come in handy at the football game where I used my 70-200 F2.8 instead which is really too short for this purpose with a full frame body, especially since I was about 25 yards off the field of play and not moving with the plays.

These images below may be of interest to you because they were shot at 1/250 instead of 1/500 which is typically the recommended minimum shutter speed for high school football. Even though my 1DX M2 has an excellent sensor I decided to experiment with shutter speed because I wanted to see how things would work out in shots where high shutter speed isn't critical. Keep this in mind with your camera because it will be even more important with a sensor that has more noise as ISO speed is increased.

Autofocus systems work far better with more light and this is where a F2.0 or F2.8 lens is very helpful for very poorly lit sports venues. So even when you can get to a reasonable spot on the exposure triangle you still have an issue with AF and fast moving sports in poorly lit conditions.

Also remember that some of the coolest sports shots are the expressions right before a snap, expressions in a huddle, post score celebration, etc. where you can drop the shutter speed and end up at a better spot on the ISO curve. If your current camera body and lens isn't quite up to catching the faster action parts of the game then concentrate on the parts you can capture.

Rodger

Re: nighttime shooting at sports event

kvbarkley — Sun, 09 Sep 2018 23:36:58 GMT

No, it will do just the opposite. There are two causes of blur: camera motion and subject motion. IS can eliminate camera motion, but not subject motion.

300 mm is not enough more length to make a difference.

I suggest you look at the exif data of your friends pictures and see what the differences are. I suspect they are using much higher ISO - which an XS might not be capable of - and faster shutter speed.

Re: nighttime shooting at sports event

Waddizzle — Sun, 09 Sep 2018 23:37:28 GMT

@Hilda1 wrote:
Thank you for the speedy reply. I appreciate your help and will try this. I have also been advised to not use the image stabilizer but, won't that add to the blurry problem?

I think there are two things that would make a big difference. A faster lens has already been mentioned. But, a wide aperture telephoto lens can be expensive, especially f/2.8.

A camera with better ISO performance would make a significant difference, too. I think your camera tops off at ISO 800-1600. Ask your friend what ISO and exposure settings they are using. When I shoot "Friday Night Lights", my typical exposures are 1/400, f/5.6, ISO 3200 to ISO 12800.

Re: nighttime shooting at sports event

Hilda1 — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 01:28:54 GMT

So many good points and my next opportunity is this week, as long as hurricane Florence does not ruin our plans. Thank you for taking time to help me. I am anxious to learn and need so much more information each time. Eventually I will get this.

Re: nighttime shooting at sports event

Hilda1 — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 01:33:42 GMT

Re: nighttime shooting at sports event

Hilda1 — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 01:34:55 GMT

What kind of camera/lens would you recommend? I able to upgrade and would like some input from a pro.

Re: nighttime shooting at sports event

kvbarkley — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 02:00:07 GMT

I would look into the t7i, and the TAMRON/Sigma 150-600 mm lens.

Assuming the "250mm" you have is the 55-250, that will work well on the T7i.

Re: nighttime shooting at sports event

Waddizzle — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 11:04:35 GMT

“What kind of camera/lens would you recommend? I able to upgrade and would like some input from a pro.”

I am no pro. Just a grandfather who is a photo geek.

This was shot with an EOS 6D at f/5.6, using ISO 12800, which was actually -1 Ev of automatic exposure compensation. The camera was set to Manual, but with Auto ISO. The exposure called for ISO 25600, but I capped my Auto ISO at 12800.

The lens was the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM. Processed in Adobe Lightroom.

Re: nighttime shooting at sports event

ebiggs1 — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 14:46:08 GMT

"I would look into the t7i, and the TAMRON/Sigma 150-600 mm lens."

I like this suggestion a lot. Make sure you get the G2 version of the big Tammy. Next you will need to practice with it. It is big and beautiful and will do the job but you need to learn how to use it.

Some other suggestions might be to use Av mode. Set the lens to f5.6 or f8. Again, experiment with it and learn. Select a fairly high ISO, say >3200 but try <1600 also. (Never use auto ISO) Again, learn! Let the camera select the SS.

Noise in the shot may be or it may not be a problem. At any rate here is the most important part of your situation, get and use a good post editor. If you do nothing else, get a good post editor and learn how to use it. I would rather you get a good editing program than even a new camera/lens. It is that important. Most of them deal with noise well.

My last point and perhaps the most important point is made up of three factors. Well, I mean, lets say they are right next to a good post editor. What is it? It is location, location and location. Single most important thing is where you shoot from. All the guys that tell you exactly what gear to use fail to mention this most important point. Without knowing this one thing they can not tell you with any authority what gear to use. Sidelines good, bleachers bad. Being able to roam the sidelines fantastic. However, this makes the suggestion of the big Tamron such a good choice.

Modified recommendation, "I would look into the t7i, and the TAMRON/Sigma 150-600 mm lens.", plus a post editor and good spot to shoot from.

Re: nighttime shooting at sports event

ebiggs1 — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 14:48:32 GMT

Oh, I forgot to mention, what editor? I would check out Photoshop Elements. It is a good starter and it is not expensive. Matter of fact get PSE first. Right now! Today.

Re: nighttime shooting at sports event

Hilda1 — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 19:16:39 GMT

Thank you for your advice. Upgrading to a new camera and lens is what I felt would be needed. I will check around for some deals. Thanks again.

Re: nighttime shooting at sports event

ebiggs1 — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 19:31:47 GMT

Don't forget the photo editor. That is more important than a new camera/lens. I would rather see you get it first.

Re: nighttime shooting at sports event

Hilda1 — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 19:32:01 GMT

Wow. So much great information. I use Power Directo r for editing and find it can improve my shots very well. I am also going to find a camera club nearby so I can get more hands on with my camera. Thank you again. This forum has helped me very much.

Re: nighttime shooting at sports event

ebiggs1 — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 19:33:34 GMT

Check out Photoshop Elements. It is the starter level editor. It isn't expensive for all the power it delivers.

Re: nighttime shooting at sports event

Hilda1 — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 19:33:38 GMT

Beautiful crisp and clear shot. My dream shot, one day. Thank you for your help. I am sure all your shots are amazing.

Re: nighttime shooting at sports event

ebiggs1 — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 19:34:59 GMT

" I am sure all your shots are amazing."

No, they aren't but some of them can be salvaged or vastly improved in PS.

Re: nighttime shooting at sports event

Waddizzle — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 22:18:09 GMT

@ebiggs1 wrote:
Check out Photoshop Elements. It is the starter level editor. It isn't expensive for all the power it delivers.

WARNNG:

Photoshop Elements 2018 runs a version of Adobe Camera Raw that lacks lens correction.