Temperature Affecting Exposure Settings

[charweb722]

I am not sure how to post a message on here, but I have a canon eos rebel xs; I always use the long lens 75-300mm for sports photos for my grandkids.  They were great until it got colder and a little foggy here.  I use the auto sports setting.  I have recently looked at many u tube videos on how to access all the features.  Last night I did the tv setting; set at 1/4000 and the photos were great.  Then, the lights came on and the boys team started.  I tried the same thing; all the photos are either all black or mostly so dark you can't see.  The videos said it would addapt to the lighting, but obviously not.  I also go a message clean sensor.  I did the auto clean sensor; which I just did the other day for the first time.  We have had this camera for several years, its awesome.  Do I need to keep the camera warm?

[jrhoffman75]

"Last night I did the tv setting; set at 1/4000 and the photos were great.  Then, the lights came on and the boys team started. "

How much time elapsed between the good shots and when the lights came on? In other words, was it darker or brighter than the good shots when the lights came on?

When did the "Clean sensor" light come on. Usually the camera just flashes a notice that it is automatically sendor cleaning when you turn the camera on or shout it down. I have never seen it appear as a warning message.

There is a "flicker" phenomenon. The lights, even though they appear steady to you, are actually cycling a 60 cycles per second. Depending on your answer to my question in the second papragraph it is possible that the 1/4000 SS is so short that you were capturing the low light cycle of the lighting.

But, as others have stated, 1/400 is much too fast a SS with a lens that is only probably f/5.6 at your shooting zoom.