01-06-2023 09:11 AM
Hello,
I am very much a newbie to photography. I have an EOS R7 that came with the RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM. I got a camera solely to take photos of high school wrestlers (my husband is the coach).
When taking photos of fast action wrestlers in a gym, I'm finding out with this lens the aperture is not low enough to keep my photos bright. I have to increase my ISO to a very high level, which is obviously not ideal for noise. I've tried the auto settings just to see what the photos come out at, and while the photo looks better, the shutter speed is too slow to capture the action, those or similar settings wouldn't work for what I'm doing.
What type of lens would be best for keeping my aperture low (I don't think this lens gets as low as I need), so I don't need to increase my ISO, while maintaining fast shutter speeds? I need the light. 🙂
I have friends with DSLRs that shoot wrestling photos that have f/2.8 70-200 lenses, however the lens world is confusing to me, I am not confident I understand what the lens details mean. Some are older, some newer. I know they make mount converters but it seems a mirrorless lens would lend to better quality when using a mirrorless camera?
I know nothing about photoshop or other similar software, I'm not opposed to this, but when I take hundreds of photos at a tournament, I don't have time to edit this many photos if it's for lighting. Is it too lofty to think I just want the photos to come out decent right out of the camera? 🙂
Again, please excuse my newness and naivety. I just need help and I live in a rural area where there little to no photography resources around -stores, courses, etc., (at least in the sense of a live person to ask questions to).
Thank you,
Jody
01-10-2023 10:47 AM - edited 01-10-2023 10:49 AM
" I can shoot from anywhere except in the wrestling circle"
That is super! My suggestion for best lens is the RF 24-70mm f2.8L Repeating the best starting settings, Av mode. You will set the lens to f2.8 but try f4, also. Set Auto ISO and set the lower and upper limits again I suspect 100 to 6400 should work for most gyms. But again these are stating points and may need adjusting. Use One Shot and not Ai-servo or any other auto AF mode. I would use just the center focus point and turn the others off. And of course shoot Raw. You don't need jpg but if it make you feel warm and fuzzy no foul no harm done.
The two things that editing cannot do or is very difficult to do is focus and blur. You need to nail these. You will also want to use the Minimum Shutter Speed for ISO Auto setting. Again experiment with this. Perhaps 1/250 to 1/4000.
Let me know how it goes, OK?
EB
01-10-2023 10:59 AM - edited 01-10-2023 11:00 AM
Thank you for the advice, very much appreciated! I agree that I need to nail the photo clarity, something I know I'm struggling with right now. Question, why do you think most people use the 70-200 that I've encountered, when they are not much farther away than I am? What would you think the differences in the photo would be between the 70-200 and 24-70 assuming you get the lighting you want? The other girl that takes photos with me actually uses a 100-400, sitting not much further away.
01-10-2023 11:20 AM
Perhaps you missed this, "When you save the photo from DPP4 you can tell it what you need. Like you want to make a full beautiful print or email it or a FB picture, etc." Further you can specify if you just want a jpg and how much quality you want in the jpg. A Raw file is not viewable by anybody or anything. It is simply ones and zeros. It has to be converted and that is what DPP4 or Lightroom or Photoshop does when you u/l to your computer. It is seamless and you do not even know it happens. Actually no different than you looking at you LCD scree on your R7.
01-10-2023 11:24 AM
Ah, I did read it but I don't think I really digested it. I'll definitely have to check this software out as it sounds like it is very user friendly. Thank you so much!
01-10-2023 11:39 AM
"Question, why do you think most people use the 70-200 that I've encountered, when they are not much farther away than I am?"
OK, kido, like I stated above I can't really nail the best lens without actually being there with you. I gave you the lens of choice that I would use knowing what you have said. You said you can get almost in the ring. That certainly tells me a shorter FL is most desirable. Thus the RF 24-70mm f2.8L. Almost all the time a shorter FL is better because it allows more crop room. It will have a greater depth of field, DOF. That means more of the shot can be in proper focus. However if I was there and saw the RF 70-200mm f2.8L was best I would have no problem using it, either. Personally I own both. I use both as the situation warrants. Are both a possibility?
"What would you think the differences in the photo would be between the 70-200 and 24-70 assuming you get the lighting you want?"
The 70-200mil, I would expect to get right up close and personal with the combatants. And if that is the look you are after perhaps it is the best choice. Again not being there with you is a handicap for me.
"The other girl that takes photos with me actually uses a 100-400, sitting not much further away."
On the surface from what you have said I would never have suggested the 100-400mm zoom. What do her shots look like? You know the 100-400mil is a much slower lens than the f2.8 zooms. If she is getting good light you will have no problem with one of the f2.8 zooms.
Here's the bottom line. I would prefer to use Raw and edit my shots in Photoshop over having the best lens in the world. Great photos are made in post not in the camera. If you do as I suggest, Raw and DPP4, and the other gals do not, you will blow them away with very much better photos.
01-10-2023 11:49 AM
Thank you, that is very helpful and I understand that you can only go off of what I'm telling you. I did not realize the depth of field is what the difference would be/better focusing. Possibly that is why I see more of the effect of an in-focus wrestler, but faded background, when I see photos of others, due to the zooming. I do not know what the 100-400 shots look like because she just got this lens. I hadn't considered the shutter speed is slower. I am in need of a faster shutter speed for sure.
I am definitely going to start shooting in Raw and will look at the Canon editing software for my next round of photos, which is a home meet on Thursday! Hopefully I can download that software to a Mac easily, I find the Mac can be a bit finicky at times. I'll see what I can accomplish tonight. Thank you!
01-10-2023 11:44 AM
You know what would be a real help if you could post a sample of what you are doing now. If you don't want to or don't feel comfortable posting in public send it to my email or you can use the PM feature of the forum.
01-11-2023 10:12 AM
I will add another bit to this, the lenses that Rodger uses are very expensive. I mean very expensive. I know because I have a couple. But for me it was part of my livelihood so I guess it is partly excusable. Most of us can't afford or justify those lenses.
If you didn't pick up on it a prime lens has a single focal length while a zoom is exactly what its name suggests (multiple FL).
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