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Adjusting the shutter speed

Hillera
Contributor
When in manual mode I can’t adjust the shutter speed to over 200.
1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

MikeSowsun
Authority
Authority

If you are using flash, the shutter speed is automatically limited to 1/200.

Mike Sowsun

View solution in original post

26 REPLIES 26

I purchased the EF 50mm F1.8 and what a difference it makes, thanks for the recommendation.  I am still learning but I am already noticing big improvements in my photos.  I sat in the first bleacher this week and used my new lense.  I still have so much to learn but am excited to keep trying.  Here is a picture I took at tip off on Monday.

 

tipoff.JPG

Looking good, Mom!  Don't forget to set your WB to the type of lights used in your gym.  Looks like tungsten so set it appropriately.  Better yet shoot in Raw mode and set the WB in post edit.

 

You are on your way, Good job. Smiley Happy

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

Which photo editing software do you use?

I use Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.  A maybe better and cheaper alternative for Mom's is Photoshop Elements 2019.  It is as close to actual PS as you can get. But it does a lot of the cataloging and social media stuff Mom's like. It does have a learning curve but is basically pretty user friendly.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!


@Hillera wrote:

Which photo editing software do you use?


Use Canon’s free DPP, Digital Photo Professional, software.  

 

Photoshop Elements is not what it used to be.  Since Adobe began the subscription software model, Photoshop Elements includes a crippled version of ACR, Adobe Camera Raw, that can no longer perfrom lens correction.  I can no longer recommend PSE to anyone.

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"The right mouse button is your friend."

Here is what I would do.  However not being ther and not seeing the actuall lighting I am only guessing.  I added a bit of sharpening and vibrance, too.

 

tipoff.JPG

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!


@Hillera wrote:

I purchased the EF 50mm F1.8 and what a difference it makes, thanks for the recommendation.  I am still learning but I am already noticing big improvements in my photos.  I sat in the first bleacher this week and used my new lense.  I still have so much to learn but am excited to keep trying.  Here is a picture I took at tip off on Monday.

 

tipoff.JPG


Great shot!  I like the way your shutter speed was fast enough to freeze the action without any motion blur.  You do need a WB, White Balance, adjustment in this shot, which is easily corrected with a couple of mouse clicks.

 

As suggested, learn to save your photos in RAW format, which is a digital negative.  You would then “develop” the digital negatives into JPEG files, which are “digital prints” that contain data that describes how they should be printed on paper or a computer monitor.

I know that sounds complicated, but good post processing software automates the process.  You can process hundreds of photos with just a few mouse clicks in a few minutes.

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"The right mouse button is your friend."

OK! Now you're getting somewhere. Like ebiggs suggested, get your W/B straightened out and try taking at least a few shots in RAW.

Also, don't be afraid to try shooting at 3200 or even 6400 ISO. Maybe shoot some at 1/2 a stop or so overexposed if you start noticing a bit of noise at the higher ISO. A bit of overexposure (ETTR - Expose To The Right in your histogram) will help keep some of the noise in check. So will shooting in RAW and doing a little editing in DPP4.

Post some more samples when you can.

"Maybe shoot some at 1/2 a stop or so overexposed ..."

 

+1  Smiley Happy  Noise tends to be worse in underexposed areas.  Although in the sample shot, it doesn't bother me.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!


@Hillera wrote:

Thank you for your reply, I truly appeciate it!  Any recommendations for a some what affordable lense?


Before I could give you any advice, i would like to know what camera model you are using.  Judging from your lenses, it sounds like you have a Canon Rebel.  

 

Not every camera body is capable of capturing “clean” images at ISO 1600 or ISO 3200.  Those settings push the limits of most Canon Rebel bodies.  The definition of “clean” is pretty subjective, and can depend upon how you frame and compose the subject.  Closeup shots tend to reveal more noise than more distant shots.  The current crop of Rebel bodies are much better performers in this regard than their predecessors. 

 

However, I can recommend one lens, which I think any Rebel owner should have in their bag, the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens.  This is a very affordable lens, actually the least expensive lens that Canon currently sells.  But, it has surprisingly good performance at almost any price.  

 

The wide f/1.8 aperture will come in handy in low lighting, and it will teach you a lot about photography.  I think it is a better buy than a photography class in many ways.  If you took a class, you would be encouraged to own a lens with similar performance, anyway.

As far as using a 50mm from the stands to photograph indoor sports, you will be disappointed with the results.  You will discover that you are probably much too far away to capture much of the emotions on the faces of the athletes.  You will need a “longer” lens.  You would a telephoto zoom lens with a maximum focal length that is at least 200mm to 400mm.  It really depends upon how far away you actually are from the action.

The problem with zoom telephoto lenses, or any lens for that matter, is that they fall into two basic categories.  The first category is the budget lens designed to teach you about photography, and not so much for capturing high quality images, such as the lenses that were included with your Rebel camera kit.  These are cheap throwaway lenses, which are not worth the cost to repair if they break.

The second category of lenses are designed to capture quality images.  The quality of the images tends to go up as the price of the lens goes up.  Lenses at the lower end of the price range can be throwaway lenses, too.  A zoom telephoto lens tends to cost more than lenses with shorter focal lengths.

But, investing in at least one quality lens is what makes photography rewarding.  I strongly encourage you to invest in the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens that I mentioned earlier.  Your 18-55mm lens that came with the camera is designed to be something to use to teach you about DSLR photography.  If it is the 18-55mm STM model, then it can capture images that are sharper than your average smart phone.  The trick is to use a fast shutter to freeze your subjects’ motion.

 

A good wide angle prime lens is good to have in your bag, too.  A prime lens has a fixed focal length, and cannot zoom.  It used to be that primes had better image quality than zooms.  Today’s zoom lenses have just about made primes obsolete. But, primes tend to have wider apertures than zooms, which gives them an edge in some shooting scenarios, such as your low light gym.

If you want a lens suggestion for shooting sports, then I would suggest a 70-200mm zoom lens.  If there is such a thing as a general, all-purpose lens for sports photography, then a 70-200mm telephoto zoom would be it.  Canon makes four of them.

 

https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/ef-70-200mm-f-4l-usm

 

That is a link to the least expensive 70-200mm that Canon currently sells.  It is a high quality zoom lens with a fixed aperture of f/4.  It’s big brothers feature IS, Image stabilization, and wider f/2.8 apertures.  This lens would work well with minimum shutter speeds of at least 1/200 to 1/400.  

 

Of course, the faster shutter is usually better when it comes to sports photography.  In this case, though, I recommend these minimum shutter speeds because the lens lacks IS.  With your Rebel, you want a minimum shutter speed that is equal to 1 / ( 2 * FL ), where FL is the maximum focal length of the lens.  This rule of thumb applies to any lens you might use, too, IS or no IS.

 

 

Again, I suggest that starting out with the 50mm and learning a bit more about photography.  It will help you make smarter decisions when, and if, you decide to invest some money in a high quality lens like the 70-200mm that I suggested.  You will better understand why I suggested it.

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"The right mouse button is your friend."
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