EOS Rebel T3 Sports photos coming out blurry

[ltdeleon]

I have athlete boys so I purchased a telephoto lens EF 75-300mm so that I could take lots of photos of them playing sports. Although a beginner, I started off really well and the pictures were great! We are way into our high school season and I have tried to take several pictures of my oldest who is a senior and I am so disappointed! The pictures are terrible! I don't know what happened, what I did, what I touched, but I can't seem to find the right setting and get those great shots I had once taken before. The only difference is that I am taking pictures in the evening at outdoor games. The pictures are extremely blurry. Sometimes they look great when I review them on my camera but I can't trust that view because I am not wearing my glasses. When I download the on to my computer to start viewing them, they are bad. I want to cry! It's his last year playing soccer and I have not been able to get any decent shots of him! I have changed the aperture, the ISO, the shutter speed and nothing works. I have never used a tripod, but when I started using the camera and telephoto lens, I held my camera in my hand and the pictures were great! Can anyone share some tips/help?!!! Thank you!

[kvbarkley]

Can you share one of the good photos and one of the bad photos?

Note that the 75-300 does not have image stabilization so if you don't hold the camera perfectly steady you can get a blurred image.

[ltdeleon]

Thank you. I try my best to hold it as steady as possible.

[kvbarkley]

At 300 mm on an APS-C frame, you need at least a 1/500th of a second shudder speed.

[ltdeleon]

Would that be from the bleachers? I normally sit in front and not at the very top which would be farther. Can you see the good/bad pictures I posted? Thank you!

[stevet1]

Itdeleon,

I just had a couple of questions:

How far away are you when taking your shots?

Cameras and lenses need light in order to achieve focus.  Try to time your shots to when your son is well lit.

I would say that for soccer, you'd probably want a shutter speed of somewhere between 1/500 and 1/1000. Can you share what some of the settings you used when the shots came out lousy? Trying to capture motion in dim light is one of the more difficult types of photography there is.

As kvbarkley asked, do you know how to post a picture in the forum? We need to see if your whole picture is blurry, or if it's just the subject of your photos.

You said you never used a tripod. Do you have one? Or, are you up in the bleachers?

Steve Thomas

[ltdeleon]

Sometimes I am shooting from the bleachers and sometimes I am closer to the field. For high school I am on the bleachers and for Club soccer I am on the field. Those are the pictures that have come out much better than when I am on the bleachers. I have tried adjusting the shutter speed between 500-1000. My telephoto lens only goes as low as f/4.o I know f/2.0 or somewhere around there might work better. I don't have a tripod but can invest in one. Here is one picture that I thought was pretty good and then one that makes me want to cry! We have a game tonight. I am going to give it another shot and hope to be able to capture some great pictures. Thank you for your help!

[ltdeleon]

The good picture is from the sideline/field. The bad picture is from the bleachers ☹️

[kvbarkley]

You need to boost the ISO to 3200 or so, it will be noisy, but that will be the best chance for the shot. Use Tv mode and set the shutter to 1/1000.

If that pegs the Aperture and seems underexposed, lower the ss to 1/500.

Review the exif data for the two images, as you can see outdoor light is good for sports.

[ltdeleon]

Thank you! I will try using TV mode. I usually have it on Sports mode. Will post picture(s) after. Appreciate your feedback 🙏