Lens Extender

The Camera Equipment is Important for Capturing Sports Shots

"It's not the fiddle.  It's the fiddler."  While this is mostly true when it comes to capturing good sports shots.  It's not completely true.  Your camera equipment can really help you get more of those very interesting sports photos that I know you crave.  These are my top four equipment capability criteria that help capture cool sports images. 

1. Auto focus speed - Sports like soccer require a camera / lens set up that can quickly focus on a subject AND continue to focus on a moving subject.
2. High frames per second rate - More is better; 8 fps is better than 5 which is better than 3.  I'm sure there's a speed that gets ridiculous.  If it exists, I haven't used it yet.
3. Good low light performance - Not all the action occurs in optimal lighting.  Having a camera that can take photos in the ISO 3200 - 6400 range with well controlled noise levels is key.  But don't forget about big aperture lenses as well.  If the budget can handle it, f/2.8 lenses are better than f/4.0, which is better than f/5.6.  The bigger apertures let you shoot at higher shutter speeds in low light situations.
4. Sharp, in-focus subject with nice blurry background - See number 3 above.  The f/2.8 lenses with long lengths (ie. 300mm) can really help with this.

 

Separate Autofocus from the Shutter Release Button for Sports

 
In my last post, I described the autofocus settings I use for soccer when using my Nikon D700.  One of those settings that I use every time I shoot sports is the "AF-ON Only" setting found in the focus custom setting menu (a5).  This setting removes the autofocus function from the shutter release button.  It requires the use of the AF-ON button highlighted above to activate autofocus.  This allows the sports photographer to make the camera autofocus on fast moving subjects well before the shutter release button is ever depressed.  It eliminates one step of a three step camera process when only using the shutter release button (autofocus, exposure and shutter firing).  I get more in-focus sports photos that are properly exposed when using my thumb on the AF-ON button to autofocus, and my index finger to take the picture. 

Try this technique.  After some practice, you'll get more in-focus shots (with proper exposure) than using the shutter release button alone.

  

Nikon D700 Changes Indoor Sports Photography

 

I've heard for some time now that the ISO performance of Nikon's D700 (and D3) dlsr is just outstanding.  Well.... I can honestly report that the hype about the camera is true.  I used a D700 attached to a Nikon 300mm f/2.8 lens to capture these indoor soccer photos.  With my D300, these photos with this level of low noise would have been all but impossible at this indoor facility.  

These photos were taken in aperture priority using the D700 at f/2.8.  The shutter speed for the top photo was 1/1000s.  The shutter speed for the bottom photo was 1/500s.  The ISO used for each photo was 6400.  Yes, that's 6400 ISO.  The lack of noise at this high ISO level is just amazing.

 

Soccer Photography in the Snow

Don't let bad weather ruin your sports photography day.  In fact bad weather can present you with an excellent opportunity to capture very dramatic sports shots.

This photo was shot in 1996 2006 during a snow shower using a Nikon D70 with a 70-200 VR f/2.8 lens attached.

f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 500

A Tool to Get Your White Balance Right for Proper Colors

Stadium lights as well as indoor sports facility lights can cause your DLSR's auto white balance setting to produce colors that just aren't correct.  Although you can use a test target like a gray card, there's a product called Expo Disc that I now use to easily set white balance in strange lighting conditions.  The Expo Disc attaches directly to the lens to allow you to obtain a white balance measurement and obtain an incident reading.

Before the photo above was taken under high school stadium lights, I used Expo Disc to easily get a proper white balance setting on my Nikon D300.

A Brief History of My Photography Equipment Used for Soccer

The first semi-serious camera I purchased to capture sports photos was a Fuji S7000 pro-sumer model with a fixed zoom lens.  It was a very nice camera, but not very good for the fast pace of sports. Here's an example of a 2004 photo using this camera.

 

In 2006 I was using a Nikon D70.  My main sports lens for a long time was an old Nikon 70-210mm f/4 lens.  It's a very high quality lens.  But it has rather slow autofocus capability.  However, this set up was capable of capturing some good sports photos.  Check this one out of the same athlete in 2006.

 

Today, I mostly use a Nikon D300 camera with a 300mm lens attached for my soccer photography.  Here's another example of a sports photo captured with this set up of the same athlete above this year (2009).

Protecting Your Camera Equipment in the Rain

Don't let a little rain stop you from capturing the sports photos you want or need to get.  There are a lot of solutions to keep your camera equipment dry.  I noticed this solution used by a photographer at a recent soccer match I attended.

Night Photography Camera Settings Example for Sports

ISO 3200, aperture f/2.8, shutter speed 1/640, using a 300mm f/2.8 lens, attached to a Nikon D300.

This photo was shot on a lighted high school outdoor sports field.

Using the Appropriate Aperture Setting on Your Expensive f/2.8 Lens

Just because you've invested in a f/2.8 or f/4 lens for your outdoor sports photography, doesn't mean you have to use the minimum aperture of the lens all of the time.  If you have sufficient light, moving slightly away from the minimum aperture will help you with 2 problems:

1. Even the best lenses are sharper when not shot at their minimum aperture.  Thus, your photos will be sharper at f/4 when using an f/2.8 lens.
2. You'll get more of your sports photos in focus at f/4 when using an f/2.8 lens.  The depth of field produced when shooting at f/2.8 requires that the autofocus be more spot on at f/2.8 than at f/4.

Of course there are many occasions when you'll really, really need to shoot at the most minimum aperture particularly when there isn't enough light to attain a fast enough shutter speed to stop the action.

The photo above was shot at f/3.2 using a Nikon 300mm f/2.8 lens (in aperture priority).

Nikon D300 Settings for Outdoor Photography

Check out this discussion over on Photo.net about the appropriate settings for a Nikon D300 DLSR to capture outdoor sports like football or soccer.  As you'll see, there are a number opinions about the proper settings to get the job done.  This discussion will give you a general idea how to approach choosing your settings with a good explanation of why some of these settings might be appropriate for you.