Advice for night-time soccer settings

4 years 11 months ago #639654 by grigsy
Hi,

I need help with working out the best settings for night-time soccer photos. I generally shoot in auto, but cannot get any good action shots as they are all either too dark, blurred or too grainy.

Here is a sample of some settings which don't work:
ISO 6400 f2.8 s/s 1/160 (ok light but blurred and grainy)
ISO 6400 f5.6 s/s 1/40 (same)
ISO 12800 f5.6 s/s 1/800 (too dark, grainy)
ISO 6400 f2.8 s/s 1/2000 (too dark, grainy)
ISO 6400 f4.5 s/s 1/50 (ok light but blurred and grainy)

Obviously the auto settings are making the shutter speed way too slow for action photos but, if I increase even to 1/800, even whacking up the ISO doesn't let enough light in.

I'm not an experienced camera man (obviously), but any advice of good night-time sport settings would be really really appreciated. I take photos for my club (daytime ones are fine) and we have a few night games coming up.

I am using a Canon EOS 650D, with a Canon EF70-200mm F2.8L IS II USM lens (also an EF 70-300mm 1:4-5.6 IS USM).

Couple of sample disasters attached.

Yours hopefully,

Kim


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4 years 3 months ago #668704 by dordeduca
good examples


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4 years 3 months ago #668769 by garyrhook
Your camera is perfectly capable of capturing the action. You'll need to be in manual mode, and not be afraid of ISO. Your shutter speeds are mostly far too slow.

Here are some of my lacrosse images captured with a Nikon D5100 and 70-200 f/2.8 lens, about what you have.  Not the best processing (I've gotten better since then), and all of them have had the exposure brought up 2 or more stops, but you get the idea. The takeaway is that you should be at (at least) 1/1000s shutter speed, wide open at f/2.8, and ISO appropriate. Then finish in post (which is critical). IMNSHO, of course.

f/2.8, ISO 1000, 1/1000s, 150mm
Make: NIKON CORPORATION
Model: NIKON D5100
Lens: 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8
ISO: 1000
Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter speed: 1/1000 sec
Captured: Tue, 31 Mar 2015 20:48pm


f/2.8, ISO 1000, 1/1000s, 200mm
Make: NIKON CORPORATION
Model: NIKON D5100
Lens: 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8
ISO: 1000
Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter speed: 1/1000 sec
Captured: Tue, 31 Mar 2015 20:46pm


f/2.8, ISO 1000, 1/1000s, 200mm
Make: NIKON CORPORATION
Model: NIKON D5100
Lens: 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8
ISO: 1000
Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter speed: 1/1000 sec
Captured: Tue, 31 Mar 2015 20:26pm


f/2.8, ISO 500, 1/1250s, 135mm
Make: NIKON CORPORATION
Model: NIKON D5100
Lens: 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8
ISO: 500
Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter speed: 1/1250 sec
Captured: Tue, 31 Mar 2015 19:42pm


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