Sports Photography Camera Settings

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Marshall R Riojas on June 9, 2009 at 2:33pm

I shoot with a 1D Canon and 70 - 200mm sometimes with a 2X multiplier at 1/3200 or H with a single point of focus on a monopod. I have had some great results

Permalink Reply by Michael on June 9, 2009 at 2:36pm

Thanks Marshall, I'll check out your photos.

Permalink Reply by Robby Long on June 9, 2009 at 5:02pm

I use a D300, and on a day like that, Aperture priority, 200 ISO, my 70-200mm HSM 2.8 Sigma, and the camera set at 2.8,always get great results, I shoot alot of Lacrosse, and days like this are common in the south..

Permalink Reply by Christopher Boger on October 5, 2009 at 7:45pm

I shoot with a canon 50D with a 70-200mm f2.8 with the 50D set on the auto sports setting,,,,,I sell the these photo's on my shutterbug store front ( mostly my son's football....it's all i have time for right now...the parents love this stuff. ) www.photodesignfx.shutterbugstorefront.com check it out

Permalink Reply by Brandon Louden on November 10, 2009 at 8:34am

Well even on a sunny day i set my camera to Speed settings. I select that speed i want and let the camera adjust the aperture for any out of no where cloud shadows on the subject. Also i will photography at the Indianapolis Motorspeedway. And one second i am in the sun on the straight away and next in the shadows of the stands in turns. Also it allows me to get the motion blur that i want on some of my shots. I have a album of some Moto GP, Indy, and Brick yard photos from last couple of years. Also i use a 70-300 lens. I do not use a monopod yet cause i am normaly shooting over someone, and i seem to pan easier holding it. Also i will put my iso at 200 for shadow reasons.

Permalink Reply by D. Warren Robison on December 14, 2010 at 5:26am

A lot depends on what I'm shooting.  For field sports I would have similar settings as you, but not too concerned with that fast of a shutter speed.  1/1000 will freeze about any field sport.  Normal walk through for me setting up is setting the camera to Av mode, setting white balance, then setting the camera up for proper exposure.

 

For inside sports it will depend on if I'm strobing the event or not.  If I'm strobing I'll use manual mode, set my shutter speed to 1/250,  my aperture at 4.5 or so and then adjust my ISO for proper exposure...typically around 160-200.  If I can't get enough light for that setting I'll up my power on the strobes.

 

If I'm not strobing the event, I'll shoot again in manual mode, set my aperture at 2.8, my shutter speed at 1/600 and then adjust my ISO...typically my ISO will be at 1600 in well lit gyms and 3200 in low lit gyms.

 

With all sports I'll set the focus point to center or top center and use the expanded focus points.

 

Here is an example of strobed basketball:

http://www.picturesocial.com/photo/img0442-copy-10?context=album&am...

 

And one using ambient light at ISO 1600.

http://www.picturesocial.com/photo/7i1r3575-1?context=album&alb...

Permalink Reply by ron bailey on March 24, 2011 at 6:57am

im a relative newbie...but on a sunny day, why do you you need such high shutter speed?  you know what, let me ask this...what are you shooting? 

 

i ask, because if the action doesn't have to be frozen to a super degree, you might not need 2.8.  just saying this from my experience, which admittingly is more inside stuff. 

 

i find inside, say for college/pro/high high school basketball, 1600 iso, 2.8, 500 is good to freeze the action.  that's inside. 

 

but outside, you can get away with lower iso (which you note), lower app, and even lower shutter.  the greater the light, the lesser the demands on the camera.

Permalink Reply by Paul Brooks on April 11, 2012 at 9:14pm

Depends on what sport I am shooting.  Outdoors, for "fast" sports such as soccer, football, voleyball, or cycling:  Iso from 400 to 1000, f2.8 to f4, Shutter from 1/800 to 1/100.  I tend to shoot monopod for most, but am occasionally restricted to hand shooting.  I shoot single shot focus @ 10 FPS with a 3 point focus.  For the slower sports, I will generally shoot with slightly slower everything, and will occasionally change over to single point of focus.  I shoot with my Sony A65 for faster sports, and occasionally drop down to my Sony A200 when FPS isn't a huge issue.  I also tend to use my CP if I am going to be capturing any part of the sky in the capture to help even out tones.