help with the sports function

[gsd]

I have a 70d camera and a 55-250 canon is stm lens. I am taking pictures of swimmers and the lighting is not ideal for the indoor pool. I put the sports function on, but the shots seem to be a little dark. I am on deck right next to the pool and I have a 580ex canon external flash so the flash would go the distance I need. Is there a way to force the flash on the sports function? Or any suggestions on what setting to use, what iso, shutterspeed and should I force the flash? I am such a beginner, sorry for such stupid questions but I am clueless what to do manually. Also what setting do I use on the 580ex external flash. I also have the 70-300 canon is usm lens would that be better than the 55-250 canon is stm lens? Thank you so much for your help!!!!

 

[pdq5oh]

After you set the camera to Sports, tap the Q button on back of the camera. Next to the Sport icon, to the right, it says Standard. Tap that and scroll thru until you get to brighter. You can adjust for more exposed pics. It'll either raise ISO, or lower shutter speed if need be. The sport mode will try to maintain as high a shutter speed as possible. I'd think your flash has a high speed sync setting. Enable that to sync at shutter speeds higher than 1/250th. If you want to shoot manual, choose a shutter speed fast enough to freeze the action. Then set your aperture and ISO to get a proper exposure. In manual you can easily over or under expose as necessary. Using the flash you'll likely find the water will reflect the light and under expose your subjects. Until you can experiment with the flash in manual mode, use ETTL and dial flash power up or down to compensate. You could also let the flash light the subject by manually zooming to the max and experiment with flash power to get the correct exposure on the swimmers. A lot of trial and error until you have the experience to know how to set the camera best. Good luck.

 

[TCampbell]

The 580 speedlite can cover about 34' at f/5.6 if high-speed sync is not enabled ... and I'm assuming you'll end up at f/5.6 because that's wide-open for the 55-250 if you are zoomed in.

Can you post a sample shot and make sure you include the EXIF data (exposure settings)?

 

[Big Mike]

The 'picture' modes, like sports, portrait, landscape etc. don't do anything that you can't do in the 'regular' modes.
I haven't used them on any of my cameras....ever.

To really get a handle on what settings you want to (or have to) use....you really need to develop an understanding of exposure, which means knowing shutter speed, aperture and ISO.

 

[Braineack]

Tv mode + auto ISO.

 

[tirediron]

First of all... are you even allowed to use the flash? Any competitive swimming I've been at, flash has been strictly verboten, and even if you were allowed to use it, I suspect that the results of on-camera flash would cause a LOT of unwanted reflection and harsh highlights. That aside, get out of the 'modes', they're a pain in the sitmedownupon! I like shutter priority @ 1/500 for swimming. That's fast enough to freeze all motion, and still acheivable with most reasonaly new bodies, ISO-wise. I'm not aware of the 70Ds practical ISO limit, but in general, I've found that you need to be between 3200 and 6400 in most indoor pools. It's unfortunate, but this is one case where gear does make the difference, and a fast lens (2.8 constant) and a body that can shoot reasonably clean at 3200 & up are really the secret.

Vis...

 

[lambertpix]

Indoor swimming is tricky to shoot -- there really isn't nearly as much light as you might think. I usually shot on Av with aperture at or near wide-open, then increased ISO until I got shutter speeds up around 1/500. The flash can help provide some extra light, but it won't be a lot and you're likely to wind up with an less natural-looking shot this way. It might also be worth trying Tv with auto-ISO -- this combination should also open the aperture up and yield similar results.

 

[danasnider]

I think this is wonderful of shooting the sports events, as such water sports are difficult to shoot as it is indoor sport and there is a problem of lights while shooting. I must say that outdoor sports are best to shoot, as there is convenient light outside.