High Noise when shooting hockey games (low light) with a A57. Please help!

[SchmidtyImages]

Would I notice a big difference with the Sony 70-200 and the Tamron/Sigma (worth the extra $1200)?

 

[Kolia]

You shot at 3200 iso which is high for the a57. But it doesn't look like you'll be able to go lower.

Maybe you can slow your shutter down to 1/500 instead of 1/640.

Also, that lens is an entry level lens. When shooting wide open, it won't be very sharp.

 

[skieur]

In the above shot, you camera meter has adjusted for the light coming off the white ice which is brighter than the players. Set your exposure compensation for +1, ISO for a little higher than 800(1,000 for example) and see if you can use a much slower shutterspeed. I would try 1/250. Then in post I would selectively reduce any noise that is present.

skieur

 

[Canuk]

1/250 for a shutter speed and hockey will result in a lot of blur.

 

[Kolia]

Would I notice a big difference with the Sony 70-200 and the Tamron/Sigma (worth the extra $1200)?

Yes. Both for the extra aperture and the lens quality.

I'm not sure about going down to 1/250. The hockey sticks might end up blurry. Up the ISO compensation for sure.

I'd set the ISO to 1600, stop down one click from max and see if 1/250 gets you anything good.

How big of a print will you be getting ? Noise might not be such a big issue.

 

[jake337]

If you plan on shooting hockey seriously or for a living I would highly suggest investing In a better camera body. One that can handle higher ISO much better. If this is just for fun or for your kid then maybe try renting a F2.8 zoom or prime and see if you can capture the quality of images you are looking for with the camera body you currently have.

 

[skieur]

1/250 for a shutter speed and hockey will result in a lot of blur.

Not if you time the shot right.

 

[TonysTouch]

The noise you get from autofocus isn't visual noise, it is audible noise. This only comes into play if you are trying to be quiet or shooting movies.

 

[skieur]

If you plan on shooting hockey seriously or for a living I would highly suggest investing In a better camera body. One that can handle higher ISO much better. If this is just for fun or for your kid then maybe try renting a F2.8 zoom or prime and see if you can capture the quality of images you are looking for with the camera body you currently have.

Most "better" camera bodies whether Sony, Canon or Nikon: all have noise at 1600 ISO if you compare images.

 

[Canuk]

1/250 for a shutter speed and hockey will result in a lot of blur.

Not if you time the shot right.

Not sure what kind of action shot you are going to get @ 1/250.
You will never freeze a puck @ 1/250.

 

[jake337]

If you plan on shooting hockey seriously or for a living I would highly suggest investing In a better camera body. One that can handle higher ISO much better. If this is just for fun or for your kid then maybe try renting a F2.8 zoom or prime and see if you can capture the quality of images you are looking for with the camera body you currently have.

Most "better" camera bodies whether Sony, Canon or Nikon: all have noise at 1600 ISO if you compare images.

So a d7000, d700/800, D3S, D4 or sony/canon/pentax equivalents would produce the same amount of noise at ISO 1600 as the camera he is currently using? Yes they all have noise but I would bet a D4 @ ISO6400 would still look better than his current body at IS)800 -1600. But like I said if this is just for fun or the OP's kids games, renting a lens to see if he can get the image quality they want might be in order.

All I am trying to get across is that having an F2.8 lens vs a F3.5 lens with his current body might not help all that much shooting hockey.

 

[SchmidtyImages]

I'm not looking to get amazing professional level shots, but here is an example of some pictures that I've seen that I would really like to take. I understand it's a different camera, but would I ever be able to get pictures as clear with an A57 camera body?

70-200 f2.8 IS Youth Ice Hockey Pics, comments please: Canon SLR Lens Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

 

[jake337]

I'm not looking to get amazing professional level shots, but here is an example of some pictures that I've seen that I would really like to take. I understand it's a different camera, but would I ever be able to get pictures as clear with an A57 camera body?

70-200 f2.8 IS Youth Ice Hockey Pics, comments please: Canon SLR Lens Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

Give it a shot with similar settings, with your current gear, and see how well they turn out. If they're good enough for you then that is all that matters. The settings in your link were usually around 1/400 to 1/500 @ ISO1600. It seems the rink you were taking pictures at is also pretty dark.

 

[SchmidtyImages]

I'm not looking to get amazing professional level shots, but here is an example of some pictures that I've seen that I would really like to take. I understand it's a different camera, but would I ever be able to get pictures as clear with an A57 camera body?

70-200 f2.8 IS Youth Ice Hockey Pics, comments please: Canon SLR Lens Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

Give it a shot with similar settings, with your current gear, and see how well they turn out. If they're good enough for you then that is all that matters. The settings in your link were usually around 1/400 to 1/500 @ ISO1600. It seems the rink you were taking pictures at is also pretty dark.

Yeah, it was a little dark. I will try to use the same settings and see how it works. I'll be at the rink tomorrow so I will try a couple different settings and post some pictures.

 

[skieur]

If you plan on shooting hockey seriously or for a living I would highly suggest investing In a better camera body. One that can handle higher ISO much better. If this is just for fun or for your kid then maybe try renting a F2.8 zoom or prime and see if you can capture the quality of images you are looking for with the camera body you currently have.

Most "better" camera bodies whether Sony, Canon or Nikon: all have noise at 1600 ISO if you compare images.

So a d7000, d700/800, D3S, D4 or sony/canon/pentax equivalents would produce the same amount of noise at ISO 1600 as the camera he is currently using? Yes they all have noise but I would bet a D4 @ ISO6400 would still look better than his current body at IS)800 -1600. But like I said if this is just for fun or the OP's kids games, renting a lens to see if he can get the image quality they want might be in order.

All I am trying to get across is that having an F2.8 lens vs a F3.5 lens with his current body might not help all that much shooting hockey.

I looked at the Nikon D4 images and at 1600 ISO the noise was marginally less than the OPs current camera....certainly not worth another $5,000 plus dollars over his current camera.

In shooting hockey and trying to make the most of poor lighting, you shoot with the action coming toward you or a face off or with passing and less body movement etc. and a shutter speed of about 1/250 sec., ISO 1000 to 1600 and multishot noise reduction continuous shooting with the A57.

skieur