Indoor gymnastics!! Rrrrrrr!!!

VolkswagenMommy

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I’m new here!!!! Hello everyone!

Trying to get a setting that is not grainy! Rerrrrr ! I took some shots in practice yesterday during gymnastics, lower light, fast gymnasts = not great photos!!!

What I tried— (I was trying my 70-300mm since I am not sure how close I will get.)

I only have the kit lens pack at this time.

Nikon D5600

I tried upping the ISO they were so dark - when I post edit the light comes up but the quaility is grainy. I took through the glass on these the dark are no edit and out on the floor.

Ps- I do not have the 2.8 option with this lens this is wide open.

I will take any thoughts! Here is some post edits.

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I don't know much about gymnastics, but even with a fast lens inside, you'll have trouble with getting 1/1000s shutter speeds.

Are you shooting RAW and doing any sort of post processing?

My quick suggestions, without knowing anything else, would be to slow the shutter down to maybe 1/500s, and then bump the ISO up to 6400. I think you'll get a much better file to work with...you have a beautiful sensor in that camera, it can handle 6400 pretty easily.
 
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One more thing...Your camera is trying to tell you that it’s not getting enough light for a good exposure. The meter is circled. You want the needle to be in the dead center, and the meter is currently telling you that you have at least 2 stops less than necessary for the ideal exposure. My suggestions above should get you closer (they’ll add about 2.5 stops of exposure).


EDIT: that screen also tells me that you’re shooting JPGs and not RAW files. RAW files have significantly more data, and it means that you’ll have better luck fixing exposure issues in post processing. It’s worth looking at Lightroom and photoshop ($10 a month) and shooting in RAW if you’ll be wanting to process photos like this often.
 
Sorry...last post...the camera was set expecting to get a pop of flash on this photo, but I missed. The original RAW file is almost completely black. This is what I was able to do in LR...

tegan21oct17 by jwa04, on Flickr
 
You have a few things you can do...
1) The window and ceiling light is throwing off the meter reading so you need to do some exposure compensation to achieve a good exposure on the main subject. Raising the exposure, especially on a JPG image, in post will generally introduce more noise than if the subject had a good initial exposure.

2) Where to gain additional exposure with your current lens - you can't. Lowering the shutter speed is an option - but you need to go for the shots at the peak of the movement such as the first shot on the Rings or the shot on the Parallel bars. I would go to 1/250th for those types of shots. That gives you two stops more light that the 1/1000th second used. That should give a good exposure on the subject.

3) The shots also look like they were shot at the wide end of the zoom range if that was the 70-300mm - sure that can give you f/4.5 - but a big crop with also exaggerate noise. While it is common in sports to shoot loose enough so the extended hand or foot is not out of the frame - you have a good idea in gymnastics on the position the gymnast is going to be in when you can capture them at the peak of the movement (the least amount of body movement to give the best possibility of a blur free image). So I would go to ISO 3200 from ISO 2000 (2/3rds of a stop) and zoom in a bit (so the f/4.5 at 70mm is now the same exposure as the f/5.6 the lens might stop down to at around 200mm).

4) Shoot in Raw and do the post processing in a program such as LightRoom for more control.

5) If you have a certain focal length that you find works for most of the shots then look at picking up a fast prime lens - I use my 35mm f/1.8 indoors all the time. You may find a 50mm or 85mm would work good for you. Going to f/2 from f/4.5 is 2-1/3 stops more light and that can go towards raising the shutter speed and lowering the ISO. Check the DOF calculators to see that the subject can be completely in focus. An 85mm lens I would shoot at f/2.8 while the 50mm or 35mm will give enough DOF at f/2 and around 15 to 20 foot distance from subject.
 
View attachment 152802

One more thing...Your camera is trying to tell you that it’s not getting enough light for a good exposure. The meter is circled. You want the needle to be in the dead center, and the meter is currently telling you that you have at least 2 stops less than necessary for the ideal exposure. My suggestions above should get you closer (they’ll add about 2.5 stops of exposure).


EDIT: that screen also tells me that you’re shooting JPGs and not RAW files. RAW files have significantly more data, and it means that you’ll have better luck fixing exposure issues in post processing. It’s worth looking at Lightroom and photoshop ($10 a month) and shooting in RAW if you’ll be wanting to process photos like this often.

I just swear at it when I see those settings!!! Lol! No seriously though, I didn’t know how to compensate to get it better. You know when your new and you adjust this and that and pretty soon it’s all just messed up and auto sounds better lol!

*** I have no experience with RAW and how to best take and what to do with any setting reguarding them. It’s not a area I have played with. If your bored and have a min can you tell me the ins and outs? The why and the best coarse to take with it. So all the edit is post? How does it help. I think I have 4 type of RAW settings. Shoot my camera is in he car!


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You have a few things you can do...
1) The window and ceiling light is throwing off the meter reading so you need to do some exposure compensation to achieve a good exposure on the main subject. Raising the exposure, especially on a JPG image, in post will generally introduce more noise than if the subject had a good initial exposure.

2) Where to gain additional exposure with your current lens - you can't. Lowering the shutter speed is an option - but you need to go for the shots at the peak of the movement such as the first shot on the Rings or the shot on the Parallel bars. I would go to 1/250th for those types of shots. That gives you two stops more light that the 1/1000th second used. That should give a good exposure on the subject.

3) The shots also look like they were shot at the wide end of the zoom range if that was the 70-300mm - sure that can give you f/4.5 - but a big crop with also exaggerate noise. While it is common in sports to shoot loose enough so the extended hand or foot is not out of the frame - you have a good idea in gymnastics on the position the gymnast is going to be in when you can capture them at the peak of the movement (the least amount of body movement to give the best possibility of a blur free image). So I would go to ISO 3200 from ISO 2000 (2/3rds of a stop) and zoom in a bit (so the f/4.5 at 70mm is now the same exposure as the f/5.6 the lens might stop down to at around 200mm).

4) Shoot in Raw and do the post processing in a program such as LightRoom for more control.

5) If you have a certain focal length that you find works for most of the shots then look at picking up a fast prime lens - I use my 35mm f/1.8 indoors all the time. You may find a 50mm or 85mm would work good for you. Going to f/2 from f/4.5 is 2-1/3 stops more light and that can go towards raising the shutter speed and lowering the ISO. Check the DOF calculators to see that the subject can be completely in focus. An 85mm lens I would shoot at f/2.8 while the 50mm or 35mm will give enough DOF at f/2 and around 15 to 20 foot distance from subject.

You might have lost me there about twice! Lol I need the dumbed down version lol —— I understand I just don’t know much about focal range [emoji15]
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"Focal range" refers to the mm range of your zoom lens. The focal range of your 70-300mm lens is 70-300. If you find most of your shots want to be at 300mm, then that is your preferred focal length. That somewhat limits your ability to hand-hold the camera and get a shake-free image. The longer the focal length, the more pronounced is the movement at the end of the lens, which translates into shaky blur.

If you want to use 300mm, your shutter speed ought to be at least 1/300 of a second, and that's for the average hand-held user. Some people can hand-hold even longer shutter opening, but it takes practice and technique. Go online and search out good hand-holding technique.

Meanwhile, I responded to your other thread (please start only one thread for each topic) that you should set your ISO to "auto" and just let it go as high as it wants.
 
Added to the above, is there any way that you can position yourself to have the windows at your back rather backlighting the subjects? Or are you stuck at that one location to take photos ?
 
Don't worry about it, the best is to keep shooting. Try one new thing each event.
i.e.: Try different shutter speeds: how slow can you go - when is there subject blur and when is there camera shake blur. Try different ISO settings: how high just looks bad - what is the minimum and maximum range in that gym. Aperture: Is that lens sharp wide open or is it better if the aperture is closed down a stop (i.e: f/5.6 wide open is then f/8 stopped down one full stop), is there enough DOF: all of the subject appears in focus. Exposure Compensation - practice dialing in some with the +/- button while in P, A, or S mode. Bracketing: Take a series of three shots with 1) exposure as recommended by camera meter, 2) one stop underexposed, 3) one stop overexposed.

Note: the camera will store the exposure settings used within the image file. You can see this "EXIF" data within most image viewers. When you review your images it can help if you can also see this information to see what worked and what didn't work.

Always think about the composition. Not just the subject, look at everything that is within the frame.

I see some reflections in the images, can you put the lens right up against the glass?
 
I bet you you shoot these in RAW format, they would have been recoverable.

I'd sacrifice a little shutter speed, considering how well 1/1000 stopped motion, to gain more light, and I go up at least one more stop of ISO. that would give you two extra stops of light, which is significant.
 
Forget the 70-300, it's max aperture is too small.
You need a faster lens, one with a larger max aperture.

I suggest buying either the 35mm f/1.8 or the 50mm f/1.8 lens. These lenses work much better in the lower light of indoors. I use a 35mm f/1.8 lens to shoot basketball, and it works MUCH better than my 18-140 zoom. I can shoot at a faster speed (1/1000 sec) at lower ISO (3200 vs 12800).

The lights and window in your pix will likely confuse the meter in the camera. Same problem I have with sign and scoreboard lights in the gym.
You have to look at the image on your screen and adjust the exposure to compensate for the extra light sources in your image. Then switch to manual so the camera is not confused by the back light.

BTW, in my book, you raise the ISO to whatever you need to, to get the shot. If you don't raise the ISO, you may not get the shot.
 
Just because you WANT to shoot at 1/1000 second at f/4.5 and ISO 2000 doesn't mean you CAN shoot at 1/1000 second at f/4.5 and ISO 2000. If there isn't enough light for those settings then, as your photographs demonstrate, you are going to get dark photographs. Those three settings are based on the amount of available light and you can't just make up what you want to use. The amount of light DICTATES what you can use. If you want 1/1000 second then you'll likely have to go to ISO 16,000 or so and live with the noise in the photo.
 
Don't worry about it, the best is to keep shooting. Try one new thing each event.
i.e.: Try different shutter speeds: how slow can you go - when is there subject blur and when is there camera shake blur. Try different ISO settings: how high just looks bad - what is the minimum and maximum range in that gym. Aperture: Is that lens sharp wide open or is it better if the aperture is closed down a stop (i.e: f/5.6 wide open is then f/8 stopped down one full stop), is there enough DOF: all of the subject appears in focus. Exposure Compensation - practice dialing in some with the +/- button while in P, A, or S mode. Bracketing: Take a series of three shots with 1) exposure as recommended by camera meter, 2) one stop underexposed, 3) one stop overexposed.

Note: the camera will store the exposure settings used within the image file. You can see this "EXIF" data within most image viewers. When you review your images it can help if you can also see this information to see what worked and what didn't work.

Always think about the composition. Not just the subject, look at everything that is within the frame.

I see some reflections in the images, can you put the lens right up against the glass?

Ya I was more or less behind the glass on those to shoot about another 50 frames of the day. Mostly out in the open air with athletes


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Thank you for all the feed back guys! As you can tell I am a beginner at stretching my legs on the pro settings. I read many articles that mentioned to to try various settings this was just one of about 5 ——— this was the better if you can believe that! Lol.... there was a lot of talk about post edit—- so I tried it. If there is one thing I have learned —- just keep changing and shooting. The issue this day (when I was out in the open floor, no glass) there was no good setting. I’m starting to think my shorter faster lens is best. But let’s face it, I can’t zoom the way I’d like. And seating is for CRAP! I’ll just have to play it by the seat of my pants tomorrow and see what I can get. If you have more ideas feel free to keep shooting them my way! I’ll need more things to try tomorrow for sure. This setting is in a resort ball room for the meet. This should be interesting just based on that alone! Lol


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