Advice needed for sports shots

StoryBookPhotography · Apr 24, 2008

Hey there,
I have a fairly new camera so I am still learning all the bells and whistles, so please bear with me..
However, I have been taking some pictures at my son's baseball games.
The still shots of him on the field look great. I am having trouble with action shots. When he is swinging the bat, the bat comes out very blurry.
Also, I took some of him jumping up to catch a ball and he is blurred.
I had the camera on Sports mode which is what the manual said to use for action shots. Any suggestions? he has a big game tonight and I would like to get this figured out.

My camera is a Canon EOS 40D and I am using a Canon 70-300 lens.
Thanks for the help.

JimmyO · Apr 24, 2008

Kinda confusing but ill try to help you out.

In order to stop motion you need to increase the shutter speed. But in order to do there needs to be atiquite lighting. You will also need to make sure you have the largest aperture (smallest F number) and using a high iso will also help. In order to do all this you will need to shooting in manual mode.

good luck!

Big Mike · Apr 24, 2008

Welcome to the forum. I just typed out a response to someone else...but I think the message applies here as well.

Welcome to the forum.

The first step should be to learn a few basics about photography. An exposure is controlled by three things; the shutter speed, the aperture and the ISO. And of course, everything is about light.

You need light, in order to capture a photo. The three settings can be adjusted to allow for you to get enough light for an exposure...but there are limits and trade offs.

For example...when in a dimly lit situation, your camera will probably use the largest aperture (lowest F number) but it will quickly reach it's maximum limit. The next setting to adjust is the shutter speed....you need a longer shutter speed to let in more light. The problem with that, is that a longer shutter speed will cause any motion (the subject or the camera) to create blur. This is what is happening to you...there isn't much light, so your camera is having to use a longer/slower shutter speed...and because your subjects are moving...it results in blurry photo.
The last variable is the ISO. You can adjust the ISO to a higher number, which will make your shutter speed faster/shorter. This will help to freeze the motion blur. However, the trade off is that you get more 'digital noise' in the images.

Of course, one other thing you can do is to add light. This could be the flash, or another light source.

Now, on problem with 'digi-cams' like yours...is that they don't do well with higher ISO settings. The photos can get really grainy/noisy. That is one reason why many of us use Digital SLR cameras. They have much cleaner images at higher ISO settings. Also, with an SLR, you can change the lens to one that has a larger maximum aperture, which lets in more light and thus allows for a faster shutter speed to freeze the action.

If it's in your budget, I would recommend having a look at something like a Canon EOS Rebel XT (XTi or XSi)....and a lens like the 50mm F1.8 (remember that a low F number is a larger aperture). A set up like that would probably allow for much better results in your situation.

StoryBookPhotography · Apr 24, 2008

JimmyO said:
Kinda confusing but ill try to help you out.

In order to stop motion you need to increase the shutter speed. But in order to do there needs to be atiquite lighting. You will also need to make sure you have the largest aperture (smallest F number) and using a high iso will also help. In order to do all this you will need to shooting in manual mode.

good luck!

Thanks so much for trying to help. I looked back at one of the pictures where he is jumpng up to catch and his whole body is a blur. The ISO was 800.

Big Mike · Apr 24, 2008

My camera is a Canon EOS 40D and I am using a Canon 70-300 lens.

Part of the problem is that this lens has a small max aperture...especially at the long end of the zoom. Pro sports shooters use telephoto lenses with wider apertures...like a 300mm F2.8 or a 400mm F2.8. These lenses, however, are large, heavy and very expensive....unfortunately, that's what it takes to get those great sports shots.

StoryBookPhotography · Apr 24, 2008

Big Mike said:
Part of the problem is that this lens has a small max aperture...especially at the long end of the zoom. Pro sports shooters use telephoto lenses with wider apertures...like a 300mm F2.8 or a 400mm F2.8. These lenses, however, are large, heavy and very expensive....unfortunately, that's what it takes to get those great sports shots.

Oh great, LOL. This is a nicely priced lens and what was recommended to me by the pros at the camera shop. So, can I make do with this? Any recommendations on settings to try out? Manual mode is new to me, so I am a little skeptical. Do I need to increase from 800 to 1600 or is that too much? Also what about shutter speed and aperture? I am so sorry for all the questions.

KOrmechea · Apr 24, 2008

That lens should be good on a sunny day and if you're just starting out, it's fine.

A shutter speed of at least (or is it "most"?) 1/500 is generally recommended for stopping action. Adjust the aperture and ISO from there. Or, if you don't feel too comfortable in full manual, try shooting in Tv mode (you choose shutter speed and the camera chooses the aperture).

That being said, I see nothing wrong with a slightly blurred bat. A bat is made to be swung. Swinging is (generally) a fast action. A slight blur helps convey that and (I feel) makes the shot more exciting. However, that's not to say that it's the only way to do it.

Experiment (especially on someone else's kid)! You'll soon learn what you like and don't, what turns out well and what doesn't. That's half the fun.

Good luck.

StoryBookPhotography · Apr 24, 2008

KOrmechea said:
That lens should be good on a sunny day and if you're just starting out, it's fine.

A shutter speed of at least (or is it "most"?) 1/500 is generally recommended for stopping action. Adjust the aperture and ISO from there.

That being said, I see nothing wrong with a slightly blurred bat. A bat is made to be swung. Swinging is (generally) a fast action. A slight blur helps convey that and (I feel) makes the shot more exciting. However, that's not to say that it's the only way to do it.

Experiment (especially on someone else's kid). You'll soon learn what you like and don't, what turns out well and what doesn't. That's half the fun.

Good luck.

Thanks I was getting stressed about having wasted my money on the lens I have. Also, the bat is very blurred. It makes the picture look bad. And the ones of him jumping up are so blurry you cant even make out who the kid is. More blur than I want, LOL

Big Mike · Apr 24, 2008

As mentioned, that lens isn't well suited for sports/less than great light. It's a fine lens in great light...but keep in mind that pro sport shooters use lenses that cost upwards of $5000...and yours was what, a couple hundred? So you can't expect the results to be the same as what you see in Sports Illustrated

StoryBookPhotography · Apr 24, 2008

Big Mike said:
As mentioned, that lens isn't well suited for sports/less than great light. It's a fine lens in great light...but keep in mind that pro sport shooters use lenses that cost upwards of $5000...and yours was what, a couple hundred? So you can't expect the results to be the same as what you see in Sports Illustrated

My lens was around 800.oo. I certainly dont expect Sports I Illustrated quality pics. I just hope to get nice pictures of an 8 year old baseball game. I know others who do not have as nice of a camera and they are able to get the swings and jumps with no blur. I guess it will take time and trial and error. I was just hopng to get suggestions on maybe a few settings to try.

I am right up on the fence or on the field for the pictures. The lighting has been good as these games are usually in the afternoon or middle of the day.

Big Mike · Apr 24, 2008

My lens was around 800.oo.

Oh, you must have the 70-300 IS?

That is certainly a nicer lens than the non-IS 75-300 version. The Image Stabilization will help to fight blur from camera shake...but unfortunately, it doesn't help to fight against blur from moving subject. Better to have it than not...but not as good as a larger aperture.

The lighting has been good as these games are usually in the afternoon or middle of the day.

Can you show us some examples, along with the EXIF date (the shooting info like shutter speed, aperture, ISO etc)?

That might help us to diagnose what is going on with your blurry photos.

StoryBookPhotography · Apr 24, 2008

Big Mike said:
Oh, you must have the 70-300 IS?

That is certainly a nicer lens than the non-IS 75-300 version. The Image Stabilization will help to fight blur from camera shake...but unfortunately, it doesn't help to fight against blur from moving subject. Better to have it than not...but not as good as a larger aperture.

Can you show us some examples, along with the EXIF date (the shooting info like shutter speed, aperture, ISO etc)?

That might help us to diagnose what is going on with your blurry photos.

Yes, mine has IS. So, are you saying its not a piece of crap after all, LOL.

How do I post a picture?

Big Mike · Apr 24, 2008

No, it's not a piece of crap :lol:

But it certainly wouldn't be my first choice for sports.

THIS thread should show you how to post images etc.

StoryBookPhotography · Apr 24, 2008

Here is one picture.
Settings: (these were Auto in Sports mode):
ISO 800
F/5
1/13

Big Mike · Apr 24, 2008

Well there you go. Your shutter speed was 1/13...where it should have been 1/250 or 1/500. It's not just your son that is blurry...so there is also blur from camera shake going on here. IS will help with that, but it's not a miracle cure.

Looking at your settings...the light levels were low. Even if you had bumped the ISO up to 1600, your shutter speed would only have been 1/25 or 1/30...which still isn't nearly fast enough.

You need to be 4 or 5 'full stops' faster....and you just aren't going to be able to do that, with that equipment and especially in that poor light.

Try again when it's actually a nice bright day and see if you don't get better results.