Blurry photos in sport mode

[SteveEllis]

Hi Guys,

Using my 20D in sports mode a lot of the photos are blurry.

Any tips for clearer sports photos.

I didnt have a tripod or remote button so I'm assuming this is my first big mistake.

Cheers,
Steve.

 

[Meysha]

Would you be able to post an example?

There are a few different causes of blur and seeing an example will help figure out your problem.

 

[JIP]

Just because you used "sports mode" does not mean the camera is automatically going to give you the best shutter speed for your situation. The camera is going to try but there is no replacement for trial and error. You need to use Manual mode or at least shutter priority and look at your images to see if you were successful. You can't just set the camera trust it to do everything. That being said if you don't have the right gear no amount of manual mode setting is going to give you sharp photos if your lens is not fast enough. So what is your gear what kind of sports are you shooting and at what time of day?.

 

[Jon, The Elder]

Steve ol' pal........I use a couple of 20D's to shoot horse events.

http://www.pbase.com/jpferguson/image/83120529

Any action sport has much the same requirements. Getting consistent results in these shots is going to take some work on your part.

Your choice of using the standard 'mode' setting removes you from many of the options available to you. You are going to get what the camera decides is the best.

You need to understand how ISO range, aperture, shutter speed affect your exposure.

Photography is quite simple in concept. It is all about light; how much, how fast, and what color. These things must be learned and applied until you have a real 'feel' for what is going on.

Most sport shooting doesn't require a tripod, or remote release to achieve good photos, in decent lighting conditions.

Learn your camera
Learn to anticipate the action instant
Learn good camera handling

Your shots will improve with a regular schedule of practice.

 

[SteveEllis]

These are the shots I took (Sorry they havent been rotated)

So my problem was relying on the camera to do the job for me, lazy me

So my best bet would be to either :
Set the camera to M, choose my own shutter and apeture
or
Set the Camera to TV and choose my speed.

Then just take sample shots and analyse them to work out what corrections I need to make.

I'm thinking then that a light meter would be a good investment, and then lots of practice.

Cheers guys

 

[frXnz kafka]

Why were you using sport mode at a concert? Isn't sport mode designed for quick captures with plenty of light?

 

[Big Mike]

It doesn't matter what mode you put the camera in. There is still only the shutter speed, aperture and ISO setting that will determine your exposure. Yes, sports mode will put a priority on a higher shutter speed but that won't matter once you have reached your maximum aperture.

The problem here is that there is just not enough light. I'd bet that you were at your maximum aperture, and the shutter speed that you needed to get the exposure, just wasn't fast enough to freeze the action.

You can (could have) turned up the ISO. This will allow you to get faster shutter speeds but the trade off is more digital noise. Noise is usually better than blur, so it would have been a good trade in this case.

What lens were you using? Since the limiting factor is the maximum aperture...it would be beneficial to have a 'fast' lens...that would be a lens with a large maximum aperture. Something with a max aperture of F2.8 or F1.8 or F1.4, would be good. (lower F number is bigger). A lens like the 'kit' lens, F3.5-5.6, is not so good for low light shooting.

An alternative would be to add your own light (flash).

 

[SteveEllis]

frXnx kafka - I popped it onto sport mode for that scene where he jumps off the stage, I was hoping to capture him as I did but without the blur.

BiG Mike - Just checked my lens, it is indeed 3.5 to 5.8, hmm, next payday means a new lens

Jon, Some lovely photos of the horses in action

Cheers guys, all this is very valuable information, thanks very much