how to get a sharp image in sports

[Designer]

focus is not sharp.

May I assume you have already checked all your lenses? If not, perhaps you should do that, just to eliminate a mechanical issue.

 

[Designer]

I will use a 600mm with a 1.4 TC

the attached files are not sharp.

I don't believe you have mentioned which exact lenses you are using. (make and model, please)

 

[Derrel]

AF-C is ON
Continuous shooting mode.
moving subject

1. Will holding the AF-ON (BBF) engage the autofocus and keep it engaged so as to track a moving target?
2. Will pressing the shutter release past half way, engage the AF and keep it engaged so as to track a moving target?
3. While holding the BBF which is set to a different mode than the shutter release, and full press on the shutter release, what impact does this have on the AF system? Will it continue to Auto-focus? (I wonder about AF confusion with two AF modes set, one on the shutter release and the other on the BBF)

Today I will return to the Trap Shooting venue and test both methods. I will use a 600mm with a 1.4 TC

I hope to have enough time to experiment with all the focus modes. Rain is forecast.


the attached files are not sharp. I need to figure this out today.

If you want to understand how to use the focus, buy Thom Hogan's Complete Guide, and read it. And stop taking advice from people who do not understand what role the thumb plays (4-way controller, AKA the thumb button); and who do not understand 3-D color-aware and distance-aware focusing (new to Canon's high end, invented by Nikon almost two decades ago). You are getting some advice that treats the D5 like it is a 15 year-old Canon consumer body.

As overread mentioned, you can get used to anything, even a bad way of working. You have a camera that has a complex AF system. Don't fall pray to the old, dumb idea of using ONE, single focus square, right in the middle. You have the ability to have the camera focus exceptionally well, but your working methods have been acquired from somebody who is NOT familiar, at all, with the Nikon 3-D color-aware, two-button, AF-ON/AF/Lock concept, nor the 4-way controller, nor the idea of identifying the actual target at the start of a sequence.

That's all I have to offer you. Read the fine manual, or buy The Complete Guide to The Nikon D5, and see what you are missing. Nikon D5 Guide | DSLRBodies | Thom Hogan

 

[greybeard]

Using BBF as action comes toward you, and you end up Back-focused. A consistent problem, and expected too, especially with a VERY long lens focal length.

Put the focus on the shutter release button, in AF-C mode...and watch as the keeper rate skyrockets.

Back Button work fine for me. I set it to AF-C, Group or Single point, leave my thumb on the back button as long as things are moving and snap away. Back Button allows me to effectively have AF-S and AF-C at the same time.

 

[robvasi]

Nikon D5

Nikkor 300mm 1:2.8 G II ED
Nikkor 600mm 1:4G ED

I will use a 600mm with a 1.4 TC

the attached files are not sharp.

I don't believe you have mentioned which exact lenses you are using. (make and model, please)

 

[greybeard]

AF-C is ON
Continuous shooting mode.
moving subject

1. Will holding the AF-ON (BBF) engage the autofocus and keep it engaged so as to track a moving target?
2. Will pressing the shutter release past half way, engage the AF and keep it engaged so as to track a moving target?
3. While holding the BBF which is set to a different mode than the shutter release, and full press on the shutter release, what impact does this have on the AF system? Will it continue to Auto-focus? (I wonder about AF confusion with two AF modes set, one on the shutter release and the other on the BBF)

Today I will return to the Trap Shooting venue and test both methods. I will use a 600mm with a 1.4 TC

I hope to have enough time to experiment with all the focus modes. Rain is forecast.


the attached files are not sharp. I need to figure this out today.

So you have the AF-ON button engage the autofocus and have the shutter release engaging AF too? My BBF setup has the autofocus disengaged at the shutter release. I have been able to track birds in flight well with this setup. I have never used a D5 so I am speaking from the use of my D750 ad D7500 but, having both the AF-ON and shutter release activating the AF might be the problem.

birds fighting by TOM STRAIGHT, on Flickr

Robins fighting-4 by TOM STRAIGHT, on Flickr

Robins fighting by TOM STRAIGHT, on Flickr

 

[robvasi]

View attachment 166263 View attachment 166263 View attachment 166263 View attachment 166258 View attachment 166260 Trap Shoot from November 22

Nikon F5
Nikon 300mm + 1.4TC

I used shutter button alone, and BBF. I will conduct more tests of this. so far, I can't see the difference. However, that is not to say there is not a difference. I need to conduct a better analysis.
I tried every focus mode, except for horizontal and vertical. For tomorrow, the event I am preparing to shoot, I'll use Group or maybe something else, I dunno.
The attached images were made at shutter speeds from 1/2500 to 1/4000 with F/5
ISO varied from 2500 to 11400

The attached photos seem sharp. There seems to be some softness at 1:1 in Lightroom, with more grain than I want. More noise reduction resulted in over-smooth surface.

 

[robvasi]

I have not checked the lenses in a side by side specific analysis. This needs to be done. I have checked them on cars on a road, but that is not an accurate test. The 600 seems to be the one that causes the problems.

focus is not sharp.

May I assume you have already checked all your lenses? If not, perhaps you should do that, just to eliminate a mechanical issue.

 

[Designer]

I have not checked the lenses in a side by side specific analysis. This needs to be done. I have checked them on cars on a road, but that is not an accurate test. The 600 seems to be the one that causes the problems.

I was referring to checking the focus in a controlled manner. For that test, you mount your camera on a tripod and shoot a focus target (find them on the internet) and make any focusing adjustments as required. Until you check them and verify they are focusing correctly, anything else is just guesswork. I have some lenses that focus behind, some in front, and maybe one that didn't need any adjustment at all.

 

[robvasi]

ah, I understand. sorry, I am a bit overwhelmed. I made that check and all were good. No front or back focus. It seems that AF-C is what is causing the problems. I used the 300 today with better results.

 

[greybeard]

View attachment 166263 View attachment 166263 View attachment 166263 View attachment 166258 View attachment 166260 Trap Shoot from November 22

Nikon F5
Nikon 300mm + 1.4TC

I used shutter button alone, and BBF. I will conduct more tests of this. so far, I can't see the difference. However, that is not to say there is not a difference. I need to conduct a better analysis.
I tried every focus mode, except for horizontal and vertical. For tomorrow, the event I am preparing to shoot, I'll use Group or maybe something else, I dunno.
The attached images were made at shutter speeds from 1/2500 to 1/4000 with F/5
ISO varied from 2500 to 11400

The attached photos seem sharp. There seems to be some softness at 1:1 in Lightroom, with more grain than I want. More noise reduction resulted in over-smooth surface.

Those look sharp to me. For grain reduction try a program called "Neat Image". It reduces the noise but doesn't add that glossy smoothness you mentioned.

 

[robvasi]

For tomorrow I plan to use the shutter release only. I will set the AF-ON button to something that won't impact focus.

 

[Derrel]

First frame of the guy in camo with the Remington autoloading shotgun: DOF is shallow...focus is on the gun, but the arm and shoulder are closer than the focus zone...the focus is good on the gun, but the depth of field is insufficient to capture the shooter sharply. This is your fault, not the focus system's fault. If you want everything in-focus, you need the right f/stop to do that, and your f/stop is not sufficiently small to pull adequate DOF with such a long focal length, from that camera to subject distance, at that angle.

Second frame of the man in blue shooting the Winchester Model 12 (? I think it's a Model 12, but perhaps an older Model 1912) pump-action: the angle of the camera in relation to the shooter and the shotgun is such that you have more of him in-focus than in frame one, but yet he is just a little bit OOF...not bad, but just slightly...again pretty typical with such a long focal length from such a close camera to subject distance. Again, if you want it ALL in-focus, you need to stop down the lens diaphragm more, to a smaller aperture...

Third frame, of the guy shooting the Beretta autoloader...I can see the high ISO softening of the image, yet still, it's "okay"...DOF is a bit shallow, but the gun's good and sharp and so is his forestock hand. As-expected with such a long lens at such an f/stop.

The last frame, of the shooter with the green earplugs: the DOF is such that only his body and head are in the sharply-focused zone,. and the depth of field slides out to the de-focused zone by the time we get to the shotgun's forestock. Again--utterly As-Expected with such a long lens, at that camera angle, from such a close distance, at such an f/stop.

I do not even need to pull EXIF data to see that these are pretty much as-expected shots. Your camera is focusing pretty well, but the depth of field is not deep enough to render these subjects 100% all within the focused zone.

Based on what I see here, and the earlier rodeo example, I think you're confusing focusing problems with inadequate depth of field from long telephoto lenses. As overread mentioned, a horse and rider is a "long" subject, and with a 600mm lens, the DOF is _shallow_. A 420mm lens is also a long lens, and DOF is critically shallow.

A 300mm + 1.4x TC is a 420mm focal length. That's a long focal length, and these are fairly tightly-framed shots, so the camera-to-subject angle will be critical. These pictures look as expected to me. Shutter speed is actually "too fast"...if you want more In-Focus, you need to slow the shutter down, and stop the lens down to get something more like f/8, if you want to always have the entire shooter and the gun in-focus, from such a close camera position, with such a long lens length. 1/2500 to 1/4000 shutter speeds on this type of mostly-static shooting is driving the ISO levels high.

 

[robvasi]

Where should the focus point be? Cheek of the shooter, his hand, trigger finder, or somewhere on the gun?
By reducing the shutter speed to 1/1000, the f/stop will be f/8. The motion is not fast, so 1/1000 should be adequate. (Do you agree, or should it be slower?)
Using f/8 the DOF will increase from 2.28 inches to 3.72 inches, an increase of 1.44 inches.
The ISO will remain the same.
Is this in line with what you suggest?
I can't repeat the event tomorrow. I need to get it right.

thank you for your help.
I am sure it is obvious that I am not an expert.
Being well past middle-age makes it harder to learn and adapt.

 

[Derrel]

Where to focus? I would favor the gun's barrel or the action. See, the thing is, you have VERY LITTLE that is actually in sharp focus at close distances, and with a long telephoto lens, you need to make the focus decision very rapidly, based on the shot. As you can see, you have mere inches that falls within the depth of field band! Inches! If the gun is at an angle to the camera's back (sensor, back side of camera, film plane, focal plane, however you want to think about it), the focus WILL "slide out"...

If the shooter's face is a big part of the image, I'd likely favor the face rather than the shotgun.

If the shot is about the shell being ejected out of the port on a pump or autoloader, then focus on the ejection port...

If you stabilize the camera, and try to capture the shooter of a pump-action shotgun racking the slide backward to eject the a just-fired shell, perhaps focus on the fore-stock of the shotgun...and maybe shoot "slow", like at 1/250 or 1/350, and hope to gt a cool timing shot....same with perhaps trying to capture an autoloader spitting out that spent low-base hull....but be prepared for some rejects.

I agree, that 1/1000 second ought to be fine. F/8 at 1/1000 ought to be fine for trap or skeet shooting, of the shooters at the line, like these shots. The issue is long focal length, and being close to the subject, with a pretty highly-magnified view...you will not have a lot of depth of field with those long focal lengths, unless you shoot way, way "looser", from either farther back, or with a shorter lens, and show a wider picture angle...

You're in a situation where a tightly-framed shot of a trap or skeet shooter, made with a long lens, from such a close camera-to-subject distance, gives you around a 4-inch deep depth of field band to work with...this is TIGHTLY-framed action...there will be almost zero room for error if you keep shooting so tightly-framed, with a 420 to 600mm lens. If you want more in-focus, you could shoot at f/16 at high ISO and still maintain a 1/500 to 1/640 shutter, shooting from a monopod, and probably get a bit of a focusing "cushion"...but still, this long lens length and tight framing means minimal depth of field.

You have to decide what the best approach to the shot is, and then try to nail it. You have what? 1/10 of a second or so? Plenty of time. (LOL)