I think I finally found the best softball settings on the Xt2

[SquarePeg]

After doing some experimenting over the past few days, I think I may have found the best settings for using my 50-230 and Xt2 for softball. I’m very happy with the way most of my photos from our rec league opening day came out yesterday. Very few misses so I was able to choose the ones with the best facial expressions. These are all jpegs that we’re just cropped except for the last one which had to be sharpened a bit.

I used AF-C, CH shooting, AF Mode = zone, AFC Custom Settings 3 (accelerating/decelerating subjects), pre-AF = off, face/eye = off, interlock AE and Focus Area = on, AF-C set on Release Priority, IS Mode = 1 Continuous, auto ISO, f/5.6-f/13, ss 1/2000+, in camera sharpening +1, wb = shade

Most of these are of the younger girls so not a lot of close “plays” to capture but they sure are quick!









Best batting stance!


Advice from Coach Dad




Alumni game

 

[ac12]

Watch the zone focus.
On the Canon T5 and T7i, when you use area/zone focus, it focuses on the closest subject in the area/zone.
So on pix #7, when both the runner and catcher are in the focus area, it would focus on the closer catcher rather than the farther girl running to home.
The yearbook students had a few too many instances of the area AF selecting the wrong subject to focus on. So I went to the KISS principle. I set the yearbook cameras to single point, center AF, so that there was no confusion over what the camera would focus on.
But there is no free lunch. Then the students had to make sure that they put the center focus point on the subject, and in sports, that meant that they had to track the subject.

Single point center AF is also the way I have my own camera configured.

 

[ac12]

I really like the girls face in #3

 

[Fujidave]

Good set and nice one on sorting the X-T2 for the settings you like, my pic is the Batting Stance. All ready to hit a HR and the look in her face is great.

 

[SquarePeg]

Watch the zone focus.
On the Canon T5 and T7i, when you use area/zone focus, it focuses on the closest subject in the area/zone.
So on pix #7, when both the runner and catcher are in the focus area, it would focus on the closer catcher rather than the farther girl running to home.
The yearbook students had a few too many instances of the area AF selecting the wrong subject to focus on. So I went to the KISS principle. I set the yearbook cameras to single point, center AF, so that there was no confusion over what the camera would focus on.
But there is no free lunch. Then the students had to make sure that they put the center focus point on the subject, and in sports, that meant that they had to track the subject.

Single point center AF is also the way I have my own camera configured.

I did not find that to be an issue. In #7 I was focused on the runner on the left and she is in sharper focus than the infielder in the foreground.

I really like the girls face in #3

She was hilarious. Great game face.

Good set and nice one on sorting the X-T2 for the settings you like, my pic is the Batting Stance. All ready to hit a HR and the look in her face is great.

She literally stood there on one leg like a flamingo waiting for the ball to get there. It’s my favorite of the day.

 

[astroNikon]

Watch the zone focus.
On the Canon T5 and T7i, when you use area/zone focus, it focuses on the closest subject in the area/zone.
So on pix #7, when both the runner and catcher are in the focus area, it would focus on the closer catcher rather than the farther girl running to home.
The yearbook students had a few too many instances of the area AF selecting the wrong subject to focus on. So I went to the KISS principle. I set the yearbook cameras to single point, center AF, so that there was no confusion over what the camera would focus on.
But there is no free lunch. Then the students had to make sure that they put the center focus point on the subject, and in sports, that meant that they had to track the subject.

Single point center AF is also the way I have my own camera configured.

I think Fuji zone focus starts in the center and works it's way out if it can't find a subject.
Different on a Nikon too
Different on Canon.
and probably different on different higher end vs lower end focus systems of the same brand.

For instance the D500 works massively better than a D7000 with zone focus and various subjects.

 

[SquarePeg]

Watch the zone focus.
On the Canon T5 and T7i, when you use area/zone focus, it focuses on the closest subject in the area/zone.
So on pix #7, when both the runner and catcher are in the focus area, it would focus on the closer catcher rather than the farther girl running to home.
The yearbook students had a few too many instances of the area AF selecting the wrong subject to focus on. So I went to the KISS principle. I set the yearbook cameras to single point, center AF, so that there was no confusion over what the camera would focus on.
But there is no free lunch. Then the students had to make sure that they put the center focus point on the subject, and in sports, that meant that they had to track the subject.

Single point center AF is also the way I have my own camera configured.

I think Fuji zone focus starts in the center and works it's way out if it can't find a subject.
Different on a Nikon too
Different on Canon.
and probably different on different higher end vs lower end focus systems of the same brand.

For instance the D500 works massively better than a D7000 with zone focus and various subjects.

I had no luck with zone focus on my Nikon 7100. Probably user error though, I could never really get to Nikon focus down.

 

[jcdeboever]

Kinda of what I use except that I found IS #2 the best for my 55-200 or 100-400. But when the shutter speeds get real high, I just turn off the OIS on the lens. The key that you have found here is in the custom #3 setting. It takes a lot of experimenting to find the right one as the manual is no help at all.

 

[Derrel]

On the Nikon D2x, an APS-C body,using a group of four AF points instead of a single point, gave extraordinarily good,fast,reliable focusing on action sports....so, I would not worry concluded that center-point-only focus is the way to go, not by a long shot. Using a group dynamic AF setup, I was able to focus on subjects that moved position across the frame, like in pole vault,where the athlete is first at the bottom of a vertical frame, but then catapults to the center, and then finally to the very top part of the frame, all within about a second and a half. In this event, the camera is always held "tall", but the desired focus shifts VERY rapidly, and is not really at the "center" of the frame for the most-critical,most-exciting part of the vault. So, again...the idea that center of the frame is where one wishes to have just a single,static focus point is not an idea I adhere to for action sports. There are other factors at play besides just having one,single focusing spot active. If your setup works, stick with it for sure.

 

[SquarePeg]

Kinda of what I use except that I found IS #2 the best for my 55-200 or 100-400. But when the shutter speeds get real high, I just turn off the OIS on the lens. The key that you have found here is in the custom #3 setting. It takes a lot of experimenting to find the right one as the manual is no help at all.

Agree that the manual was not helpful for this setting! I did find lots of helpful info in the online user guide by Dan Bailey - X Series Unlimited for the focus settings and many of the other Xt2 features. Some of the info is available free online from him as well.

 

[Gary A.]

I like the Flamingo girl, she getting a leg up on the pitcher.

 

[ac12]

I think you just have to try different things to see what works for you.
What did not work for me, might work for you.
Also the AF will behave different on different sports. Example softball does not have the players mixing together, like soccer or basketball, so an area/zone focus would work better.

gud luk

 

[SquarePeg]

I think you just have to try different things to see what works for you.
What did not work for me, might work for you.
Also the AF will behave different on different sports. Example softball does not have the players mixing together, like soccer or basketball, so an area/zone focus would work better.

gud luk

Yes agree! I've been experimenting with different settings for softball and this is what has worked the best so far. I don't really shoot any other action or bird in flight stuff.

 

[jcdeboever]

I think you just have to try different things to see what works for you.
What did not work for me, might work for you.
Also the AF will behave different on different sports. Example softball does not have the players mixing together, like soccer or basketball, so an area/zone focus would work better.

gud luk

This is very true. I pump the shutter on soccer games. I've gotten pretty good at it because I haven't figured out the custom setting for it yet.

 

[SquarePeg]

So - are we just having a discussion about AF or are people seeing my photos in this thread as not sharply in focus? I ask because they look good on my ipad but maybe you disagree?