Manual Focus with sports-action photography

[osumisan]

I have been shooting indoor and outdoor sports for a few years now. Always have used the auto focus with my D200 camera. As I get better, I get more frustrated wtih the limitations of the D200 auto focus mechanism. It seems that the real pros frequently shoot with or are adept at shooting in manual. Can someone enlighten me on good manual focus technique? I see to have issues knowing if my subject is in tact focus or not, even when looking through the viewfinder. Is that normal or am I missing an important element? In the past, I have shoot outdoor sports through chain linked fences when necessary and used manual for that. But in that senario, I prefocus on a position on the field and wait for the action to come there.

So for a fast sport like volleyball, can someone give me advice on a good method for using manual focus?

This was shot using my old, 85mm f/1.8 nikkor lens and D200 on auto focus mode. Would like to be adept at shooting this in manual as well.

Thanks for any help,
Jon

 

[Dao]

hum ... I'll assume the other way. Use autofocus instead of manual focus. The only thing I can think of using manual focus is you pre focus to a reference point with aperture set to how you want the DoF to be and wait until the subject enter the frame.

 

[tirediron]

Don't bother. Modern digital cameras (and yes the D200 is one) have good auto-focus mechanisms. Granted the D200's isn't quite up to say, the D4, BUT it's still quite capable. The problem with manual focus is that the viewfinders are dim (especially on a DX body) and they have no split-screen or other way to verify critical focus through the viewfinder.

My suggestion would be to use single-point AF, lock the focusing point and place it over the subject's head. Use aperture-priority and make sure that you select an aperture that gives you a decent DoF, say at least 6-8'. Having said all of that, I assume by "Old" 85mm you're referring to the 'D' lens; while excellent optically, the screw-drive AF is not the fastest thing, so part of the issue may in fact be your lens. Beg, borrow or steal an AF-S lens and see how that works, and if you're having trouble seeing focus, are you sure that the viewfinder's diopter adjustment is set correctly?

 

[gsgary]

When they say manual they probably mean manual exposure

 

[Solarflare]

There has been a time when manual focus was all there was available. Even at that time, sports photographers existed.

Then a company named Leica invented autofocus ... and immediately sold it, because "nobody would want that anyway".

Ever since, autofocus systems got better and better. Nowadays you can but, say, a Canon 1D X(*) and pretty much stand right next to a martial arts combat in very low light and still shoot them with ease (this is probably the hardest test you can do to a camera autofocus, subjects that move close and fast in unpredictable ways, while there is little light).

But yeah, there are techniques with which you can shoot sports manual, basically something like this:

If the subject is moving in a hard to predict way:
1. Have a lot of light.
2. Use a closed aperture for lots of depth of field, thus you have a large margin of error.

If the subject moves in a straight line:
1. Prefocus
2. Press the shutter in the right moment, when the subject just entered the depth of field


(*): Thats probably the camera thats best at this right now.

 

[osumisan]

There has been a time when manual focus was all there was available. Even at that time, sports photographers existed.

Then a company named Leica invented autofocus ... and immediately sold it, because "nobody would want that anyway".

Ever since, autofocus systems got better and better. Nowadays you can but, say, a Canon 1D X(*) and pretty much stand right next to a martial arts combat in very low light and still shoot them with ease (this is probably the hardest test you can do to a camera autofocus, subjects that move close and fast in unpredictable ways, while there is little light).

But yeah, there are techniques with which you can shoot sports manual, basically something like this:

If the subject is moving in a hard to predict way:
1. Have a lot of light.
2. Use a closed aperture for lots of depth of field, thus you have a large margin of error.

If the subject moves in a straight line:
1. Prefocus
2. Press the shutter in the right moment, when the subject just entered the depth of field


(*): Thats probably the camera thats best at this right now.

Thanks for that information, good stuff. My typical indoor shooting scenario is low lit gyms so I am at approx. 1250 ISO. I don't like going any higher ISO than that with my D200 because the noise is unacceptable at that level. Typical shutter speed at that ISO is somewhere between 320-640/second depending on the gym at f/1.8. Do you think your techniques described would work in these conditions? My DOF is pretty shallow at f/1.8 so I don't have much room for error. Any blurred images get deleted immediately due to my low tolerance (or lack of) to images not tact sharp.

Usually, I am focused on a position on the court but will try to auto focus and shoot quickly when I see a potential 'capture moment' materializing. I usually burst 1-3 frames only because I want to have perfect timing and less images to go through when I get home. When I used to shoot larger bursts, I noticed that most frames were out of focus anyway and seemed to waste my camera actuations and my time editing after.

 

[osumisan]

Don't bother. Modern digital cameras (and yes the D200 is one) have good auto-focus mechanisms. Granted the D200's isn't quite up to say, the D4, BUT it's still quite capable. The problem with manual focus is that the viewfinders are dim (especially on a DX body) and they have no split-screen or other way to verify critical focus through the viewfinder.

My suggestion would be to use single-point AF, lock the focusing point and place it over the subject's head. Use aperture-priority and make sure that you select an aperture that gives you a decent DoF, say at least 6-8'. Having said all of that, I assume by "Old" 85mm you're referring to the 'D' lens; while excellent optically, the screw-drive AF is not the fastest thing, so part of the issue may in fact be your lens. Beg, borrow or steal an AF-S lens and see how that works, and if you're having trouble seeing focus, are you sure that the viewfinder's diopter adjustment is set correctly?

I know that knob adjusts the diopter but have never used it. Is it like focusing a pair of binoculars where you just look through view finder and adjust knob until a clear image shows?

 

[Big Mike]

I know that knob adjusts the diopter but have never used it. Is it like focusing a pair of binoculars where you just look through view finder and adjust knob until a clear image shows?

The diopter allows you to clearly see the viewfinder if you vision needs correction. For example, if you wear glasses, but don't find them comfortable while shooting, you could adjust the diopter to suit your eye (provided your prescription isn't too high).

The proper way to adjust it, is to turn the dial until the focus points (lines/boxes in the viewfinder) look their sharpest. You don't want to adjust while looking for the image to be sharp, because that is up to the lens.

The diopter has nothing to do with the lens or the zoom etc.

 

[fmw]

In the pre-autofocus days, I used to pre focus on something and then concern myself with the timing of the shutter or panning or whatever I needed to do to get the result. If I was shooting a motocross jump, for instance, I would focus on a bike and then wait for the next bike to shoot. In this day and age, autofocus is the way to go.

 

[KmH]

Modern DSLRs are not configured for manual focusing. They don't have split prism focusing screen aids.

However, you can change the focusing screen in your D200 - Nikon D200 Focusing Screen - KatzEye Optics

As mentioned, adjust the diopter so the information displays and focus point indicators in the viewfinder are sharp. You don't even need a lens mounted.

 

[Tony S]

It seems that the real pros frequently shoot with or are adept at shooting in manual.

That was in the past, it's pretty tough to out focus auto focus...... but realize, most "pro's" are also using upper end cameras and lenses that focus better in low light.... that and a lot of experience and skill.