Need a Cheat Sheet....Newbie

[rell804]

Ok guys, i have a Canon rebel XS with the 18-55 Lens, yea yea nothing special......Ima be taking pics at a softball game saturday, mostly of the batter which i can get fairly close to snap pics, my question is whats best setting to put camera on?? Whats best ISO?? ETC........Im currently reading the manual.

 

[Geaux]

Fast Shutter ... Low Iso ... Middle aperture.

Seriously, we can't tell you what settings to use. Every situation is different, no way we can tell you what the weather or sunlight is going to be like that day.

 

[Big Mike]

The best settings will be the ones that get you the exposure that you want, with the DOF that you want, with the motion capture that you want...and so on.

I would assume that you want to get sharp shots, am I right? If so, you will probably want to use a faster shutter speed. Just how fast it needs to be, will depend on how fast your subject is moving...but for sports, 1/125 or 1/250 (or faster) would be a good starting point. To get the fastest shutter speed, try using Av mode and choosing the largest aperture (lowest F number). Then, see what shutter speed you are getting and if it's not fast enough, dial up the ISO.

 

[Derrel]

With a slower lens like an 18-55 zoom, one of the single biggest issues is getting a shutter speed that is fast enough to freeze motion in the subjects, so do not be afraid to use ISO 800. Seriously. Not kidding you, ISO 800, even in daylight hours.

 

[Scatterbrained]

Considering I can get blue skys at iso 400, f/2.8, 1/5000 of a second I don't thing iso 800 would really be needed unless it was quite cloudy out.
Rather than asking us what shutter speed you need, why not get a book that you can read that will quickly explain all of these things so you understand what you are doing? You won't have TPF there in the bleachers with you on Sunday to help you troubleshoot your photos on the fly. I recommend "Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson"; available at Amazon.com Amazon.com: Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition) (9780817463007): Bryan Peterson: Books. Meanwhile you can go to a site like Luminous Landscape and see what they have to say, Understanding-Exposure

Let's assume an F stop of f/8 and a ISO (film speed) of 400. Here's what these 10 light levels are and the shutter speed that would be needed.

A Sunny day outdoors — 1/2000 sec

A hazy bright day — 1/1000 sec

A bright cloudy day without shadows — 1/500 sec

An overcast day, or open shade on a sunny day — 1/250 sec

A heavily overcast day — 1/125 sec

Deep shade. The woods on an bright overcast day — 1/60 sec

Just before a thunderstorm or late on a heavily overcast day — 1/30 sec

A brightly lit store interior — 1/15th sec

A well lit stage or sports arena — 1/8th sec

A well lit home interior — 1/4 sec