Noob with D3100 & angry wife...HELP!

[J.Griff]

Hello to all.
just joined forum a couple days ago.the wifes X-mas gift was the 3100 w/kit lens.we've only had point & shoots until now.
after a week or so of trial & error,the wife is a little impatient with learning the ropes on the nikon..

Here is my dilemma:
my daughters 1st upward basketball game is saturday.the wife says I am taking all the pics(she usually does)& better get several good shots.

Any tips out there for grabbing a couple action shots.I'm sure the answer is in a sticky somewhere,just havent had time to look in depth.i've got roughly 24 hrs to get some practice shots in before tip off sat.morning.

D3100 w/ kit lens 18-55 VR.

Many thanks in advance!!

Jay

 

[Derrel]

First tip: set the ISO to 1,600!!!!!!!!! The kit lens lets in the MOST light when the focal length is short....ie, in the 18 to 24mm focal length range.

With the ISO control set to 1,600, and the white balance set to AUTO, and the aperture wide open at f/3.5, you will possibly be able to get a shutter speed of 1/125 second or so...that ought to be about what the kit lens can do indoors. Indoor basketball with a kit zoom lens is going to be a bit iffy, I suspect.

 

[tirediron]

^^ That! Just make sure that you explain in advance that they may not turn out perfectly. There's a reason why professional sports shooters have lenses that cost 15-20 TIMES what her whole kit cost!

 

[Nikmal]

^^ That! Just make sure that you explain in advance that they may not turn out perfectly. There's a reason why professional sports shooters have lenses that cost 15-20 TIMES what her whole kit cost!

not useful

 

[Solarflare]

Yes useful.

Action shots, even worse in low light, are the most equipment demanding category of photography.

You need insane low ISO abilities as well as great Autofocus to manage that.

Derells idea of simply using the low end of the kit lens for an 28mm equivalent (i.e. an about 45 degree angle of view) should still allow some nice overview shots, though.

 

[tevo]

I shoot basketball several times a week, and since the theft of my previous wide angle, I have been using that very lens paired with my 80-200 2.8. What I have found is that waiting directly under the net with it set to 24mm, 1/320 ISO 6400 produces nice images. However, I am shooting a D7000 which has superior (to my knowledge) low light performance than the 3100. Your best bet is to do as Derrel said, but know that if you find 1/125 is too slow a shutter, you can sacrifice some image quality (more noise) by increasing the ISO, and get a higher shutter. The absolute lowest I usually go for sports is 1/250-1/320.

 

[thetrue]

^^ That! Just make sure that you explain in advance that they may not turn out perfectly. There's a reason why professional sports shooters have lenses that cost 15-20 TIMES what her whole kit cost!

not useful

Glad you added something useful while criticizing someone else...

If you wanted to impress the wife, you COULD always RENT a faster lens... Something in the f/2 range, I can't suggest a length - I don't know how close you'll be to the action.

 

[ph0enix]

An angry wife is never a good thing.
Perhaps the DSLR was not a good choice for her since she's not willing to invest time in learning photography. Maybe a bridge camera would be better:
COOLPIX P510 from Nikon

 

[MiFleur]

Make her happy, give her the camera, she won't be able to be mad at you and she will learn quicker...
I know I am a wife!

 

[jwbryson1]

Indoor basketball shots generally require a high end lens (and often camera body) to get sufficient light in the images. A "slow lens" like the 18-55mm kit lens is extremely limited in what you can accomplish indoors, particularly with moving subjects like at a sporting event. Pro photographers use lenses that cost $15,000+, not to mention their $5,000 camera bodies to get the results you see in magazines like Sports Illustrated. You will never achieve those results with your 18-55mm -- it will never happen. But, that's not to say you can't get some decent shots if you follow the good advice above, and perhaps try shooting with the on camera flash, and wait for a slowdown in movement of the players.

Good luck. Post pics here after the event!! :mrgreen:

 

[Designer]

I understand why she is making you do the photography this time, although you intended the camera to be for her.

Follow Derrel's instructions, find a place where you expect to see your daughter, and shoot with both eyes open. Keep the lens wide, and don't worry about perfect framing, just try to anticipate the action and get the shot. By keeping both eyes open, and "pointing" the camera, you should be able to have enough margin to crop later. It will look like you actually framed that shot.

He didn't specifically say this, but I would set the built-in flash to "fill", and shoot in "P". Do you have a spare battery? If not, don't flash.

 

[ronlane]

First tip: set the ISO to 1,600!!!!!!!!! The kit lens lets in the MOST light when the focal length is short....ie, in the 18 to 24mm focal length range.

With the ISO control set to 1,600, and the white balance set to AUTO, and the aperture wide open at f/3.5, you will possibly be able to get a shutter speed of 1/125 second or so...that ought to be about what the kit lens can do indoors. Indoor basketball with a kit zoom lens is going to be a bit iffy, I suspect.

What Derrel said. But I have a question for him that maybe needs adding. Wouldn't you want him to set the AF from One shot to the continuous focus (not sure of the name of it on Nikon)?

 

[CA_]

First tip: set the ISO to 1,600!!!!!!!!! The kit lens lets in the MOST light when the focal length is short....ie, in the 18 to 24mm focal length range.

With the ISO control set to 1,600, and the white balance set to AUTO, and the aperture wide open at f/3.5, you will possibly be able to get a shutter speed of 1/125 second or so...that ought to be about what the kit lens can do indoors. Indoor basketball with a kit zoom lens is going to be a bit iffy, I suspect.

Question answered. Done.

 

[tevo]

I understand why she is making you do the photography this time, although you intended the camera to be for her.

Follow Derrel's instructions, find a place where you expect to see your daughter, and shoot with both eyes open. Keep the lens wide, and don't worry about perfect framing, just try to anticipate the action and get the shot. By keeping both eyes open, and "pointing" the camera, you should be able to have enough margin to crop later. It will look like you actually framed that shot.

He didn't specifically say this, but I would set the built-in flash to "fill", and shoot in "P". Do you have a spare battery? If not, don't flash.

High schools / colleges prohibit flash indoor unless they are mounted at the top of the bleachers or ceiling and triggered wirelessly, although most high schools I've been to don't even let you do that.

 

[tirediron]

^^ That! Just make sure that you explain in advance that they may not turn out perfectly. There's a reason why professional sports shooters have lenses that cost 15-20 TIMES what her whole kit cost!

not useful

You're entitled to your opinion!