Table tennis shots with my Canon EOS Rebel XS - comments please

[craz]

Hi. My camera is Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS 10.1MP. These were some photos I took at a table tennis tournament.
The photos seem to be blurry and the coloring is weird.
I asked a few friends including a columnist in the Chinese paper and he said it is because of my equipment.

What do you guys think of the photos? Thanks for your comments.

 

[tirediron]

There's no EXIF data appended to the images, so it's hard to say for sure, BUT, my guesses are that the blur is due to a low shutter speed (You really should be shooting at 1/500 or higher to freeze the motion in a situation like this), and that the colours are due to an incorrect white-balance setting. Hope that helps.

 

[Jaq]

There is nothing wrong with your equipment. That camera can take just as good of pictures as any other, this is user error.

I don't know your photography background, but even on a DSLR you're not going to get stellar results if you just flip the camera on auto and shoot.

The blur is the shutter speed. The subjects are moving at fast speed so you will need a shutter speed of 1/500 or above to get them sharp, as mentioned above.

The color is white balance. The auto white balance isn't getting it correct. You can correct this in post processing, play with various white balance settings on the camera or use the custom function on the camera.

There also appears to be quite a bit of noise. The shots appear to be taken at ISO 1600 or above, as clearly seen in the blacks of the last photo. This will take away from detail and sharpness.

 

[sultan]

I think the action looks pretty cool.
Now as for the technicalities:
Colour: Incorrect WB as tirediron said. PP can fix that.
Blurriness: Its because the shutter speed is too low (as tirediron said). Shoot in Aperture Priority (Av on the dial) with the smallest f/number (largest aperture) and crank up the ISO to 1600. If you don't want to raise the ISO (because of noise), use flash (if its permited). Be sure to ask for permission if you want to use flash because some don't like it. Your equipment is fine for tennis photos though.

 

[Samanax]

Indoor sports isn't easy to photograph, especially if you're using the kit lens that came with your XS. If anything, you want to get a faster lens (a lens that has a larger aperture opening and a constant one through the entire zoom range if it's a zoom lens). This type of lens isn't cheap though. The EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM generally goes for around $1700 new. A fixed focal length lens with a large aperture opening would generally cost less. The EF 200mm f/2.8L USM goes for around $700.

White balance information:

Introduction To White Balance

Understanding White Balance

White Balance

White Balance: What is it? And Why does it Matter?


Basic digital photography information:

Digital Photography Tips for Beginners