Oregon Tech BBall round 2

[Digital Illusions]

Ok, the last time I posted images of this team I was citied of having my images too dark... since then I have upgraded to a 50d with a 24-105L lens and last week I took these shots. Any better from last time?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

1 - ISO 1600, 1/250 sec, f/4, 105mm
http://www.digitalillusions.us/photos/461262175_tooXX-M-2.jpg

2 - ISO 1600, 1/200 sec, f/4, 105mm
http://www.digitalillusions.us/photos/465308508_CGTCH-M-1.jpg

3 - ISO 1600, 1/200 sec, f/4, 105mm
http://www.digitalillusions.us/photos/461262245_tepRZ-M-2.jpg

4 - Halftime Show - ISO 1600, 1/200 sec, f/4, 24mm
http://www.digitalillusions.us/photos/465308669_KiMZA-M-1.jpg

5 - ISO1600, 1/200 sec, f/4, 28mm
http://www.digitalillusions.us/photos/465308643_95x9b-M-1.jpg

6 - ISO800, 1/250 sec, f/4, 93mm
http://www.digitalillusions.us/photos/465308572_e4RSX-M-1.jpg

[johng]

Well, faces are still a little dark in 2 & 3. With the underexposure it's tough to tell but WB looks like it's changing in each - did you use auto wb?

Also 24-105, while a fantastic lens, isn't really a great basketball lens. You're shutter speeds are too slow and you're getting motion blur. If you're going to try using tht lens, you'll have to set the ISO up to 3200 to get better shutter speeds.

On shot 4 - I would recommend tighter framing. Wide framing works when the background is interesting - throngs of people in Div I school or NBA. In a small gym like this the background isn't very interesting. It's great to try different things so I think it was an interesting idea and one to re-visit if you're in a gym with more interesting background.

shot 5 - same as above but for this type of shot I don't think it would even work in a large gym.

The real question though is how much basketball you plan on shooting. If this is going to be a big part of your shooting I would suggest a different lens better suited to indoor sports. You've got enough light there to use a 70-200 2.8. I know - yet more money :D

Anyway, my intent is not to discourage you at all. Just to give you some helpful advice to point you in the right direction. If this is just an occasional thing I wouldn't sweat it too much. But if you plan on doing a lot of indoor sports shooting then the above corrections are a bit more important.

Good luck!

[Digital Illusions]

Well, faces are still a little dark in 2 & 3. With the underexposure it's tough to tell but WB looks like it's changing in each - did you use auto wb?

Also 24-105, while a fantastic lens, isn't really a great basketball lens. You're shutter speeds are too slow and you're getting motion blur. If you're going to try using tht lens, you'll have to set the ISO up to 3200 to get better shutter speeds.

On shot 4 - I would recommend tighter framing. Wide framing works when the background is interesting - throngs of people in Div I school or NBA. In a small gym like this the background isn't very interesting. It's great to try different things so I think it was an interesting idea and one to re-visit if you're in a gym with more interesting background.

shot 5 - same as above but for this type of shot I don't think it would even work in a large gym.

The real question though is how much basketball you plan on shooting. If this is going to be a big part of your shooting I would suggest a different lens better suited to indoor sports. You've got enough light there to use a 70-200 2.8. I know - yet more money :D

Anyway, my intent is not to discourage you at all. Just to give you some helpful advice to point you in the right direction. If this is just an occasional thing I wouldn't sweat it too much. But if you plan on doing a lot of indoor sports shooting then the above corrections are a bit more important.

Good luck!

thanks for your comments. you ask how much basketball do i plan on shooting? well thats a good question and honestly i dont know. i only shoot the games for practice, honing my skills, and trying to be better as fast action photography. i am not (at least right now) shooting the games for money. i would love to get the 70-200 2.8 but the budget currently does not allow it. so i have to make due.

i tried a few shots at ISO 3200 but it did have too much noise for me. when i removed the noise in post processing with DDP and/or Noise Ninja the images were just too blurry. i only have a 380ex strobe (mounted on camera) so it is not the most powerful for this but again it is all i have.

shots 2 and 3 were taken without flash and that is probably why the faces are dark.

what would be a good shutter speed? 1/500 with flash at ISO-1600? the team is back on the home court this friday and i will be back there again trying new combinations of settings.

anyway thanks for the comments, i have a thick skin and love to learn from my mistakes. any other comments/suggestions out there?

[bikingbets]

Don't make the mistake of thinking you need an L lens to capture indoor basketball. In fact, the 70-200 2.8 may not work well in the low lighting. My experience has been that a 50mm 1.4 (or even 1.8) and an 85mm 1.8 are much more reliably consistent for the low-lit gyms I encounter and I use ambient light. Settings are typically 1/500, 1600 ISO, and 2.0, but ymmv.

Have fun!
Betsy

[Digital Illusions]

thanks for the suggestion and actually i already have a 50mm 1.8 that i carry in my bag. however i usually leave it there for basketball, 'cause being a prime lens i have to move my camera around to get the shot. unfortunately at this court i dont have the room to move to get that shot.