Blurry action shots with Nikon D60

<p>I recently purchased a Nikon D60, my first DSLR. It came with an 18-55mm VR and 55-200mm VR lens, as well as a short instructional dvd, which I watched but did not really find helpful. I previously used a Kodak Easy Share DX 7590 which served me well. I never had problems taking shots at my son's soccer games. No blurry pics, great action shots. So I was excited to buy the D60 and step things up a bit. Granted, I am still learning about the camera, but when I put it on sport mode or auto mode my shots are still blurring. I took pictures of my daughter in gymnastics doing handstands, and I took the pictures while she was kicking up her legs so her feet are blurring in the picture. What am I doing wrong?</p>

<p>If the blurryness (is that a real word) is caused by motion , then you need a faster shutter speed to stop motion. If there is not enough light ,and your camera has the ISO turned all the way up then you might need to get a faster lens. I would set the camera to Apeture priority and open the lens up to the fastest f-stop, which might be 3.5 on the lenses you have. To shoot a action shot in most cases you need a shutter speed of 1/250 or 1/500 to freeze motion, setting the camera as I suggested should (in daylight) give you these speeds. If not then set the ISO or ASA to a higher number till you can shoot at 1/250 or faster.<br>

If the blurry shots are that way because you are not in focus, then try setting the camera for Continous Auto-focus and see if that helps.<br>

If you posted a example it would help to see what you are doing wrong. I hope this helps.</p>

<p>There are few photo situations tougher than indoor sports, especially at the typical school and amateur level. The venues are usually poorly lighted.</p>

<p>So we're speaking more or less the same language, let's use a common photographic term: Exposure Value or EV.</p>

<p>Outdoor daylight is usually EV 13-15. In shade it'll be a bit lower; on a sunlit beach or bright snowy day, at bit higher. Indoor lighting in most homes ranges from EV 4-6. Typical school gyms range from EV 5-7. A night game at a pro baseball park might be EV 8.</p>

<p>Now, to freeze action you need a fast shutter speed. Usually 1/250th of a second or faster. (On virtually all contemporary cameras, shutter speeds range from 1 second or longer to 1/2000th second or faster. 1/250th is faster than 1/125; 1/500 is faster than 1/250; 1/2000 is faster than 1/500; etc.)</p>

<p>To get that shutter speed in dim lighting you need at least one of two things: (1) a "fast" lens; (2) more light sensitive recording media ("fast" film or a digital sensor set to a higher ISO).</p>

<p>A "fast" lens, one which passes more light at a given shutter speed, is usually f/2.8 or faster, usually f/1.2, f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2, etc. A moderately fast lens will be around f/2.8-f/4. A slow lens is around f/5.6 or so. Your lenses start at f/3.5, only moderately fast. With the telephoto zoom, it's a "slow" f/5.6 at 200mm. That means the only way to get a fast shutter speed of at least 1/250th sec. or better at f/3.5-f/5.6 is to crank up the ISO on the digital camera.</p>

<p>And here's where we run into difficulties.</p>

<p>Let's assume the gym or auditorium has lighting equivalent to EV 6. And you need a shutter speed of 1/250th sec. to freeze action. At f/3.5 on either of your lenses, you'll need to set the ISO to 3200. And to use your 55-200mm zoom at 200mm, which will have a maximum aperture of f/5.6... well, unfortunately, you can't get there with most cameras. You'll need ISO 6400 or higher.</p>

<p>To freeze action in that lighting you need one of three things:</p>

<ul>

<li>A faster lens, preferably f/2.8 or faster</li>

<li>A higher ISO setting, at least 3200, preferably higher</li>

<li>Flash</li>

</ul>

<p>If you can use flash indoors this will solve certain problems. But it's a trade off. Without some fairly sophisticated flash techniques your photos may tend to look harsh. And some events prohibit the use of flash. So it's not always the best solution.</p>

<p>So the best compromise solution may be to crank up the camera ISO to the highest setting, set the shutter speed to 1/250th sec. (you can still use the shutter priority auto exposure mode for this) and fire away.</p>

<p>The problem with using a higher ISO is increased digital noise, which will resemble grain and, in some cases, an odd blotchy discoloration. But this problem can be minimized with software. At least by using this technique you'll be able to minimize problems with motion blur.</p>

<p>Try some of these tips first. Don't worry about changing equipment just yet. There's always the temptation to think that a new lens, new this, new that, will solve the problem. But it isn't always necessary.</p>

<p>And, as Michael suggested, if you can provide a link to where we can see some sample photos with the EXIF data intact (this is the exposure data attached to every digital camera photo), we can help offer more specific suggestions.</p>

<p>Soccer is outdoor where the sun is and Gymnatics are typically at gym with poor lighting. The 55-200mm is not a bad lens and will work great on a soccer game. However unless it is at a NCAA or level 10 meet, this lens is going to create some problems.<br>

I would do this. Set the camera out of sport mode. Read the manual and learn to set it to "A" (Aperture Priority) mode instead. Set ISO to 1600. Set your zoom to 55mm and leave it there. Use your feet to get closer if need to, not the zoom. Set aperture to f4 and leave it there. F4 is available at 55mm only for this lens This will give you the maximum shutter speed to minimize blurry action. The 55-200 being a fairly slow lens may not be enough still. The next time there is some budget, I would consider adding the new Nikkor 50mm f1.4 AF-S G. Note: D60 only take the new AF-S G version, older 50mm would not auto focus. 2nd option, is consider a 17-50mm f2.8 lens for Nikon or 3rd parties like Tamron and Sigma But you need to look for the Af-S (built-in motor) version of those lens.</p>

<p>Just a side note: I'm a supervisor at a gymnastics facility (in addition photography), and our gym, like many, has a very strict "no flash" policy. You'll want to check with your daughter's gym before using any flash.<br>

{due to safety concerns for our competitive athletes, who share the facility, while they're performing high risk moves}</p>

<p>Lex - the position offered by that well known equipment manufacturer was withdrawn at exactly 1:16 am. They said you don't get it - "more and newer is not only better but critical to your photographic advancement".</p>

<p>If the lighting situation won't allow a stop action shutter speed think of ways you can use the blur creatively. Also the angle you shoot from can have a tremendous effect on what shutter speed is necessary. I have seen sport shots where "blur" actually made the picture.</p>

<p>Have same problem. Tried different settings on the fly to no avail.</p><div></div>