Frustrated shooting fast action

Using Nikon D50 with a nikkor 70-300 lense, its a bright sunny day shooting on shutter priority, setting the shutter

speed at 1000 and the iso at 400 today with the bright sun, focal length 170mm,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,i have the focus set at

continious and focusing on my subject and panning as he is running and clicking away,using the metric metering, i

am still getting blur......... this is a pic from today, is this lens not fast enough to stop action???? any help would be

appreciated. on wed i shot with the same camera and lense under same lense and same conditions and about half

the pics came out

please see pics attached

Here is one of the shots from today

A decent shot from yesterday using same setting, lense and camera<div></div>

1, May need extra support from a mono or tripod, esp when zoomed out to 300mm How are you bracing the bodiy for each shot?

 

2. what is/has been typical aperture setting for these shots. Good to use wider lens opening to blur the background as much as possible. This will help to give more emphaisis to main subject and make it look apparently sharper. Although, this is where the DOF(Depth of Field) comes into play and you need to be aware of this and how much of the subject needs to be in focus.

 

3. on a day with constant lighting intensity, such a sunny bright or overcast you can/should set aperture and shutter speed manually, as well as the ISO. Then the body just has to work on focuing. The 70-300 is not the fastest focusing lense in Nikon's arsenal, not bad , just not pro level speed.

 

4. Next - is you and your techique for panning smoothly, bracing/supporting the camera/lens sufficiently.

 

Steve

 

 

3. should be shooting ©ontinous 'burst' setting for shutter, not (S)ingle shot.

I don't see any today shot, only yesterday's. Nevertheless, I'm guessing you're not panning and your subject is running across your field of vision. You'll have more success if you shoot your subject running around 45 degrees toward you and you learn to pan your motion shots. Also, a tripod can help if you have problems with holding a camera steady, but most people don't want to use them.

not sure what happened to shot today going to try and upload again

not sure what happened to shot today going to try and upload again, i am hand holding the camera and takig all

shots hand held

not sure what happened to shot today going to try and upload again, i am hand holding the camera and takig all

shots hand held, i am focuing on subjecct then following him as he runs then i start shooting just before he starts to

jump,<div></div>

The camera has obviously focused perfectly on the background. You say you're trying to pan and follow the subject, but perhaps the active focus point is slipping off the subject and on to the background?

Your shot is not blury it is out focus, the camera focus points have picked up on the backround. Try manual prefocusing, or while I'm not sure if the Nikon D50 has a centerspot focus mode try that mode. If the handler is stationary prefocus on a portion of him.

I agree.

 

The issue with the ``Todays Photo`` is NOT Subject Motion Blur: but the Subjects are simply Out Of Focus.

 

The Plane of Sharp Focus is somewhere between the Seat (Camera Left) and the Trees (Background).

 

***

 

But there is another issue worth noting.

 

In the First Image, (non blur), you state that you set the camera to ISO400 and to Shutter Priority.

 

The camera selected F4.5 for that shot. You were at around FL= 145mm. At that Focal Length, on that zoom, you

were at maximum aperture.

 

If you zoomed to 300mm the shot becomes ``impossible`` for those exposure parameters.

 

Similarly, if at FL =145mm, the EV (Light) drops a stop, the shot again becomes ``impossible`` with those shooting

parameters.

 

The implications of reaching maximum aperture in shutter priority mode are important to understand.

 

These implications are critical to understand:

 

. if one is using a varying maximum aperture zoom, (which your len is), and / or

 

. if the scene`s lighting is variable, (conditions possibly you shoot under), and / or

 

. if one is capturing fast, sports events, (which a jumpning dog is) - where the viewpoint might change the lighting

conditions.

 

I do not use Nikon Cameras: whilst I can guess what will happen - perhaps someone who does use Nikon gear, will

explain what your camera will do, if it is forced to ``achieve`` correct exposure but is past the point of maximum

aperture, when it is in Shutter Priority Mode,

 

WW

i've shot a d70 for 4 years and now have a d 90 - the blurriness is simply that your camera focused on the bench and normally all i'd do during those conditions is shoot on sports mode unless your trying to achieve a certain feel or look

it's hard to track things sometimes - some times you get it, sometimes you miss - thats part of it

> all i'd do during those conditions is shoot on sports mode unless your trying to achieve a certain feel or look it's hard to track things sometimes - some times you get it, sometimes you miss - thats part of it <

 

I am not sure that is all there is to it.

 

As I mentioned, I do not use Nikon gear, but there are other Focussing options.

 

The two main ones from which to choose include: manual pre-focusing; and (I expect) selecting only a centre AF focussing point.

 

And apart from an (as I understand) AUTO sports mode, there are: Aperture Priority and Manual Exposure modes: both of which I expect would be used more often by those shooting sports, on a regular basis.

 

I have found when tracking sports images in an horizontal pan, the focus is the least of my worries - as I would usually use a manual pre-focus point.

 

I also often use a manual pre-focus point when shooting a REGULAR sports action directed toward the camera - such as an head on Butterfly Swimmer – if one knows the beat, the focus point can be predicted.

 

I have not shot many dog events, but I expect there is a regular rhythm to that, also.

 

WW

thanks for the advice, i will share what i come up with

I shoot Canon equipment mostly for auto racing. I use the AF in servo mode, center focus point only. For frisbee dogs 1/500 sec is more then enough, as long as your lens is a fast focusing one. Its just a matter of zeroing in on your target as the background is in focus but your subject isn't. Take lots of pics and you'll get good ones, however, some lenses are not capable of tracking moving subjects as good as others so you may need to look at the equipment.<div></div>

<p>WW - with all due respect, when shooting outdoors with good light - you can set your iso to 200 and put it on sports mode - then track your subject the best you can and shoot.... period end of story - sometimes it's hard to track fast moving objects - the more you practice the better you'll get - there is no substitute for experience in doing something and the more you do it the better you'll get at it...<br>

sure you can get into setting things up manually and you should learn to do those things especially if your trying to achieve a certain look, but for an amateur with not a lot of experience - do it the easy way first and as you enhance your skills thru practice - you can experiment - one thing i will say is don't necessarily delete because it didn't appear to come out just like you wanted - you can use those "failures" to help you in your future shooting.</p>

<p>"As I mentioned, I do not use Nikon gear, but there are other Focussing options. The two main ones from which to choose include: manual pre-focusing; and (I expect) selecting only a centre AF focussing point."<br>

I DOUBT VERY SERIOUSLY IF SHE CAN PREDICT JUST WHERE THAT DOG IS GOING TO BE + IN MY OPINION YOU AREN'T GOING TO GET MANY SHOTS IF PICK OUT ONE POINT DURING ACTION, SHE COULD GET SEVERAL SHOTS IN SUCCESSION BY FOLLOWING THE DOG - AGAIN MY POINT IS LEARN TO FOLLOW BETTER AND IF YOU MISS, THATS PART OF IT - FOR EXAMPLE - FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL - SURE I COULD FOCUS ON THE RIM AREA - BUT WHEN MIGHT A PLAY OCCUR THERE?? ONCE OR TWICE EVERY FIVE TO SIX TRIPS DOWN THE FLOOR? I'M NOT SAYING I WOULDN'T PRE FOCUS EVERY NOW AND THEN - BUT EVERY TIME??<br>

And apart from an (as I understand) AUTO sports mode, there are: Aperture Priority and Manual Exposure modes: both of which I expect would be used more often by those shooting sports, on a regular basis. AS SHE LEARNS HOW TO DO THOSE THINGS (WHCH AREN'T THAT HARD BY THE WAY) SHE CAN DO THEM, BUT IN THE MEANTIME PUT IT ON SPORTS MODE - IT AUTOMATICALLY SETS THE APERATURE AND SHUTTER SPEED.. AS LONG AS YOU HAVE GOOD LIGHT YOU WON'T HAVE A PROBLEM... IF LIGHT'S BAD THEN YOU HAVE TO MAKE SOME CHOICES ON WHAT YOU WANT TO DEAL WITH (NOISE, BLUR, ETC)<br>

I have found when tracking sports images in an horizontal pan, the focus is the least of my worries - as I would usually use a manual pre-focus point." IF FOCUSING ON A MOVING OBJECT IS NOT A PROBLEM FOR YOU WHY DO YOU MANUALLY PRE-FOCUS?? NOT TRYING TO BE SMART - BUT IN THE SPORTS I SHOOT, I'D MISS A LOT OF ACTION IF I FOCUSED ON ONE SPOT</p>

<p>I second John's comments, there is no way to anticipate a "flying dog" - check the AF point settings on the camera (center point may be too small for a small dog), and use AI servo - the Nikon setting that would focus while following a moving object. Set the camera to high speed mode with 2-5 frames/sec using at least 1/500th - go as high as you can in good light, 1/2000 or more ..... I use Shutter Priority most of the time in good light and that gets me good results. Good luck</p>

<p>Hi John,<br>

<br>

Geez, there is no need to SHOUT PARAGRAPHS at me. . . but that could have been an honest mistake just to differentiate my comments, from your response - so I'll assume that is so. <br>

<br>

<br />If you took my comment (Nov 30, 2008; 03:19 a.m) as a slight upon your contribution, then you mistook my intent - I was adding to it. Especially as yours appeared to me to be closed, and suggesting that there was only one option and that was to use Sports Mode . . . I was suggesting alternatives to and encouraging excellence, and learning new skills with a goal to get 100% keepers.<br>

<br>

Firstly, you have picked up on my option of a manual pre focus point - if you read carefully what I wrote, all I was doing was giving two other focusing options other than yours. <br>

<br>

I hung that suggestion off your comment, as you ended yours with a definitive “that's all there is to it” type of close . . . I was merely suggesting that there are other focusing options. . .<br>

<br>

***<br>

<br>

Yet, in what appears to be a rebuff to my suggested options (note "options") you go on to suggest learning and developing skills . . . which is exactly what I was encouraging.<br>

<br>

So, if we are to nit pick - from an Educator’s standpoint, I do not understand why a professional in the field of education would encourage the use the automated “Sports” Function, when the it is already apparent that the “Student” is using Tv – which is, apparently, as a result of a grasp of the fact that 1/1000s is close to the necessary Shutter Speed for these type of shots<br>

<br>

Moreover, if we are to take the example of using Sports Mode and ISO 200: in the lighting scenario above and the lens used, the camera’s automated parameters would select shooting the first image at: F4.5 @ 1/500 OR perhaps (if it is similar to the Canon “Sports” mode) even a slightly smaller aperture and less than 1/500s, most likely 1/400s . . . <br>

<br>

I think this would be a severe retrograde step to the obvious control over the shutter speed (subject motion freezing) the OP has presently demonstrated. <br>

<br>

*** <br>

<br>

As you use Nikon gear extensively, you might like to answer the question I threw out about varying aperture lenses and their use in automatic modes, when they are at the limit of their maximum aperture?<br>

<br>

***<br>

 

<p>To the thread:<br>

<br>

BTW, the second photo, with the OoF subject and the in focus background has the Dog moving from Right to Left, perpendicular to the axis of the lens. The Human is static (relative to forward movement to the camera - the shot was taken with a 170mm @ F6.3 - if it is full frame crop the Subject Distance is about 40ft and that give about 4.25ft DoF. – <br>

<br>

This scenario is a set shot and a classic for the pre- focus point I referenced when I specifically mentioned it and referenced to Horizontal Panning.<br>

<br>

The pre focus point would be the head of the crouched human. Many of the pro telephoto lenses have a Pre focus, memory capacity – but the skill is not too difficult to execute with other pro or consumer lenses.<br>

<br>

Obviously the photographer should choose what method is best, and I was in no way suggesting that using a Pre-focus point was suitable for all Sports – you, personally might indeed never have use of the technique, that IMO is irrelevant to this thread’s content – and moreover, IMO the second shot on this thread is a typical candidate for using a pre focus point, as I have demonstrated.<br>

<br>

Also, IMO, steps to ascertaining what method is best in any situation requires learning: and learning firstly requires knowledge all of the options, which are available – which I was indeed doing as I do not think that in this case, a narrow, one fits all solution is applicable. But, teaching methods vary.

<p> <br>

WW</p>

<p > </p>

 

</p>

</p>

<p ><strong><em>“there is no way to anticipate a "flying dog" “</em></strong></p>

<p ><strong><em> </em></strong></p>

<p > </p>

<p >Hi Mark,</p>

<p > </p>

<p >I disagree, and specifically with the second shot – and the repetition of it, as a game with the dog.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >If the Human is crouched in a static position and the dog comes from the side to take the disc, I expect I will always predict the Plane of Focus, and the DoF, with any given: lens; camera; and aperture – if the Dog gets the disc.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >I would bet money on it.</p>

<p > </p>

<p > </p>

<p >***</p>

<p > </p>

<p > </p>

<p >But as I have expanded above all that is moot – I was merely suggesting an option . . . for the OP to choose or not . . . but please, do not argue it is not a viable option for this particular thread and the images contained in it . . . that, IMO, is just silliness and an argument which you will not win.</p>

<p > </p>

<p > </p>

<p > <br>

WW</p>