Judo photography

I'm interested in taking photos of judo tournaments. They are usually held in a

large gym, often a basketball court. The players wear white uniforms and action

happens quite quickly. I can get within about 20-30 feet of the players. I

have a Nikon D80 (it's only 3fps, but I don't want to spend more on a camera)

with the 18-70 Nikkor (too slow) and the 50mm f/1.8 Nikkor. Any suggestions or

comments?

Would it be an option to purchase a speedlite?

Yes. I could probably spend up to $300. However, I don't really like the "flash look" and it might be distracting to the players (I'd also rather spend the money on another lens - perhaps an 85mm f/1.8 nikkor). But if this is the only option, I would go with that. Do you have any speedlight suggestions for this application?

 

Thanks for answering.

To be honest i'm not sure what nikon offer in the speedlite department; i shoot canon and have only ever used a 580EXII. For me to make any recommendations on something i know almost nothing about would be irresponsible and a waste of your time (and possibly money!). Might be worthwhile popping into a camera store and having a play around with one; if you like the results then you could probably find a second hand one fairly cheaply off ebay or the like.

I would imagine that with the 50mm prime would be fast enough at f/1.8, especially at high ISO speeds. Have you tried using this, and if so were the results satisfactory? Also, i would probably think twice about buying the 85mm f/1.8; could you justify spending that anount of money for a mere 35mm of extra focal distance - it would be simpler to use the 50mm and crop to the equavalent frame of the 85mm.

I haven't yet tried useing the 50mm for this. Your comment about the 85mm makes sense - not worth it. I'll try shooting with it, and if it doesn't work I'll get a speedlight. I suspect that it won't. I know somone who uses a Canon 30D with an 85mm f/1.8 and he's not getting good results. Thanks for your help.

Hi Charles,

Even with a fast piece of glass you may have to settle for the higher ISO setting, it depends on the effect your trying to achieve, do you want movement or do you want frozen subjects, and then there is the lighting scenario, What kind of lights? How much light do they produce? What is the distance from the subject(s). I agree, flash isn't always the greatest, but sometimes when using as a fill flash it can produce nice results. I'm not much of a person to help you as I am more an outdoor photographer, I can tell you this though, keep experimenting and eventually you'll end up with the right formula and good luck!

 

Paul :)

#1. You should ask the organizer if you can use a flash.

#2. At f1.8 you have a very short (depending on focal length of the lens) DOF, and trying to capture fast moving sports action it will be difficult to get faces in sharp focus.

#3. The 85 1.8 is a great lens, used often for volleyball. In a karate/judo match, 20-30 feet is pretty close to the action - maybe too close. Are you sure you can be that close? Or that the competitors want you that close?

The 85 might be better choice. It will be easier to follow the action from a bit farther away. And, you move back and forth relative to the action/fighting without worrying about getting too close. Don;t want to be on the end of a round house kick!!

Thanks for answering everyone. A judo match is held within a fairly restriced area (14 x 14 meters total - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judo ). I wouldn't go on the mat, I would just stand at the edge where the players would not go anyway. The players move around a lot, so I'm sure that I would have good oppurtunities. I'm not sure what focal length is ideal, but, as somene pointed out, I can just crop. I want to be able to get full body shots of 2 people standing, so maybe my 50mm (like a 75mm on the D80) is good.

 

Flash might be ok, but I really think that it would be rather distracting (I play judo myself and say that from experience). If I were taking pictures of national tournaments, there would probably be lots of light (by the way, judo is an olympic sport and is very similar to wrestleing). However, I'm taking photos of kids in local tournaments where the lighting can be pretty bad.

 

Maybe I can set up some spotlights or somthing. They would be a constant light sourse, and so would not be distracting (If I was able to get them high enough). Any suggestions on this?

 

Thanks