photographing kendo/kumdo competitions

If there are folks here who photograph kendo, I'd like to hear from them and

share experiences.

I've just started taking pictures of kendo in the uk myself, I returned to photography recently but previously I used to film them and have done at least 20-30 competitions which i thought would put me in good stead for taking some pictures, but I found its actually quite a tricky sport to take good pictures of: Mainly due to lighting issues as most kendo comps/practises are in badly lit sports halls with nasty yellow lights. As well as the speed of the cuts, (I have so many blurred shinai shots its not funny)

I use a nikon d80 with a 85mm f1.8 currently, which isn't perfect (but much better than using the stock 18-135 lens) but I get good results sometimes, i'm looking to get a 50mm f1.4 at the end of the month which basically will take pictures in the dark. I want to get a 70-200 f/2.8 eventually, a lens I was recommended as a great lens for indoor sports but very pricey.....

Normally you can't use a flash in competition's so I find the low f stop with a quick exposure at around 400 - 800 iso gets the best results.

Adrian Jones<div></div>

I've just started taking pictures of kendo in the uk myself, I returned to photography recently but previously I used to film them and have done at least 20-30 competitions which i thought would put me in good stead for taking some pictures, but I found its actually quite a tricky sport to take good pictures of: Mainly due to lighting issues as most kendo comps/practises are in badly lit sports halls with nasty yellow lights. As well as the speed of the cuts, (I have so many blurred shinai shots its not funny)

I use a nikon d80 with a 85mm f1.8 currently, which isn't perfect (but much better than using the stock 18-135 lens) but I get good results sometimes, i'm looking to get a 50mm f1.4 at the end of the month which basically will take pictures in the dark. I want to get a 70-200 f/2.8 eventually, a lens I was recommended as a great lens for indoor sports but very pricey.....

Normally you can't use a flash in competition's so I find the low f stop with a quick exposure at around 400 - 800 iso gets the best results. With a picture.

Adrian Jones<div></div>

Hi Adrian,

Finally a response! I thought this thread was dead.

I agree with most of what you?ve stated about the difficulty of shooting kendo. I used to shoot film, because I felt for a long time that pushed film (1600) performed better than digital. However, I very recently got a Nikon D200, and am happy with the results for the most part ? I especially like not having to pay for processing, etc?.

So far, I?ve been trying out different settings and lens combinations. I use the 70-200 f/2.8 lens, although mine is a much older model. I?m thinking about getting a 35-70 f/2.8 or a 28-70 f/2.8, as the 1.5 focal length multiplier with the smaller sensor is really a challenge to deal with in (sometimes) small space.

Around here, I have not been able to shoot at 400-800. I usually have to shoot at 1600. I really don?t like going over 1600, but I have shot at 3200, with varying results. Like most of your shots, the best results are those shots taken during pauses in the action, and yes, I also have a ton of blurry shots. If you do get the 50 mm f/1.4, I?d like to hear of your experiences with the extremely shallow depth of field.

What modes do you shoot in? I?ve been using AF-C, Single-Area AF, although I am thinking about experimenting with AF-C, Dynamic-Area AF. I?ll have to see if the movement of others in the frame (such as the officials) will confuse the Dynamic-Area AF. Do you use noise reduction in the camera? I?ve tried it, and it definitely takes something away from the image (texture?), and the images ?feel? optically softer.

By the way, do you practice kendo yourself? My e-mail is johnkichu@gmail.com, if you want to talk about photographing kendo off line.

Hello,

I enjoy photographing a variety of traditional Japanese martial arts, including kendo. I recently added a kendo photograph to my gallery which may be of interest to you. I also included my camera settings in the "details" section as well.

http://www.photo.net/photo/6219520

Any critiques, ratings, thoughts, or recommendations on the photo would be greatly appreciated.

In addition, more specific information and my thoughts on the photograph can be found here:

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/11/prweb481202.htm

I have also found photographing kendo to be quite difficult. The venues are so dark with mixed lighting and the movement erratic and fast. It makes it very difficult to get a decent picture.