Using Auto Seetings vs. Manual on 20D

[todd_taylor]

I'm a litle new to this hobby.......What do you recommend using when

shooting soccer outdoors (normally bright days)? Should I use

the "sports" mode which controls the ISO (400) or switch to one of

the manual modes and lower the ISO? If switching, which mode(s)

would you recommend and what ISO setting should I use? Thanks for

your help!

 

Todd

[christopher_bibbs]

You will find very few members on this forum using anything other than Av, Tv, and straight manual. Which is right for you, depends on your level of skill and what kind of results you want.

 

In either case, given the relatively low noise of 400 ISO, that is my starting point for sports photography. 800 ISO for dimmer activities or when enlargements won't go beyond 8x10.

[todd_taylor]

Thanks.....what is an acceptable shutter speed for sports (1000 +)? I have a 70-200 f2.8 with a 1.4X teleconverter, so I try to keep the aperture around 4-5.6.

[awindsor]

Thee are several approaches

 

1) Use Tv to set a shutter speed fast enough to freeze action and let the camera determin the aperture.

 

2) Use Av to set your lens to nearly wide open (to get shallow DoF and ensure you have a fast enough shutter speed).

 

Even with a slower zoom lens on a bright day you can get by with low ISO. Using the Sunny-16 rule of thumb we would get 1/100 at f/16 at ISO 100. That means 1/400 at f/8 and 1/1600 at f/4.

 

How fast a shutter speed depends on how close to the action your lens is bring you and upon the action. Professionals charging for the goal are faster than even the most motivated 8 year old. I would try for above 1/1000 sec and increase the ISO if you find yourself dropping lower. During pauses in the action you can get by with much lower shutter speeds.

 

Even light cloud will cause your shutter speeds to drop and necessitate an increase in ISO. I would say that ISO 100 and 200 are practically noiseless and ISO 400 has very low noise.

[h.l.]

For Action/Sport, the most important factor is to keep your shutter fast enough to capture the motion. Typically, this will be 1/250s or 1/500s or faster.

 

The easiest way is to use Tv and adjust your ISO to get the shutter speed you want with the lens that you have. The Sport mode will also do so whatever works for you.

[dave_hachey]

Todd;

 

One of the nice things about digital photography is that after the initial equipment purchase, the cost of experimenting is virtually free (i.e., no film, processing, printing costs). Well, almost free. So experiment, then ask for critiques from readers here or in the "Critique" section of the forum. Also visit Fred Miranda's web site. They tend to be a bit more civilized over there.

 

Now, regarding shooting modes, most people here seem to be advanced amateurs, with some professionals lurking about, so they tend to shoot in the manual (i.e., creative) modes. I personally use mainly the manual modes (Av, Tv, P). But when I'm on vacation and just want trouble-free snapshots, then I use Canon's full auto mode. Don't be affraid to experiment. It's a good way to learn.

 

Last week on the golf course I got some great shots at 800 ISO using Av mode with a Canon EF 75-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM lens on a 20D. Blur-free, ball frozen in mid air, dirt spray from the sand trap, etc. The lens isn't the best, but I was having fun. Such a lens would work reasonably well for you, until you catch the dreaded "L" fever. I have a couple of L's, they're wonderful. Expensive, but wonderful. I don't recommend them if you're just starting out, unless you have the money (>$1K).

 

Good luck with your hobby, ...Dave

[andy_van_eynde]

"The lens isn't the best, but I was having fun. Such a lens would work reasonably well for you, until you catch the dreaded "L" fever. I have a couple of L's, they're wonderful. Expensive, but wonderful. I don't recommend them if you're just starting out, unless you have the money (>$1K). "

 

Except for the EF 70-200f4L

 

Or as a alternative sollution : Sigma 70-200 f2.8...optically also very good it seems.

[dave_nelson___atlanta__ga]

For soccer I would start in Tv mode at 1/500 and adjust the ISO to get the apeture I wanted. A shutter speed of 1/1000 would be better to stop the motion and an apeture wider then 5.6 should result in some nice images.

 

My thinking is that the shutter speed is used to stop motion or add a motion blur . Apeture is used to blur all but the subject or bring everything into focus. Adjusting the ISO is going to allow you to set your apeture and shutter where you want them.

 

The "Sports" mode is for simple snapshots. A point-and-shoot would give nearly identical results, don't you want more than that.

[benjamindbloom]

I agree with those that say set it on Tv mode, set your shutter appropriately (1/500 or 1/1000 sounds good to start) and adjust ISO as necessary.

 

I'd also recommend looking at your autofocus mode; you probably want it on AI-Servo for sports.

[bens]

with 10d (and d30 before that), i have shot full manual for sports. i find its the best way for me to learn about the interplay of shutter, aperture and iso. also, because the digital cameras tend to blow out highlights easily, i often deliberately underexpose. requires that i stay alert and think throughout, which i like. that said, Tv would usually work, as long as you are exposing on the brighter areas so you don't blow out highlights. i have found that shutter for action in soccer or basketball has to be 1/320 or faster to consistently avoid motion blur. aperture is often 1.8-2.8.

[jon_austin]

On small contribution: depending upon your artistic objectives, you might not always want to freeze the action. You can get some excellent, creative images by intentionally choosing slower shutter speeds to add a sense of motion.