brian_hirschfeld Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 <p>I am trying to figure out what settings I should be using for sports, when I try and focus on a fast moving tennis player for example it shifts focus so a lot of the time the person is out of focus even when Im shooting at small apertures like f/8 and f/11. any help would be greatly appreciated. </p> <p>thanks, <br> Brian</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_brown4 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 <p>I'm going to get taken out to the woodshed for this but...</p> <p>Wow, you have a D3s and 70-200/2.8 VR and you don't know how to photograph a moving tennis player!?!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilkka_nissila Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 <p>I would recommend putting the camera into AF-C, with focus+release priority (a custom setting); AF-ON to activate autofocus (again a custom setting to disable AF from the shutter release button) then select 1-point or 9-point focusing and try again. You should be able to get good results even wide open with that camera+lens combination, but of course f/4 or f/5.6 will be easier.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliot1 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 <p>There are many ways to photograph fast action sports effectively. I prefer a single point from the center three columns (which are cross type and work best). But in order to be effective with this, you need to be able to keep the AF point on the subject as he/she moves Zooming out a bit can help a bit if the subject is moving so they don't move out of the frame. Turning option a4 (focus tracking) off may help you as well. If the color of the subject is vastly different from the background color, 51pt 3D can work well.</p> <p>IF you can keep the focus point on your subject, you should be able to obtain perfect AF without stopping the lens down (the purpose of which is to widen the area in focus if the AF is off). You should be able to obtain accurate AF without stopping down but if you are shooting outdoors in good light, it makes sense to do so for numerous reasons.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardsnow Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 <p>@Dan Brown<br> My initial thoughts exactly...but...perhaps the OP is a landscape photographer that has ventured into the realm of sports photography.</p> <p>I prefer setting AF-ON for my AF motor so that my focus doesn't change when releasing the shutter.<br> AF-C for fast moving subjects like a tennis player<br> I like 51-point 3D tracking AF, but if it is low contrast between your subject and background, then it won't work well.</p> <p>Obtaining perfect focus with your camera/lens combo should be easy...it just takes practice.</p> <p>RS</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian_hirschfeld Posted May 12, 2011 Author Share Posted May 12, 2011 <p>Thanks for the help, thats what I was looking for. <br> And to clarify I am mostly a portrait / Landscape shooter, never really been involved with sports, thanks</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg_kowalczewski Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 <p>Brian, post an image with the EXIF data in it. The D3s + 70-200VRII is a best in class combination for shooting sport. So you certainly have the right tools at your disposal. How one shoots sport is a matter of personal taste but f/8 and f/11 are apertures that I rarely use. It's mainly f/2.8 for action shots. In other words, nearly always "wide open" with whatever lens I have.</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardsnow Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 <blockquote> <p>And to clarify I am mostly a portrait / Landscape shooter, never really been involved with sports, thanks</p> </blockquote> <p>See Dan, I knew there was a valid explanation!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_brown4 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 <p>My bad.</p> <p>But, I still envy his awesome camera and lens ;-)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_halliwell Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 <p>I would have thought a 'Landscapist' would have a D3<strong>x</strong> rather than an <strong>s</strong>!<br> If 'loosing' the background is important, and in tennis I guess it is, I'd be tempted to put it on A, set f4, ISO 400+ and keep the shutter speed nice and high to freeze motion. <br> It helps that the D3s avoids serious noise up to at least 800 safely!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke_kaven Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 <p>"I would have thought a 'Landscapist' would have a D3<strong>x</strong> rather than an <strong>s</strong>!"</p> <p>I think the OP gets his hands on a lot of high end gear and writes reviews among other things.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian_hirschfeld Posted May 13, 2011 Author Share Posted May 13, 2011 <p>I have my Hasselblad for that ;)<br> The D3s was more portrait and walk around kinda stuff.<br> I will post a picture tonight with the exif data, thanks,</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mariosforsos Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 <p>Nikon posted on their site, some time ago, in preparation for the SA football (soccer) events a special guide about the settings you should have on your D3/s and your various lenses when shooting sports - I have it somewhere but it's too big to email. Try and track it down on the web.</p> <p>Basically it gave you settings for the Continuous AF refocusing delay, the preferable settings for AF points and for VR settings on your camera. It was, as I remember, pretty accurate and helpful. HOWEVER, it did NOT mention ANYTHING that a careful reading of the USER GUIDE does not tell you - READ the manual CAREFULLY and you'll find your solutions!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_wheeler1 Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 <p>I feel a little sorry for the OP, as he is now spending his time defending himself. Is this becoming some sort of elitist forum? Brian, you may find Nikonians much more welcoming.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliot1 Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 <p><em>"... he is now spending his time defending himself."</em> And he is doing a great job of it too! His responses have put a smile on my face :-)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian_hirschfeld Posted May 13, 2011 Author Share Posted May 13, 2011 <blockquote> <p>I think the OP gets his hands on a lot of high end gear and writes reviews among other things.</p> </blockquote> <p>yes thats true, I do run a website brianhirschfeldphotography.com where I try my hand at reviewing gear that I mostly own and sometimes have had the opportunity to demo. <br> thank you all for your help, thank god I wasn't asking about the settings for my M9 for sports...or even worse 503CW! oh the heresy!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janos_kovacs Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 <p>I suggest the following settings:<br /> a1: AF-C priority selection: release<br /> a3: Dynamic Af Area 9 or 21 points<br /> <strong>a4: focus tracking with lock on= 3 : Normal (or 5: long)</strong><br /> press the shutter half way down when (re)focus<br /> <br /><br /></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardsnow Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 <blockquote> <p>I feel a little sorry for the OP, as he is now spending his time defending himself. Is this becoming some sort of elitist forum? Brian, you may find Nikonians much more welcoming.</p> </blockquote> <p>In my first post you will see that I defended the OP by questioning Dan Brown. The intent was not to insult the OP, but to scold Dan for judging the OP by his equipment not his experience.</p> <p>What I did not post is that since the OP did not have much info on his Bio page, I Googled him and figured out who he was before posting. Shame on me for being an "elitist".</p> <p>BTW, I have no use for Nikonians since my experience is that there is no tolerance for any other camera brand in their forums.</p> <p>@ Brian H</p> <p>I look forward to seeing what you capture today! Good Shooting!</p> <p>RS</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 <p>As Philip Greenspun, founder of photo.net, once said, off-topic comments breed more off-topic comments. In hindsight, I probably should have deleted Dan Brown's first post in this thread immediately.</p> <p>Brian asked a fairly straight-forward question. If you are unable to provide a useful answer to the original question, it is best that you don't follow up. Judgmental comments based on assumptions are typically not helpful, especially when the assumption is incorrect.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_brown4 Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 <p>Oh boy, I'll be more careful in the future :-)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_banani Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 <p>I was going to ask the same question as the OP about my Miroslav Tichy camera.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_halliwell Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 <p>RIP.... Spinning in his grave Laughing Out Loud! He'd appreciate the tech issues I'm sure...at least in an Ironic sense!<br> He made a 'career' out of lens aberations, soft focus and 'bad' glass!! MFT Chart anyone??</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilsontsoi Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 <p>Guess one should never jump the gun. Anyway, I'd second the use of AF-C, AF-on only button and not stopping down too much while keeping shutter speed at least at 1/500 sec., preferrably 1/1000 and above.</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastianmoran Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 <p>Shun, I like the sports shots you've posted. What settings do you use for sports?</p> <p>Shooting fast moving subjects with my 300 f/4, the trick I've found is to pick one autofocus point, keep it on the subject, shoot a bit wide, and crop afterwards. This gives me the fastest and most reliable focus.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardsnow Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 <p>WOW, I completely forgot to remind the OP to <strong>keep VR OFF</strong> since he's likely going to be shooting at 1/500 sec or faster.</p> <p>VR will slow down your AF and make catching fast moving harder than without it. You shouldn't need VR since the shutter speed required to stop fast action like tennis is fast enough to make hand shake irrelevant.</p> <p>RS</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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