advice requested for shooting eventing with d71000

[nigel_farmer]

<p>I am going to an eventing competition at the w/e for the first time and will be mostly shooting the show jumping and cross country, and perhaps some of the dressage. I have just upgraded from a d90 which I always used with single point focus. The AF on the d7100 is a huge step up though and I have been very impressed so far, particularly its ability to focus in low light. I'm anticipating using af-c in shutter priority and Ch modes at around 1/500 s, however I am unsure whether dynamic or 3d AF will be better, having not tried these out before - i will try to bribe my children to run or cycle round the garden beforehand to get some practise in. I am also unsure as to whether on not I should be focusing on the horse or the rider, I suspect the latter. Lens wise i plan to take a 16-85 vr, 70-300 vr and maybe my 35 f1.8 DX. I also have an 85 f1.8 afd, which might be nice length but will it focus quick enough? As a test I may take a 1.4 tc just to see how well the centre and AF point can focus at f8.<br>

Any advice or alternative suggestions anyone might be able to offer would be greatly appreciated.</p>

[michael_bradtke]

<p>I am shooting with a D4 but the settings may work out for you. I use Dynamic with 9 AF points and I try to keep the center point over the subject. I would think for the Jumping and the Dressage the 70-300 will be your most flexible lens. Try to track the horse and rider as they come up to the jumps to give your camera as much lock up time as possible. When shooting the stadium phase I like to use the AF on button. That way I can keep my finger on the trigger at half press and not have the AF change every time a jump standard goes through the frame. When the horse and rider approach the jump I want to shoot I press the AF on button. Takes a little practice to get used to but I have found it to help. Being able to watch a ride or two in the stadium phase is a big help with figuring out what jumps you can shoot and whats going to be in the way. Also walking the X country course before the start is a big plus. That way you can pick jumps that look good and have good backgrounds.</p>

<p>As to focusing on the horse and or rider it all depends. In Dressage I try to keep my focus point on the rider. They are not moving as fast and it "should" be much smoother. For the X country and the stadium I try to keep the focus point on the horse and shoot at f/3.5 to have enough DOF to hold all of the horse and rider in focus.</p>

<p>Best of luck </p>

[elliot1]

<p>Using one autofocus point from the center three columns will typically give you your best results. but will also require you to track your subjects accurately.</p>

<p>Regardless of which technique you use, if you are not getting the desire results, experiment with the other options until you find one(s) that work best. (Arrive early and practice/experiment when they are practicing.)</p>

<p>Since you will be shooting indoors under the lights, your 85 mm f1.8 lens will probably be your best choice and using your teleconverter is probably your worst choice. </p>

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[nigel_farmer]

Thanks for the advice, I should have said the

event is outside, today is a lovely day so

hopefully it will be the same tomorrow. The

cross country will be going through some

bluebell woods, but the bluebells are only just

coming out. Micheal - regarding dynamic AF do

you suggest 9 points because you can predict

where the horse will be,so the AF will not pick

up anything else distracting in the frame, or is

there some other reason.

[Wouter Willemse]

<blockquote>

<p>As a test I may take a 1.4 tc just to see how well the centre and AF point can focus at f8.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>If the TC is a nikon one, I don't think it will fit the 70-300VR without modifying it. Plus, I'd have some doubts about the optical performance of a 70-300VR with TC... if it's just for playing around, it won't matter, but it you really want the images, I think you're better off cropping (as the D7100 has plenty of pixels).<br>

I've used the 85 f/1.8D once for night-karting. It can AF quite fast, actually - but I was using a D300. I am not sure whether the in-camera AF motor of the D7100 is as fast as the one on that camera. I would bring that lens anyway - it's not large or heavy, and Elliot indicates well how useful it may get.</p>

<p>For good continuous AF, stay away for the 3D tracking - it doesn't work all that fast. I've got settings very close to what Michael described, but 21-pt instead (AF-C, dynamic single point).</p>

[michael_bradtke]

<p>Nigel<br>

I used the 9 points out of habit. I did it that way with my D300 because if I tried ti use more then 9 the camera started to slow down. </p>

[Two23]

<p>I would set camera to shutter priority and dial in the shutter speed you think you want. A 1/500s sounds about right to me. Set the camera so that ISO can automatically change as well. Finally, I would tend to shoot around f4 to give a little margin of error for focus mistakes, if possible. I hae a D300, and the AF on the D7100 is just as fast, and can lock focus in even dimmer light.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

[marypar4]

<p>I set up my U1 mode to handle this type of shooting..I set it up to shoot manual..auto ISO..with a limit of minimum of 1/500 for shutter and a max ISO ? depending on the light..outside you could set the auto ISO at 800 max. I set the AF-C and use 9 points or 21 depending how fast the subject moves. I set the camera in RELEASE MODE. (a1)(This mode allows you to either hold the AF button for continuous focus or hit it and release for still photos. Look on you tube for a video for this

.For birds in flight I like to go to 21 points as I find it easier to get the birds in focus. With horses 1 or 9 points seems good enough. I like manual because outside you have the option of changing the aperture as well as shutter for more depth of field on certain shots. Just keep you eye on the meter inside view finder. Also, if things look wacky(too bright or too dark) your exposure compensation button serves as your ISO control ..set it to minus and the ISO drops down . ..love this part! I use back button focus..(f4-AF-ON) which keeps the VR off until the last minute..which is a good thing. I also set the the shutter release button to on.(c1) that way I can meter either the subject or something else if the background is very bright..act as a AE-L control.I do not recommend 3D unless you are stationary. It is too unpredictable IMHO. I highly recommend you practice the backbutton focus technique before this event..and if all fails put the camera in Sports mode (located in Scenes) and enjoy! I had the D90 as well and the autofocus on the D7000-7100 is much more sophisticated. Good luck with your shoot! </p>

[stephen_mcpherson]

<p>When shooting equestrian events - especially the jumping events - its always a wise choice to let the action come to you. By that I mean, pick a jump and use it as your focus point. Hold the focus and let the horse and rider come into the frame and shoot. To do this successfully doesn't take a lot of practice, just patience and a little timing. Since you'll be outside try a mid range aperture of f8 or f11. This will give you enough DOF to allow for some leeway as the horse and rider pass through your frame. A few test shots and you'll have your timing down cold.</p>

<p>My wife and I use this technique all the time at equestrian events. We went to one event as spectators and didn't bring our gear (dough heads!). All we had was an older Kodak Point and Shooter with a 2 second shutter lag. To get some shots of the Grand Prix, my wife used the camera while I watched the horse and rider. When they got a certain spot I would tell my wife to "Go!". We got some great shots from our make shift team work and it was fun and challenging too.</p>

 

[nigel_farmer]

<p>Thanks again for the advice, thought I would provide some feedback on my day. I used AF-C with shutter priority and 21 point dynamic AF to begin with, but later moved to single point as I wasn't sure the dynamic AF was working as I couldnt see the AF point ever moving -will have to test this out and check my settings. I also had auto-ISO switched on (another first try) limited to 1600.<br>

I could get quite close, so the 70-300 was too long and I used the 16-85mm for 90% of my shots.<br>

For the show jumping I found 1/500 - 1/640 to be adequate but for the cross country where the horses were going a lot faster this was too slow, so I then shot between 1/1000 and 1/1600. <br>

This was my first real test of the AF on the D7100 and apart from my uncertainty about the dynamic AF I fond the AF to be fantastic - I have now looked in View NX and I can see in a some sequences of shots the selected AF point changing, so maybe my panning was just too good most of the time -:)<br>

The only thing that could have been better was a bigger buffer, but as my timing got better I don't think this was a big problem. For unpredictive movement of subject this might be more of a issue.</p><div></div>

[nico_morris]

<p>You are the one missing out if you only focus with the centre sensor. Perhaps not as much in other sports.Your compositions will look duller and be taxing to track if you always have to centre your subject. It is lucky the dimensions of horse and rider don't change much. If someone nearly doubles their height by raising something above their head then you could easily find it difficult to put one sensor over somewhere in the right focal plane. That's a reason why I used the 51-point tracking mode of the D300 even if it was about 0.12s lag to focus. And by the way, the focus points didn't show in that mode. Of course, "other modes are available!"</p>

[Wouter Willemse]

<p>Nigel, another thing to consider is that the lenses you use aren't all that quick to AF, and their slow aperture will also slow down continuous AF.<br>

The AF system is located behind the lens, and the more light that hits it, the better it works. So, faster lenses simply work better for this. I've had the 16-85VR, and continuous AF on my D300 with it was a bit sluggish (at 85mm, so with f/5.6 aperture); in general I never found it a lens that focusses very fast. Instead, with a 300 f/4 or 80-200 f/2.8, focus tracking works absolutely fine (with settings I mentioned before); I do see the point moving but that's on a D300 / D700 - maybe the D7100 is different in this respect.</p>

[marypar4]

<p>Hi Nigel<br /> I think you did good for just upgrading to a brand new unit (D7100) I think it is a matter of trial an error at first..btw..the points do not show up in the finder when using AF-C mode..they will show in AF-S and auto modes. ..but if you go to your info button you can see them on that screen. All the pros suggest..shoot shoot shoot..and I think that is the secret..the more you use and shoot the camera..the better you will get. I am not a big fan of using all 51 points..certainly activate those points so as the subject moves across the frame you have all available (a6) (but thats me..I think more important is getting the f stop up to around f/8 which will get you better sharpness. Nine should be good but again trial and error. I shoot surfers with one point..they are up and down and moving all over the screen and I do quite well. One thing you might do is turn off (a3) so the tracking is instant rather then waiitng 3 seconds etc..I find it really helps with birds..but larger subjects it may not matter. Enjoy that new camera..its a beauty. Regarding the buffer, I think when you are doing action I would use Fine JPEG with optimal jpeg set to optimal in shooting menu. This will give you faster buffer..use a good fast card like the extreme pro 95 from sandisk..great card!</p>