After recent posts here on the forum I decided to start a sports flash thread to show various flash types and their results vs no flash at all. The photos I will post are completly untouched other than crop & resize for the system. The lenses used are: Canon 70-200 USM IS f2.8, Canon 28-300 USM IS f3.5-5.6 for these first shots here, and then I'll dig up some older shots using the Sigma 70-200 HSM f2.8, Canon 70-300, Canon 50mm f1.8, and Canon 35-80mm f4-5.6. The flashes I have used are the Canon 580EX ETTL II, Canon 430EZ and Sunpac 433D. the camera bodies will include: Canon 1D (original), Canon 1D MKII N, Canon D300 (DRebel) and an Olympus C2100UZ.

Group 1
#1: ISO 1600 Shutter 200 canon 70-200 f2.8 flash did not fire. Even though my flash didn't fire on this one, another photogs flash did fire and I got extra light off their flash. This rarely works, but it did here.

#2: Same settings but my flash fired (oh, these are with the MKII N unless otherwise noted) Flash was set to auto on this (ETTL II).

#3: Same settings except flash set manually at 1/8th power output.

#4: No flash, same settings

#5: No Flash, same settings

JS

Group #2

#1: No flash, 28-300 f3.5 It's ok, and can be post processed to make it better, but if the flash had fired it would have been a much better photo.

#2: another 28-300 shot without flash, again the flash would have helped, but it's still usable.

#3: 28-300 with flash @3200 ISO..f5.6.really does some odd things!

#4: 28-300 without flash f5.6

Settings for the first two were ISO 1600 and shutter 160 using the original 1D body.
Settings for the second two were ISO 3200 shutter 160 using the original 1D body.

JS

Last night, I shot at ISO 400, 1/200-1/250 f/2.8 w flash (ETTL II) I was extremly happy with the results. I had never even considered ISO 400 before, but that seemed to really stabilize my results.

I have a couple of series I will post as soon as the edit is done that show my flash issue-White balance. I set the WB before the game to custom using a sheet of white paper. When I am shooting a burst, the level of the flash really shifts the WB to red and its hard as crap to edit.

To my knowledge, my flash fires every time, and I have not experimented using no flash since getting my L-lens. I will have to do that this week.

Scott,
posting the non edited version may help to figure out whats going on.

JS

Scott, when shootimg a burst, do you have just the AA cells in the flash, or an external power pack to help it recycle quicker?