BBall and Hockey

[ivycreek]

I recently took a job covering HS sports for the local paper. I picked up a 20D body and a EF 50mm 1:1.4 lens for Basketball. I'm not real satisfied yet so any constructive comments are welcome....more updates of equipment are not possible (at least at this time)

Photo 1: Canon EOS 20D, 50mm, ISO 1600, f1.4, 1/2000
Photo 2: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL, 70.0-200.0mm, ISO 800, f3.2, 1/250
Photo 3: Canon EOS 20D, 50mm, ISO 3200, f1.4, 1/1600
Photo 4: Canon EOS 20D, 50mm, ISO 3200, f1.4, 1/1600

[Bob32]

Ivycreek,

Good action was caught here, but all images are soft. I'd like to see these looking a lot sharper. Image #1 looks muddy with gym color cycling problem. WB issue with image #2. #3, 4,and 5 look hazy and washed out. In spite of these issues, however, these images might be OK for the local newspaper. I know one local newspaper photographer who tells me that newsprint hides a lot of image shortcomings!

You don't need those high shutter speeds for basketball. 1/500 is adequate and would enable you to lower the ISO setting and possibly close down the lens a bit. DOF is rather thin at f/1.4. 1/250 isn't fast enough for hockey.

I"m not very familiar with Canon gear, but the 20D is from 2004. Low light photography is demanding, and the 20D may not be quite up to the task. You're possibly at the edge of the ISO ledge trying to shoot higher than ISO 1600. Even 1600 may be marginal.

Bob

[ivycreek]

Ivycreek,

Good action was caught here, but all images are soft. I'd like to see these looking a lot sharper. Image #1 looks muddy with gym color cycling problem. WB issue with image #2. #3, 4,and 5 look hazy and washed out. In spite of these issues, however, these images might be OK for the local newspaper. I know one local newspaper photographer who tells me that newsprint hides a lot of image shortcomings!

You don't need those high shutter speeds for basketball. 1/500 is adequate and would enable you to lower the ISO setting and possibly close down the lens a bit. DOF is rather thin at f/1.4. 1/250 isn't fast enough for hockey.

I"m not very familiar with Canon gear, but the 20D is from 2004. Low light photography is demanding, and the 20D may not be quite up to the task. You're possibly at the edge of the ISO ledge trying to shoot higher than ISO 1600. Even 1600 may be marginal.

Bob

Thank you that was exactly the feedback I wanted> I have a double header tonight so I will toy with the settings tonight!

[Bob32]

ivycreek,

For basketball I suggest that exposure be manually set with fixed values for shutter speed, f-stop, and ISO. It looks like that may be how you're already operating. Thus 1/500, f/X, and ISO Y where X and Y are determined by taking test shots of players during warmup. Then check histogram and tweak X and Y as needed. Then park yourself behind the baseline near the backboard to capture the great action taking place in the vicinity of the basket.

After the double header post some shots to let us know how you did.

Bob

[ivycreek]

ivycreek,

For basketball I suggest that exposure be manually set with fixed values for shutter speed, f-stop, and ISO. It looks like that may be how you're already operating. Thus 1/500, f/X, and ISO Y where X and Y are determined by taking test shots of players during warmup. Then check histogram and tweak X and Y as needed. Then park yourself behind the baseline near the backboard to capture the great action taking place in the vicinity of the basket.

After the double header post some shots to let us know how you did.

Bob

Baseline may be out tonight ...I looked at the gym today there is literally 8 inches of room at either end of the court.

[Bob32]

ivycreek,

Ouch! That gym must have been built on an austerity budget!

Bob

[ivycreek]

Okay Here are the results from tonight other than some nominal noise reduction and resizing so they don't take forever to load they are right out of the camera.

ISO 1600
girls f/2.0 shutter 1/500
the boys felt soft on my tests so I bumped the shutter to 1/640 with f/1.6.

I should add that if they played like I shot tonight we all would have been on the bench....

[ivycreek]

Hmmm they look a lot cleaner when I preview in PS

[Bob32]

ivycreek,

Even without benefit of processing in PS the image quality of these shots looks better than it did with the shots in your previous post. Some boost in exposure in PS will be needed, but the white balance looks good. I'm curious to see how much you can enhance these images in PS.

Photo #3 clearly shows the very narrow space between the baseline and the wall that you referred to. Good grief! I don't envy your being forced to shoot from the corner area instead of from a much more desirable location in the vicinity of the basket.

My favorite here is photo #5 where the guy with the ball is trying to shoot while being surrounded by towering opponents.

Bob

[burnet44]

most of the gyms I shoot in have that same baseline lol
when you throw it in
your heels are against the wall
and your toes are past the line lol

[burnet44]

most of the gyms I shoot in have that same baseline lol
when you throw it in
your heels are against the wall
and your toes are past the line lol

[Bob32]

So not everything in Texas is bigger than it is anywhere else!

Bob

P.S. My atlas tells me that Robinson is about halfway between Dallas/Ft. Worth and Austin. I don't find any mention of it in my AAA Tourbook.

[ivycreek]

So not everything in Texas is bigger than it is anywhere else!

Bob

P.S. My atlas tells me that Robinson is about halfway between Dallas/Ft. Worth and Austin. I don't find any mention of it in my AAA Tourbook.

:lol: If you try finding Fisher or East Grand Forks it might be easier to look near the edge of the earth...