Softball Pic fire away

[burnet44]

Ok here is my deal

If I put it at high ISO people say its to grainy
If I put it on a high ss people say its too underexposed
if I put it on 2.8 people say there is no DOF or focus
If I put it on a low ss people say its blurred

I have tried most of the suggestions here
all of my manual pics look a lot darker than with sports or av or tv mode
but I cant get any of those to give me a decent iso , fast ss, and a higher f stop all at the same time
maybe Im doing those wrong?



ISO 400
Exposure 1/1250 sec
Aperture 4.5
Focal Length 200mm
White Balance 0
Metering Mode 3
Exposure Program 3
Compression 6
CCD Width 18.433266
Exposure Bias 0.0
Focal Plane X-Resolution 4438.356
Focal Plane Resolution Unit 2.0


cloudy overcast day
a little sun through the clouds rt to left though the trees
65 degrees


just doesnt seem sharp to me?

[Bob32]

You don't say what camera and lens you were using, but this image looks better than some of your previous efforts. The image is a bit under-exposed. You could have gone with a higher ISO, but If you didn't want to shoot at an ISO higher than 400 and you couldn't open up the lens any further you could have shot at a slower shutter speed to increase the exposure. You likely could have stopped action at a lower shutter speed. Based on the vertical fence posts in the background the image needs straightening by rotating it clockwise a few degrees.

To increase sharpness I always sharpen my images after I downsize them. If you are not already doing so I suggest that you give it a try. I think that you will like the result.

Bob

[burnet44]

thanks
canon 40 D
70-200 2.8 ISM II canon lens

[Bob32]

With the 70-200 f/2.8 I would have opened the lens a bit further than f/4.5 to get more light on the subject while providing more isolation from the background. Was your histogram indicating under-exposure?

Bob

[plgili]

Really a nice shot!

[chuckdee]

Shoot manual and crank up your iso a bit

[JETA]

I personally only shoot sports at f/2.8. Especially with baseball and fastpitch I want a shallow depth of field to blur out the junk in the background. I want things isolated. Everyone will have a different opinion, but that's how I was taught to shoot by three great guys from this board many years ago. It works for me.

[JETA]

Also forgot to add I started on AV and then slowly moved to manual. The things I adjust are iso and shutter speed with the goal of keeping my shutter speed as high as possible.