Swimming

[OBie]

Well, after many meets and many tries, I think I've almost got it worked out. Once I remember that my camera is digital, and I'm not stuck with whatever ISO I loaded, I should be even closer! (Too many years of shooting film has caused an apparent permanent brain block where I can change the ISO at any time )

So anyway, these are from last weekend. I only have a basic PP program that came with my MAC. Thinking of investing in Aperture, but this will have to do for now. Soooo - I am aware of the obvious faults - bad timing, could be sharper, and I'm still trying to figure out some crops - what can I do that will improve these? Am I missing something like a yellow (or blue, or red) cast, or horrible noise?

Thanks for looking.

[OBie]

A few more. These were all taken with the Sigma 70-200 that I dropped on it's head recently. And now that I see them in the post, I see a definite color cast difference myself.

Also - I shoot in RAW. Auto WB. Obviously I don't know what colors appear in the real world.

[dhyravy]

I don't know what ISO you're using here but a bit more brightness would be nice. Also, I kind of prefer manual WB if I'm shooting in available light. The timing is pretty good and you seem to have caught the action well. A little more ISO push to improve the brightness will go a long way. Also, along that line you may want to also look into Noise Ninja or similar SW to help with any noise at high ISO.

[OBie]

Thanks Daniel. They were shot at 400 ISO. I haven't liked the D50 at 800 and above, so I try to keep it at 200 or 400. But I haven't tried Noise Ninja yet, so I guess I'd better look into it, otherwise why have the 800 & 1600 if I'm never going to use them!

I've also not been happy with the results when I set the WB at indoor pools. That's why I leave it on auto.

[dhyravy]

The high ISO performance of the D50 is actually pretty good. Unless you micro examine the image at 400% as some tend to do, 800 is very clean and even 1600 is good at 8x10 print size. This one is at 1600 f2.8 in available light with the D50 with only slight brightness/contrast adjustment and minimal Noise Ninja. It sold to the parents as an 11x14 and they were quite happy. If you really want to keep your ISO down then off camera flash is my preferred method. I have dropped the name here before, but check out "strobist.com" for some of the best lighting advice on the net.

[OBie]

Hmmm. I think I might need to go through all of my menu options again. I must be missing something, because I really don't like the results at 1600. Again - I have yet to try Noise Ninja. I must have messed with some setting 'just to see' and promptly forgot what I messed with.

I don't want to use flash - I don't want to flash in my swimmer's face and blind her ("Oh no! She crashed right into the wall! You don't see that too often!") And my other daughter does 'indoor' color guard where flash is prohibited. So I'll try 1600 some more and see if I can make it work.

Thanks for the example and proof that it's me, not the camera .

[dhyravy]

Even 800 would give you more options. One of the main reasons for higher ISO in these types of events is to get higher shutter speeds. That will enhance the detail in the shot quite a bit. For most action sports I use Manual, Auto ISO, 1/250-1/320 shutter, CenterWeighted metering, Single Area autofocus w/dynamic area turned off, Custom WB, and sometimes a little EV push. I like higher shutter speeds when I can get them, but in most gyms shooting (un)available light 1/250 at 1600 is about it. Good luck and look forward to seeing some more work.