Techniques/Equipment for using Flash for Sports

[jhodges]

Hi all,

I'm new to the site. I am a semi-pro, having shot for a local newspaper and a local studio shooting various sports. My own equipment is pretty modest: an EOS 10D and EOS 3; EF 20mm, 50mm 1.4, 100mm f/2, 200mm 2.8; and a 430EX flash. The reason I'm asking is because I have a unique opportunity to get some nice equipment, like a 580EX and a 40D. So, sports being my favorite thing to shoot and wanting to improve my shooting, and already having decent luck with the 10D, I am thinking about saving money right now and just adding a flash. But, how do you use flash for sports? My only experience was with a Nikon SB-800 mounted on a Nikon D200 shooting night football and indoor basketball. It wasn't pretty - the red eye, the color, just the blah look of it. So, how do you do it better? Do you use one flash, two or more? Do you use flash on-camera, or do you use it off camera? Do you use hot shoe flashes or studio style monolights? For indoor sports, do you mount flashes to the rafters, or put them on stands? Do you modify the lights (diffusion, filters, dishes) or shoot them straight on? Is there any other way to use flash for sports that I didn't mention? Or is getting a camera capable of higher ISO the best way to shoot night or indoor sports?

[JETA]

For night football I was seriously considering going flash until I started experimenting with iso 6400. I choose to go with that because I didn't want to lose the beauty of shooting 10 fps and ended up pretty happy with the look I was getting. I may get happier once I start using some noise reducing software.

[Old Timer]

Yours is a dilemma that all of us that shoot sports on a regular basis struggle with. I have used a variety of flash techniques but have never been please with any. I think the best solution if you are going to use external light is a couple of fast strobes mounted above and to the side of the court for basketball or other indoor sports. For football that not practical so on camera or low mount flash seems to be the way to go and balance the light output with the ambient just to get highlights on you subject. My solution is to put in an order for a D700 with low light capabilities. I'll have it for basketball season and I'm hopeful that it will give me acceptable results. We'll see.