Help! Gotta shoot in 2 hrs!

[ttotsis]

Hey guys,
I have to go and take pictures at a wrestling tournament in a couple of hours and I just got a new Tamron 28-75 lens. I will be using my Canon T3 in a gym that I hear is fairly bright. Can anyone tell me if I should shoot in TV mode? I want to freeze the action. Also, what f/stop and ISO should be used in a situation like this? Please help, I am a total newbie to this camera and I want really defined and clear shots to make newsletters and highlight videos with the pictures. Thanks!
In a pinch,

[JFSanders]

Best to go now and do some testing shots. This will tell you what is going to work.

Jim

[ttotsis]

Can you give me some sort of idea as to where I should set my camera... just a tip? I really haven't a clue. It's not possible for me to go early because I have to drop my kids at the sitter at a certain time and I will be arriving at the tourney about when it's getting underway.

[JFSanders]

I would start on totally auto to see what the camera thinks of the environment. Take a few shots and then you will have to chimp them on the LCD to see what adjustments to make. Even though your told that it will be bright that is coming from someone who is using their eyes and your eyes have a lot more dynamic range than your camera.

I expect that you will have to go wide open to get the shutter speed to stop action and get sharp pictures. Your depth of field will be fairly small so you will have to be thinking of what you want to be in focus. Get low to the ground and zoom in as much as possible to exclude the surroundings. See if your camera has a burst mode or such.

Good luck and chimp during breaks in the action as your light will change some do to you changing positions. Be responsible in your choice of shooting positions as you don't want to make enemies. And expect people to be interested in what you are doing. Stay calm most of all.

Jim

[Doug Pardee]

Not trying to be a downer, but just being honest: prepare yourself for extreme disappointment. Low-light sports, whether indoors or night-time, may be the most difficult type of photography there is. The pros go in with years of experience, a bunch of equipment (like radio-controlled strobes in the rafters), take hundreds of photos, and come out with a few good ones.

I've been doing photography for over fifty years, and I'd consider myself lucky if I got one or two good photos out of a session like that. You're very seriously bucking the odds.

Which doesn't mean that you shouldn't try — it's digital, so there's basically no cost to try — but you also shouldn't have any expectations of getting anything usable. If you do get something good, yay!

If the gym is lit with fluorescents or other gas-discharge lighting — most are — you'll need to keep the shutter-speed low (1/60 or slower) in order to keep from having problems caused by the way those kinds of lights flicker.

Also, set your shutter to "continuous" mode and rip off about three shots each time you press the shutter. That'll increase the chances of getting something at just the right time. It'll also give you options if camera motion, subject motion, or light flicker messes up one or two of the frames.

Good luck!

[ttotsis]

Thanks Doug,
I like that you actually told me what to do! Thanks for you honesty too, although, I remain hopeful!