Shooting Hockey games

[inetguy]

I'd like to be able to shoot my son's ice hockey game with my Nikon D40 18-55mm kit lens or 55-200mm VR, is this possible? If so, what settings should I set the camera and with which lens? I can get close to the glass, maybe even into the penalty box if necessary.

If I need a different lens, are there any recommendations for something that I can use with the D40 for this type of photography? Or am I out of luck?

Thanks for any thoughts

[jul]

Sweet! Finally a hockey fan. I have been struggling with my son's hockey games also. Recently I have been shooting at ISO 1600, on shutter priority set at 200-250 with an aperture of f/4 or 5. Sometimes I still have to lighten them in PP and they're not always as sharp as I like but I am usually shooting through the glass. I recently purchased Canons 55-250 f/4-5.6 IS lens and I'm pretty happy with it. So your 55-200 mm VR should work out. I just dont like using ISO 1600 because it sometimes looks a little grainy. Here's an example of one of the best shots I got out of 250 I took (and it figures my kid isn't even in the picture!).



Each rink is different. This weekend we were somewhere else and I could get above the glass without the net, but lighting was terrible so most pictures look dark. It's a real challange. Please post some when you get the chance to take them. I'd love to look at yours and see if we can figure out how to make them better. Good Luck!

[OsmosisStudios]

As a hockey player and photographer, I can tell you the worst thing is going to be lighting especially in older rinks.

Most arenas use a very green light. It may not seem like it to the naked eye, but to your camera's sensor, it's green. You're going to have to either take that into account (by setting your white balance pre-shoot) or shoot in raw and edit it later. I'd suggest the latter, simply because it's something you should be doing anyways.

Widest possible aperture, highest ISO youre comfortable with and the IS on. You'll still end up missing a bunch of shots. Learn to pan properly too!