Help getting manual settings correct

[ggilkey]

I shoot my son's soccer team. I use a Canon 50D, and almost always use my Tamron 28-300 vc f/3.5-6.3 lens. My other options are a Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 or an older Canon 75-300 f/4-5.6. My problem is no matter what I try, I cannot get good, clear sharp images - due to the low light. Usually, at this time of year, when the game starts - it is about 45 mins. past sunset. I have the field lights - which are all I have. I do have a 580EXII speedlight - but I do not like to use it because I do not want to cause -"lens flash blindness" - for any players. At this point I cannot afford to spend the $1100 on the lens I would like to have - so I need to do the best with what I've got. Should I be using the 28-75 f/2.8 and give up distance coverage??? What should my manual settings be?
Any direction would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advanced!!!!
gretchen

f/5
exposure 1/50sec
ISO-1000
Focal length - 70mm

f/6.3
1/40 sec-exposure
ISO - 800
focal length - 270mm

[amymnc]

Fellow soccer mom here Our games are in the mornings so I'm lucky in that aspect.
First off, I think your shutter speed is way too slow. Here's some things I go by.

Get as low as you can with the aperture so you're letting the most light into your camera. Watch the shutter speed- you need at least 1/500 to freeze the motion. I'd recommend higher if you can. This morning I took most of my shots at 1/800 and f5
Keep a check on that dotted line in the viewfinder (or back of your camera screen, not sure how yours looks), whatever that thingy is called and make sure it's not too many bars to the right or left. That'll let you know (roughly) if you're under or over exposed.
Take a test shot before the game to help you figure out approximate settings. You can also check your histogram as you go along and the night gets darker to see what you need to adjust.
Shoot in RAW (if your photo editing program recognizes it). You'll have more editing to do, but you can fix your exposure after the fact without messing up your pics.
I think with any sports photography your shutter speed is the most important thing to focus on.
Check to make sure you have the camera set on continual focus mode (af-c in Nikons).
I tried to use flash but for some reason it doesn't cooperate in the af-c mode that I need. In this case, the speedlight may be your best friend.
Good luck, and I hope to have helped some

[amymnc]

OH, and pm me if you need more help or I'm making no sense. LOL I just started shooting manual a few weeks ago and I wish I hadn't been afraid of it for so long. Now, I love it. Especially at the soccer games

Found this- maybe it will help.
http://digital-photography-school.co...great-portrait
And believe it or not, get the manual that came with the camera back out. It could actually help here!

[MOmilkman]

The best advice I could hope to offer is just the obvious...

Yes, the 2.8 lens is going to be the best lens if you cant go with flash so use it. You can always crop a little in post processing so that will help tighten the shot.

I have a 70-300 IS version of your lens and I understand your pitfalls when it comes to shooting in low light. This lens is basically useless after the sun sets. Even when I have my ISO all the way up I cant seem to get a shutter speed higher than 1/200. Not really good enough for freezing fast action sports such as my motorcycle racing shots but should be ok for soccer if you can get it to 1/200

I guess it really depends on what is more important to you... A tighter shot with motion blur? or more of a wide angle shot with good stop action? One again, I'm stating the obvious..

Save up and get that lens you want. I'm saving for a 70-200 L 2.8 so I don't have this problem anymore.

[zona5101]

in the last photo your exposure was f6.3, 1/40 @iso800.
Moving to f2.8 would put your shutter speed at 1/200 on your 28-70 that should be fast enough to stop action and maybe even allow you to close down another stop on your aperture or lower your iso....

similar on the first photo f5.0 1/50 = f2.8 1/160

good luck and have fun.

[ggilkey]

thanks gang and will try suggestions next week. We have a few more games and I would really like to get some good shots before the season ends. I'll shoot with the 28-70 with the f/2.8 and play around with ISO. I'll post again next week for comparision.
I am really frustrated and would like to get at least 20-30 good shots from the game.
Thanks again!!!!
gretchen

[MOmilkman]

Just keep the ISO cranked wide open and get the aperture as low as you can (hopefully 2.8) and you should come back with something decent.

Post the new pics back in this same thread so we can see what you get.

[EOBeav]

Yeah, I just priced the Canon EF 70-200mm 2.8 tonight for the very same reason. Ouch!

[photog1107]

I purchased the 2.8 70-200 a couple of years ago b/c my daughter was doing gymnastics... inside low-lit gyms, where flash is prohibited. It was the best photography investment I ever made. Now that she's playing soccer and other sports, both indoor and outdoor, I realize this lens has so much capability. It hurts at first, but you will not regret it!
Good luck and we look forward to the next posts!

[wulf]

Out of the lenses you've got, the one that opens up to f/2.8 would seem the best choice for the lighting conditions. You'll still want a fairly high ISO but should be able to get a fast enough shutter speed to largely freeze the motion (and a bit of blur on the players generally won't hurt, as it conveys action).

You lose distance but can always crop in closer to focus on the action. This also has the advantage that you are more likely to capture the whole scene of action - in both shots above, the framing is a bit off, and a wider angle would be more forgiving.

Forget about flash - even aside from the potential distraction to players, the effectiveness drops off over distance, so isn't going to do much to let a longer, slower lens compete with a wider, faster lens. You might want to consider a tripod though. Again, that will be easier with a wider lens and will help capture details apart from fast movements of the players without camera shake.

Wulf

ps. Moved to the technique area, since we are discussing general technique rather than critiquing one photo.