Shake, focus, blur??

[markblake]

I'm new to sports photography and i need to know what could be wrong with this picture.
Some are great photos, very sharp when zoomed in but others like this one where not sharp. Can't figure out why? Focus, shake, iso, shutter speed???
F5
1/640 sec
ISO 800
Focal Length 200mm
Metering Mode - Pattern
Shutter Priority
White Balnce - Auto

[Jensers]

Could be any number of things... What lens are you shooting? You have lots of good light and you are on the right side of the action. Would be good if the ball was in the frame - also give it a crop.

[RichardTaylor]

Looks like focus to me.

What focus mode, and focussing points were you using?

[markblake]

Originally Posted by RichardTaylor

Looks like focus to me.

What focus mode, and focussing points were you using?

Pattern, so all of them. I think its camera shake cause im using a Sigma 70-200 f2.8 no IS

[markblake]

Originally Posted by Jensers

Could be any number of things... What lens are you shooting? You have lots of good light and you are on the right side of the action. Would be good if the ball was in the frame - also give it a crop.

Sigma 70-200 f2.8 non IS

[RLucas]

It doesn't look like shake to me. The fellow in the red shorts looks pretty sharp, even at 100%. The fellow in the green looks like he is just outside the focus plane. It almost looks like there may be some sensor bloom going on with it, because the image is on the verge of being overexposed. Notice the fringing around the white shirts and helmets. this will add considerable softness. I would maybe suggest using a lower iso. It seems you had more than enough light for an ISO of 800.

[RichardTaylor]

The relatively high shutter speed should rule out shake.
I would try centre focus point only (or zone if your camera has it) and see how that goes.
I shoot motor racing and focus accuracy is my single biggest problem.

[natek313]

I would say it's focus as well.

As was mentioned, you have a fast shutter speed, so camera shake shouldn't be an issue. I don't have sports photography experience, but I would think that 1/640 sec. would be fast enough to freeze the action in lacrosse.

How fast does the lens focus? It could be that by the time the lens finds the "correct" focus and the shutter trips, the players have already moved significantly, throwing off your focus.

You can also open up your aperture to f/4 and increase your shutter speed by 2/3. This will keep the same exposure, but at the same time, will allow you to see if you're using too slow of a shutter speed to freeze the players, which I doubt.