Fight NIght Next Weekend...

[OzfireFighter]

Ok Guys need some Help,
My mate has asked me to do the photos for his Fight night,
Was thinking Using my 50mm 1.8 and canon 40D without flash and High ISO Maybe 1600 or would that be too high?
I will be in the corner on the canvas outside the ring of course..
The only Problem i might seem to have is the 50mm Wouldn't Capture there whole body only half of it being so close unless they are in the furthest Opposite corner,
Any suggestion on Shutter speeds or any other Tips to help me out?
It would be Much Appreciated
Sean

[GadgetRick]

Originally Posted by OzfireFighter

Ok Guys need some Help,
My mate has asked me to do the photos for his Fight night,
Was thinking Using my 50mm 1.8 and canon 40D without flash and High ISO Maybe 1600 or would that be too high?
I will be in the corner on the canvas outside the ring of course..
The only Problem i might seem to have is the 50mm Wouldn't Capture there whole body only half of it being so close unless they are in the furthest Opposite corner,
Any suggestion on Shutter speeds or any other Tips to help me out?
It would be Much Appreciated
Sean

Well it all depends on a lot of things. Lighting at many fights is, well, horrible. 1600 may not be high enough to allow you to get a high enough shutter speed to get decent shots. The higher the shutter speed the better but I've done alright with 1/250 (believe it or not) but that's really too slow to be quite honest.

Tough to say what settings you should use without being able to see the lighting at the event. The 50mm may work out alright for you but be careful about going all the way down to f1.8 as you may run into depth of field problems--especially if the fighters are closer to you. Although I used my 50mm f1.8 to shoot my son's wrestling matches. However, I rarely shot at f1.8. I'd shoot at f2 or higher.

You also have to be careful with that lens as it tends to get a bit soft at apertures close to wide open.

What other lenses do you have? I shoot MMA with a 28-70mm f2.8 L and it's almost perfect for it. I do have to crop a little when the fighters are farther away but I shoot with a 50D and have plenty of resolution. I shoot at f2.8 and don't really have any DOF problems.

As far as ISO, I've never shot with the 40D so I can't comment on how high you can go. I've shot at 2500 on my 50D and got great shots if that helps. You have to be extra careful in your exposures (try to expose slightly to the right) when shooting higher ISOs. It's less forgiving if you miss the exposure (especially under exposing) when shooting at higher ISOs.

You'll want to shoot in burst mode with AI Servo focus. Forget about your 3rds rules. Just center focus and shoot. Try to anticipate movement BEFORE it happens not AS it happens. Trust me, you'll find things move WAY too fast for you to try and catch it by trying to press the shutter button as it's happening. If you think someone is about to throw a punch, shoot a burst. You'll get some of nothing but, unless you get lucky, it's the only way you'll capture what you're looking for. And, actually, you can get some safe shots that way with them facing each other.

Also, if someone is knocked out, follow the winner, they usually do something interesting. If it's a bad knockout, you can get great shots of the person knocked out sometimes before the doctor(s) get to him/her. Don't forget about the corners as well. They're usually VERY emotional while the fight is going on. Ditto for fans. You can capture some interesting things if you look away from the fight every so often.

More importantly, have fun. It's a lot of fun shooting fights.

[OzfireFighter]

Originally Posted by GadgetRick

Well it all depends on a lot of things. Lighting at many fights is, well, horrible. 1600 may not be high enough to allow you to get a high enough shutter speed to get decent shots. The higher the shutter speed the better but I've done alright with 1/250 (believe it or not) but that's really too slow to be quite honest.

Tough to say what settings you should use without being able to see the lighting at the event. The 50mm may work out alright for you but be careful about going all the way down to f1.8 as you may run into depth of field problems--especially if the fighters are closer to you. Although I used my 50mm f1.8 to shoot my son's wrestling matches. However, I rarely shot at f1.8. I'd shoot at f2 or higher.

You also have to be careful with that lens as it tends to get a bit soft at apertures close to wide open.

What other lenses do you have? I shoot MMA with a 28-70mm f2.8 L and it's almost perfect for it. I do have to crop a little when the fighters are farther away but I shoot with a 50D and have plenty of resolution. I shoot at f2.8 and don't really have any DOF problems.

As far as ISO, I've never shot with the 40D so I can't comment on how high you can go. I've shot at 2500 on my 50D and got great shots if that helps. You have to be extra careful in your exposures (try to expose slightly to the right) when shooting higher ISOs. It's less forgiving if you miss the exposure (especially under exposing) when shooting at higher ISOs.

You'll want to shoot in burst mode with AI Servo focus. Forget about your 3rds rules. Just center focus and shoot. Try to anticipate movement BEFORE it happens not AS it happens. Trust me, you'll find things move WAY too fast for you to try and catch it by trying to press the shutter button as it's happening. If you think someone is about to throw a punch, shoot a burst. You'll get some of nothing but, unless you get lucky, it's the only way you'll capture what you're looking for. And, actually, you can get some safe shots that way with them facing each other.

Also, if someone is knocked out, follow the winner, they usually do something interesting. If it's a bad knockout, you can get great shots of the person knocked out sometimes before the doctor(s) get to him/her. Don't forget about the corners as well. They're usually VERY emotional while the fight is going on. Ditto for fans. You can capture some interesting things if you look away from the fight every so often.

More importantly, have fun. It's a lot of fun shooting fights.

Hi, i only have a 18-55mm IS, 12-24 Tokina and a 28-105mm Macro,
Maybe i should think about hiring the 28-70mm f2.8 L for the weekend?
I think the 50mm 1.8 Might be a bit close up as i was saying but i am not expert..

[GadgetRick]

Originally Posted by OzfireFighter

Hi, i only have a 18-55mm IS, 12-24 Tokina and a 28-105mm Macro,
Maybe i should think about hiring the 28-70mm f2.8 L for the weekend?
I think the 50mm 1.8 Might be a bit close up as i was saying but i am not expert..

My biggest concern with your other lenses would be the max aperture wouldn't be large enough. You can get some good shots with the 50mm, just keep it at f2 or above. You'll sacrifice up close shots though.

Renting a 24-70mm (it's a 24 now, not the 28--mine is a couple of years old), is an option. I will say this about lenses. I've found it takes some time to figure them out. What I mean is, they all tend to have their own properties. When I got my 28-70mm, I was not happy with it at first. Then, as I learned to use it better, I learned to love it. I borrowed my friend's 70-200 L and was unimpressed until shooting with it for a few days and learning it. Now I'm saving to get one myself because it's such an amazing lens. So, if you rent a lens, be sure to have it early enough to work with it. This does make a difference.

[OzfireFighter]

Originally Posted by GadgetRick

My biggest concern with your other lenses would be the max aperture wouldn't be large enough. You can get some good shots with the 50mm, just keep it at f2 or above. You'll sacrifice up close shots though.

Renting a 24-70mm (it's a 24 now, not the 28--mine is a couple of years old), is an option. I will say this about lenses. I've found it takes some time to figure them out. What I mean is, they all tend to have their own properties. When I got my 28-70mm, I was not happy with it at first. Then, as I learned to use it better, I learned to love it. I borrowed my friend's 70-200 L and was unimpressed until shooting with it for a few days and learning it. Now I'm saving to get one myself because it's such an amazing lens. So, if you rent a lens, be sure to have it early enough to work with it. This does make a difference.

I have heard the same about the 24-70mm that a few people weren't impressed with it at first but took a while to get use to it..
I think it would be the better option as you said with the 50mm i will sacrifice close up shots...

[snert]

so how did it go? What did you end up using as lens?