Basketball Shots

[ljame]

Please help with my action sports shots...i am using the sports setting...but at times i use the manual setting to use a faster shutter speed. but they come out too dark...i am using a Canon Rebel Xi...18-55mm lens.

[Sooner]

I don't know what your lens aperture is, but when I shoot action basketball shots of my kids I always try and use my lens with the biggest aperture, so I can use that faster shutter speed. Also I like to shoot in RAW and then if necessary I can adjust the exposure in post processing.

[wamplers]

From the exif data:
# Shutter Speed = 1/50 second
# Lens F-Stop = 5/1 ===> ƒ/5
# ISO = 800
# Focal Length = 40/1 mm ===> 40 mm

1/50 is way, way too slow to freeze action, especially basketball (this is why your shot is so blurry). I recommend 1/400 minimum. Looking at your information, you'd have to shoot at ISO 6400 and f/5 to get to 1/400. This is why you need a fast lens for shooting indoor sports. I typically use a 70-200 f/2.8, but an 85 f/1.8, 50 f/1.4, etc work well in darker gyms. Perhaps even a 24-70 f/2.8 if you feel the 70-200 would be too long for where you shoot from.

In summary, use an higher ISO and if possible, use a lens with a larger aperture.

[ljame]

what about the Canon 75-300m lens its on my x-mas list will that help...

[lputman]

That lens won't do it, it isn't fast enough.

[Mantis212]

manual settings are a must for indoor sports, they made some good recomendations on how to handle it. Don't use auto though for low light or indoor sports

[Chip]

With your current gear, it will be hard to stop the action for an indoor, night time basketball game.

Here are some ideas that might help, though:

1) turn up the ISO - even higher than you dare. Better to have a grainy shot than a blurry shot;

2) shoot in aperture mode - this, in combination with a high ISO, will give you the fastest shutter possible so that you might be able to freeze the action;

3) when using your 18-55 mm zoom, do not zoom in! Stay wide. When you zoom in, the aperture gets smaller (and the f #) increases, which decreases the amount of light hitting the sensor and which therefore causes the shutter speed to lengthen to make up the difference. You can later crop to cut out any extraneous stuff;

4) shoot in RAW - this will give you more flexibility when you edit your photos later;

5) if possible, overexpose your photos a bit. This will help minimize any noise; and

6) use a flash if possible.

To sum up, indoor sports, at night, in a high school gym, is very hard to do and will push any gear to its limits. It's also a great opportunity to learn, because you'll be forced to work your camera. So, try to have fun with it, experiment, and realize that you're shooting in a very difficult situation.

A 50mm f1.8 lens might be a good investment. It's not too expensive and is much faster than your 18-55.

My 2 cents.

[waffles]

Originally Posted by Chip

6) use a flash if possible.

Don't use flash. You've got people running around the court and it's already dangerous enough. Plus the only team that will be looking at you is the team that you're rooting for anyway. Would you want to try making a shot with that flash going off in your face?

From what the players told me, the strobes attached to the rafters are bad enough.

[Chip]

Originally Posted by waffles

Don't use flash. You've got people running around the court and it's already dangerous enough. Plus the only team that will be looking at you is the team that you're rooting for anyway. Would you want to try making a shot with that flash going off in your face?

From what the players told me, the strobes attached to the rafters are bad enough.

Honestly, I agree. But, before I posted that "flash" suggestion, I remembered seeing a thread started by Jim Bryant of volleyball photos in which he used an on camera flash (if I remember correctly). The concept should apply equally to basketball?

(Jim - if I mis-remembered, please chime in. )

[waffles]

Oh, I agree it would work better. But every game I've shot in every arena they've said no flash photography from anyone.

Even if you are allowed to use it, it's better not to for the player's sake.