I'm still new to my canon t2i. I have the Canon EF-S 18-55mm and EF-S 55-250mm lens. I need advice on which lens should I use tomorrow night for the track and field meet. Also, which mode (Av, Tv, P, M, etc) should I use? Any other advice for me?
Personally i am a big fan of TV. Do you know how to pan? Focus on the person but move the cam with the person moving (sorry if I'm insulting your knowledge, i just don't know what level your at, I'm no pro , just offering what i do know) I am not sure about the night part, I'm sure more experienced peeps will pop in to help ya out.
Here is one of my panned shots http://365project.org/tnamari/365/2011-01-08
I have the same camera and lenses. My son played football last fall. I always used the telephoto because of the distance to the field. But, I have had to push the ISO up really high for night games under the lights. So, I guess it might depend upon how close you will be to your subject and how much lighting there will be. Take them both and give them each a try. I'm sure others can give you much better advice. I am kind of a trial and error photographer right now. I like to use "M" mode because it makes me feel good to say "I" took the picture, having to set everything. I don't really understand the "P" mode and with "Av or Tv" It seems there is usually something about the picture that I don't like and I can control that in"M" mode.
Disclaimer- I am by no means a great photographer who should be giving advice...lol..but that is just my novice approach. And using the sports mode can be a good option too. And i like to use the burst mode too.
@lbaker ~thanks I hope I explained it well enough, if not google can :) I remember reading about settings and such, but with different lighting situations I suppose it is just a starting point.
If I were in your position, I'd be starting off in Av mode, with ISO set to 400, and the aperture (the F-number) set as low as it'll go. I'd be "zoomed in" as far as I would want to go, using the longest focal length, creating a "worse case" scenario. I'd then use auto focus, half-press and get focus, and fire off a test shot. Note that you want to be sitting/crouched/stable to minimise potential for shake-blur.
I'd check how bright the shot looked (bearing in mind the LCD on our camera (I have the same one) are very bright, so if the image is only just bright enough on the LCD, it'll be quite dark when you get it on to a computer) and check what shutter speed the camera auto-selected. I'd also pay attention to how blurred it was.
I'd then notch the mode dial around to M, make sure my F-num was still the lowest, and dial in that same shutter speed from the first test shot. Now I'd be in full manual mode I'd have a few options:
If my first test shot was too blurred but nicely bright, I'd up the ISO to 800 (which increases the sensitivity of the sensor, meaning it can be open for shorter times but still "collect" enough light to form an image, although also increases noise) and make the shutter speed smaller by 3-4 notches and try again (so it's open for less time and thus should blur less with any shaking);
If my first shot was too dark but otherwise not blurry, I'd make the shutter speed slower by a couple notches, so it's open for longer to let more light in.
Then keep tweaking in this sort of direction. If things are still way blurry you could, I believe, try pulling back the zoom a bit so you're using a shorter focal length, which should aid stability and reduce blur if nothing else. You should still be able to crop to your subjects in post-production so don't worry if they're looking a bit small in the frame.
You could also try going above ISO800, but if you do you'll need to spend more time tweaking noise reduction afterwards. Talking of which, I'd be shooting in RAW too. For stuff where you need to experiment and don't know what your results will be like, post-processing in RAW is hyper helpful.
I also only just realised - the blur you'll be looking for could be due to camera shake or due to motion of the person, if you're doing action shots, but either way a faster shutter/shorter focus should help reduce.
I'd also probably set the white balance to tungsten, as I'd be under artificial light.
Figuring out the physics of what the camera's actually doing is the key to understanding it all, not remembering "right if it's dark I change x y z and if it's blurred I change a b c".
@eyebrows Thanks for the advice. I'll try that out tonight. I'll do trial and error. I will have my phone with me so I can refer to this again while I'm taking pictures. @tnamari I'm still learning new things. So I don't have that much knowledge but I know what panning is :D. I tried it on my baby nephew while he was running around. I still need to practice on it. I didn't get what I wanted. I'll try panning on the track meet and I'll show some pictures if i get a good result. @lbaker Thanks. I can't wait to go out tonight and take pictures. I'll try out what you suggested. :D
Jon,
I coach track and field so I am constantly taking pictures at track meets. The biggest challenge with those lenses is going to be lighting. Outdoor track is easy, indoor is a pain in the a$$. The directions above are right on. Depending on how close you can get to the action will determine your lens. If you're close and you want to get action shots, the 18-55 would be good. If you want facial expressions and that 'up close and personal' go with the 200mm. Panning is tough, but very doable. If you are planning on panning, make sure you are in continuous mode (just keep it in continuous mode the whole time) and your shutter speed is relatively low (30-60). The last few times I have gone, I set my ISO to Auto because it just gave me one less thing to worry about because I really wanted to either freeze the motion and quickly switch to panning. It was more out of convenience and time saving than anything else (I do actually have to coach, so I can't play around too much). However, you WILL get noise at 1600 or above. Sometimes it takes away from the picture, other times I exaggerate it to create a gritty looking image. For facial expressions, get your zoom lens on and park yourself at the end of the track so you are looking down the straight away. I would also suggest to get a similar location near the finish line (looking at the 6 lanes, not to the side). This location will give you great facial expressions of the athletes fighting to finish. As for panning, you will need to get on the side of a straightaway and with continuous set, just hold your shutter release down as you follow the action. Make sure you are on auto focus on your lens and some type of auto focus on your camera (on a Nikon it has continous focus or static focus) I always set it to continuous focus (which is a picture of a surfer on my camera). As for setting, stick with S (not sure on a canon) which is semi automatic and lets you choose the shutter speed. If you want to freeze the motion it needs to be above 200. In order to minimize blur, you should always keep your shutter speed above your lens zoom. For example if I had my 55mm lens zoomed in, I wouldn't go less than 1/60 for my shutter speed. The same for the 200mm.....don't drop below 1/200 because you will introduce too much blur. Anyway, good luck, have fun and get some great shots.
P.S. If they allow you to use flash, USE IT. The indoor lighting is terrible.
Last bit of advice, go look at track pictures, see what looks nice to the eyes. Just do a google search of track and field and look at the images. That will give you compositional ideas. I have a couple that I have posted over the last 2 months.
Here is an example of panning. The settings are below.
Exposure: 0.04 sec (1/25)
Aperture: f/4.5
ISO Speed: 200
Focal Length: 35 mm
I had it set to continuous shutter release and just held it down as they exchanged. It got about 4-5 pictures and this was the most clear. Make sure your auto-focus point is set high near the eyes. If that doesn't work, focus as they come around (or on an official or someone who is right next to where they will be running) and switch it to manual focus. For high jump, I almost always do that. I focus on the crossbar and make my aperture a high number (f11 or something) and just ope I get the timing right.
@mattyb Thank you so much for the detailed advice. Much appreciated. I will try it out tonight if the rain stop. If it doesn't then I have next week again. It's an outdoor event so I should have the stadium lights.
Nice panning picture by the way.
I didn't get any good photos of them running because it was either too dark, my angle wasn't good or it was blurry. AND it was raining. I was so afraid for my camera so I had to stay under a tent the whole time. Next week again. Hopefully I'll do better but that was a start. I need more practice.
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Here is one of my panned shots http://365project.org/tnamari/365/2011-01-08
Disclaimer- I am by no means a great photographer who should be giving advice...lol..but that is just my novice approach. And using the sports mode can be a good option too. And i like to use the burst mode too.
I'd check how bright the shot looked (bearing in mind the LCD on our camera (I have the same one) are very bright, so if the image is only just bright enough on the LCD, it'll be quite dark when you get it on to a computer) and check what shutter speed the camera auto-selected. I'd also pay attention to how blurred it was.
I'd then notch the mode dial around to M, make sure my F-num was still the lowest, and dial in that same shutter speed from the first test shot. Now I'd be in full manual mode I'd have a few options:
If my first test shot was too blurred but nicely bright, I'd up the ISO to 800 (which increases the sensitivity of the sensor, meaning it can be open for shorter times but still "collect" enough light to form an image, although also increases noise) and make the shutter speed smaller by 3-4 notches and try again (so it's open for less time and thus should blur less with any shaking);
If my first shot was too dark but otherwise not blurry, I'd make the shutter speed slower by a couple notches, so it's open for longer to let more light in.
Then keep tweaking in this sort of direction. If things are still way blurry you could, I believe, try pulling back the zoom a bit so you're using a shorter focal length, which should aid stability and reduce blur if nothing else. You should still be able to crop to your subjects in post-production so don't worry if they're looking a bit small in the frame.
You could also try going above ISO800, but if you do you'll need to spend more time tweaking noise reduction afterwards. Talking of which, I'd be shooting in RAW too. For stuff where you need to experiment and don't know what your results will be like, post-processing in RAW is hyper helpful.
I also only just realised - the blur you'll be looking for could be due to camera shake or due to motion of the person, if you're doing action shots, but either way a faster shutter/shorter focus should help reduce.
I'd also probably set the white balance to tungsten, as I'd be under artificial light.
Figuring out the physics of what the camera's actually doing is the key to understanding it all, not remembering "right if it's dark I change x y z and if it's blurred I change a b c".
@lbaker Thanks. I can't wait to go out tonight and take pictures. I'll try out what you suggested. :D
I coach track and field so I am constantly taking pictures at track meets. The biggest challenge with those lenses is going to be lighting. Outdoor track is easy, indoor is a pain in the a$$. The directions above are right on. Depending on how close you can get to the action will determine your lens. If you're close and you want to get action shots, the 18-55 would be good. If you want facial expressions and that 'up close and personal' go with the 200mm. Panning is tough, but very doable. If you are planning on panning, make sure you are in continuous mode (just keep it in continuous mode the whole time) and your shutter speed is relatively low (30-60). The last few times I have gone, I set my ISO to Auto because it just gave me one less thing to worry about because I really wanted to either freeze the motion and quickly switch to panning. It was more out of convenience and time saving than anything else (I do actually have to coach, so I can't play around too much). However, you WILL get noise at 1600 or above. Sometimes it takes away from the picture, other times I exaggerate it to create a gritty looking image. For facial expressions, get your zoom lens on and park yourself at the end of the track so you are looking down the straight away. I would also suggest to get a similar location near the finish line (looking at the 6 lanes, not to the side). This location will give you great facial expressions of the athletes fighting to finish. As for panning, you will need to get on the side of a straightaway and with continuous set, just hold your shutter release down as you follow the action. Make sure you are on auto focus on your lens and some type of auto focus on your camera (on a Nikon it has continous focus or static focus) I always set it to continuous focus (which is a picture of a surfer on my camera). As for setting, stick with S (not sure on a canon) which is semi automatic and lets you choose the shutter speed. If you want to freeze the motion it needs to be above 200. In order to minimize blur, you should always keep your shutter speed above your lens zoom. For example if I had my 55mm lens zoomed in, I wouldn't go less than 1/60 for my shutter speed. The same for the 200mm.....don't drop below 1/200 because you will introduce too much blur. Anyway, good luck, have fun and get some great shots.
P.S. If they allow you to use flash, USE IT. The indoor lighting is terrible.
Last bit of advice, go look at track pictures, see what looks nice to the eyes. Just do a google search of track and field and look at the images. That will give you compositional ideas. I have a couple that I have posted over the last 2 months.
Here is an example of panning. The settings are below.
Exposure: 0.04 sec (1/25)
Aperture: f/4.5
ISO Speed: 200
Focal Length: 35 mm
I had it set to continuous shutter release and just held it down as they exchanged. It got about 4-5 pictures and this was the most clear. Make sure your auto-focus point is set high near the eyes. If that doesn't work, focus as they come around (or on an official or someone who is right next to where they will be running) and switch it to manual focus. For high jump, I almost always do that. I focus on the crossbar and make my aperture a high number (f11 or something) and just ope I get the timing right.
Nice panning picture by the way.
I didn't get any good photos of them running because it was either too dark, my angle wasn't good or it was blurry. AND it was raining. I was so afraid for my camera so I had to stay under a tent the whole time. Next week again. Hopefully I'll do better but that was a start. I need more practice.