First of the BB season

[wannasmaxx]

Gym was really dark and I only had one 580EX mounted on a tripod with a radio trigger in it. Needless to say, I'm not happy.
http://www.unlimitedengineering.com/gallery/files/2/7/1/0/IMG_3842.jpg

http://www.unlimitedengineering.com/gallery/files/2/7/1/0/IMG_3832.jpg

http://www.unlimitedengineering.com/gallery/files/2/7/1/0/IMG_3834.jpg

Pick them apart if you wish...

[QUASIPHOTO]

Wow thats a rough venue there. Your in luck though....I hear Canon is coming out with that new f0.5 lens soon........lol.

[ACDCROCKS]

what ISO did you use?Lens? Flash Setting?

[Croasdail]

Another question... what was the ambient light readings you were getting without the flash? These look like shots I kinda would expect with the camera in full auto... having the metering pick up the white off the jerseys. I could be wrong...

For tips on shooting in a gym with a flash... take a look at this thread from Gmen...

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...d.php?t=113074

[wannasmaxx]

I left the Exif info embedded for a reason. ISO 400, f5.6, about 1/100 on all of them. Mark, the light readings I was getting were about 1/15 at 5.6. I keep it at 5.6 because I don't want to have to adjust the shutter during a play. I have 2 more 580's after Xmas, so I hope this stuff improves.

[Cadwell]

If you're metering to 1/15th, f/5.6 @ ISO 400 then I think you would be better off going to something like an 85mm f/1.8 and shooting with available light rather than adding two more flashes. At f/1.8 ISO 1600 you should have enough light to use a pretty high shutter speed in fact you may even get away with ISO 800.

[gmen]

I feel your pain wannasmaxx, I really do... a few thoughts and questions...

ISO 400, f5.6, about 1/100 on all of them... the light readings I was getting were about 1/15 at 5.6.

As Glenn says, if the ambient lighting was 1/15s, f/5.6 at ISO400 that equates to 1/640s at f/1.8 at ISO1600 (if my maths is correct). In my book, that's a very, very bright gym :lol: How did you meter the ambient exposure?

I keep it at 5.6 because I don't want to have to adjust the shutter during a play.
I don't quite follow this... are you shooting in manual? Do you have the flash on manual power or ETTL?

EDIT: OK, checked the EXIF... you were indeed in manual mode on the camera... this is good. From the ambient part of the exposure (the EXIF shows 1/160s, f/5.6 at ISO 400), it looks to me that you'd be well advised to go down the 85mm f/1.8 route - the backgrounds are showing up in all the images even at that exposure. With the faster glass you can open up a few more stops, increase the ISO and you could well be on a winner.

If you're going to stick with using the flash, have a read of this thread as well: http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=107348&highlight=hoops+dungeon (posts #12 and #15)

---- Gavin

[wannasmaxx]

I feel your pain wannasmaxx, I really do... a few thoughts and questions...



As Glenn says, if the ambient lighting was 1/15s, f/5.6 at ISO400 that equates to 1/640s at f/1.8 at ISO1600 (if my maths is correct). In my book, that's a very, very bright gym :lol:

However, this place looks dark from your pics. That could be because of the mode you have shot in OR it could be that your reading of 1/15s, f/5.6 at ISO400 is wrong (how did you arrive at that reading?). Also, remember to keep the flash exposure separate from the ambient exposure... that way you can have full control of the subject exposure and decide how much background detail you want to show.


I don't quite follow this... are you shooting in manual? Do you have the flash on manual power or ETTL?

Have a read of this thread as well: http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=107348&highlight=hoops+dungeon (posts #12 and #15)

---- Gavin
My school has no problem buying tons of flashes for me to use, but they can't seem to find the money to get me a faster lens. So, it's the kit lens, the really chitty 55-200, or nothing at all. The flashes are triggered by pocket wizards, so ETTL is out. I told them to get the 70-200 L IS, nut they couldn't find the budget, even tho they spent twice that on useless stuff like the 55-200, and some REALLY expensive flash stands, when a simple £20 tripod will suffice. Sometimes I wonder. There's no way I'm going to chip in for an 85, so any more suggestions on how I can set up the two other 580's I'll be getting after Xmas? Cheers for the C&C

[gmen]

My school has no problem buying tons of flashes for me to use, but they can't seem to find the money to get me a faster lens. So, it's the kit lens, the really chitty 55-200, or nothing at all. The flashes are triggered by pocket wizards, so ETTL is out. I really feel the pain now :lol: I've just edited my original post after I examined the EXIF data... can't they get you just one 580EX and an 85mm f/1.8?? :lol:

---- Gavin

[gmen]

There's no way I'm going to chip in for an 85, so any more suggestions on how I can set up the two other 580's I'll be getting after Xmas? Cheers for the C&C
If you're going to use the 580EX guns, then I'd think that two would suffice - you'll have to focus on just shooting in the key. Set up one gun each side of the hoop, towards the corners of the court. Try to get the guns up fairly high... can you clamp them rather than use tripods maybe? Do you have two PW receivers?

Can you lay your hands on a flashmeter? If so, you can determine the manual power settings on each gun to give you, say, f/5.6 or f/4 in the key - if not, then it will be a trial and error process via histogram chimping. Of course, once you've decided on your flash power settings they'll be set in stone for all your shoots.

Given the fact that the gym lighting is registering as a nasty orange background colour, I'd be tempted to dial down the ambient part of the exposure to eliminate it... i.e. shoot at 1/200s and dial down the ISO as well if need be.

The alternative is to gel the flashes to match the colour temperature of the gym lights - then you could show much more background detail without the nasty mixed lighting effect.

---- Gavin

[gmen]

The alternative is to gel the flashes to match the colour temperature of the gym lights - then you could show much more background detail without the nasty mixed lighting effect.
Just another thought... Bear in mind that if you decide to mix in more ambient light, your images will be more prone to 'ghosting' - so you'll start to see much more finger and ball blur.

This why pros at the likes of SI use large powerful strobes to completely overpower the ambient light to freeze the action. If only we all had access to gear like that :lol:

---- Gavin

[wannasmaxx]

Just another thought... Bear in mind that if you decide to mix in more ambient light, your images will be more prone to 'ghosting' - so you'll start to see much more finger and ball blur.

This why pros at the likes of SI use large powerful strobes to completely overpower the ambient light to freeze the action. If only we all had access to gear like that :lol:

---- Gavin
I was thinking of putting 2 at 45* angles and clamping one to the basket...

[rklepper]

I think at f5.6 you will never be satisfied. I even struggled at f2.8 until I got my 85 f1.8 and now I am getting some keepers.