Little League with a Crappy 70-300mm

[swkfilms]

Well besides still elarning photography, I have come to the conclusion that it is time for a nice new lens. Ive been using a refurbished Canon 70-300 f/4-5.6 III USM and am just not getting pictures as sharp as I would like them to be. This could be a combo of both me and the lens but after taking so many pictures I am beginning to think its the lens as the reviews I've read about it have been less than flattering. Anyways here are a few from my brothers game yesterday taken around 6-7pm as the sun started setting.

http://www.martingroark.com/dodgers/medium/0045.jpg



http://www.martingroark.com/dodgers/medium/0044.jpg


http://www.martingroark.com/dodgers/medium/0041.jpg



http://www.martingroark.com/dodgers/medium/0038.jpg



Let me know what you all think

[allyv]

thay do look a bit soft, but the action is spot on :)

[Crashless]

It's hard to tell from the resizes how soft they are, but as allyv said - the moments are there, which is the harder part.

Are you using AF or manual focus? I never feel like the AF works fast enough in those situations, especially as action is moving directly towards or away from you. I usually set the focus to where the subject is going to be, then let it move into focus.

Like I said though, it's hard to tell from the resizes if it's a simple focusing issue, or lens softness.

[vetkrazy]

I agree, your action looks good. Did you pp these, looks like they could benefit from some levels and usm. Crop to the action lots of wasted space, but watch your horizon's. There was no exif data on the pics so it is hard to guess on adjustments. I used to have that same lens and it went away quickly and was replaced with a 70-200 F/2.8. One last hint, try shooting righthanded pitchers from 3rd base sidelines. Opposite for leftys.

[swkfilms]

Thanks everyone for actually taking the time to comment. As for focus, I was trying both AF and MF trying to find which worked better but I agree the MF seemed better. They are all in JPG form and not raw so that could be a problem as well. Ill try some levels and USM On them and see what I can come up with. As for the sides to shoot from, The sun was setting almost directly down the first base line, maybe a little more in foul territory if you're facing the oufield. I was trying to use the sun to my advantage and not have any sillouetted shots. The pitcher shots here were taking from behind homeplate and to the right a little, and through the fence.


I was using apetures of 5.6-7.1 do you think the small depth of field may have contributed to lack of sharpness?

Heres another

http://www.martingroark.com/dodgers/medium/0040.jpg

[vetkrazy]

It is hard to tell from the small web images, but the ones I have opened in CS2 seem to be either very soft or oof. DOF should not affect sharpness. Are you using the shutter button or back button "*" to focus. Are you using AI servo or one shot? I find it helps if you add +1/3 to your exposure comp, helps bring the faces under the caps out of the shadows. For those early evening shoots I would use RAW. Keep your lens wide open and bump up your ISO, the 20D can handle the high ISO with no problem.

Bruce

[RedWingNut]

They look to lack some sharpness, so maybe some USM in PS would help there. Never said what your ISO was (or I missed it), but that doesn't look to be a big problem. What mode did you have the best luck in? Did you try Sports mode, or use Av or Tv? The others had good suggestions too.

The lens isn't too bad, but I ditched mine way back when for the Sigma 70-300 APO, which I still have and use but mostly for its macro mode. I saved up for a Canon 70-200 f/4. The 2.8 would be much better, but I liked th eprice and performance combo of the f/4.

[photonoobie]

What was your shutter speed on these?

[swkfilms]

sorry guys, Ill have to learn how to start posting my exif info and also shooting in RAW. My ISO started at 200 and went up to 800 as the sun set. The reason for this is was I was using Av and trying to keep a 5.6 - 7.1 apeture and also have the shutter speeds at 1/1000 or faster

[bauerman]

I think that these shots are great - just to come at things from another angle. Great action capture. I personally think that sharpness is like the Holy Grail - too many people worry about finding it. I personally prefer to focus on color, contrast, composition and other things rather than sharpness. You seem to have the 'other things' that I mention.

That third shot, in particular, is quite good in my eyes.

[Little Fish]

Let me take a stab at this. Unless you are quite a bit older than your brother, I'm guessing that the option isn't to run out and spend $2,000 on a 70-200 2.8 IS lens with a 1.4 converter. If that's the case then you aren't alone.

I say work with the lens you have, take a ton of photos, and along the way experiment on how different variations help or hurt the image. All of the suggestions about post processing are good but I would say you should focus on getting the best possible shot on the initial shot and don't reply too much on fixing errors.

On the action photos you have to have the 1/1000 or more so you might be limited on your aperture, but there are plenty of times when you can slow down the shutter speed and bump up the aperture (or drop the ISO) which might help your sharpness. Examples would be the first photo, a batter posed to take a swing, a pitcher peering in for the sign, a base coach, a shot of the batter on deck, etc. Don't just pick one setting and use it for all circumstances.

Regarding the comment about adding +1/3 on the exposure comp., I almost always do this. Just from trial and error it seems like this gives me the best results. Give it a try and see how it works for you.

And finally, get in the habit of taking a ton of shots. Like with most things, practice and experience are the things that make you better. I got my 20D last June and I'm up to about 35,000 shots. I screwed up shots in every imaginable way over the last year and that was a tremendous learning experience.

Good luck and keep posting.

[swkfilms]

First off, I want to thank you all for replying and for all the tips. This has been my frist post on POTN that I've actually received some feedback on and it is much appreciated.

Secondly, yes running out and buying a $2,000 dollar lens is not an option right now, as I just finished college and have to pay that off and also hopefully get a house within a year as well. I frequent the Used lens forum and ebay looking for a good deal on a zoom L lens so someday I'll have one, but probably not this baseball season. Ive had my 20d since March and am up around the 4-5,000 mark and can see lots of improvment already. I will take all the tips in this post and everything Ive learned on POTN to heart and practice more and hopefully soon I'll have something that compares to most of the work on this site. Thank you all for the help and I will try to input to others more as I learn and reciprocate the favor.

[Little Fish]

Swkfilms--A few closing comments brought to mind by your last post:

--I donate my time and photos to the athletic program at a local college so I'm around a lot of folks your age. While I know they are appreciative of my efforts, very few make the connection that they should take the time to say thank you. As you have seen in this thread, guys who remember to say thanks will find plenty of people willing to help.
--Don't lose sight of just how good some of the photographers are on this sight. It can get a little discouraging (I know that from experience) when you see such great shots but remember that you are seeing years of experience, thousands of dollars of equipment, and often the best of their best. You seem to be off to a good start so certainly look to improve but appreciate the quality shots that you are already getting.
--And finally, here's a link to a thread that often gets posted on the board. It has a ton of practical experience on shooting sports photos:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=135417

Good luck,

Frank.

[MrKickalot]

I agree 100%. A friend of mine once told me you can put a crappy camera in a good photographer hands and get good pictures... on the other hand... you can put the best camera in a ok photographers hands and get lousy pictures!!

Just a side note if you need a little hope... I started out with a DRebel and a 70-300... it was a great combo for learning. That lens and camera won me some ribbons in our local camera club competitions. I used that lens to take action shots of soccer which turned into getting the sports portraits for that league... I now have a 5D, 20D and a 100-400L along with other L-Glass that was paid for by the opportunity created with that same "Crappy" lens.

Like everyone has said you have the hard part down... the other equipment will come...