best flash settings for sports?

[salinas20d]

I need some advice on my camera and flash settings for a indoor event . I have a 20d and the 580 flash and have never shot indoor sports , can some one help me with my settings . I will be shooting from ringside at our local gym , there are big windows on one side and open floor on the other with black celings . Will this have any effect on my settings ? I'll be using my 85mm 1.8 and 28-75mm2.8 . Thanks in advance .

[Curtis N]

Generally it's difficult for anyone to recommend settings without being in the venue to apprise the lighting and the situation.

Perhaps one approach would be to meter the ambient light to underexpose by a stop and let the flash do the rest. This would keep the background from being totally black and hopefully allow the flash to recycle quickly. But this is speculation.

[liza]

I don't use flash. A lot of venues forbid it, so I use a fast prime and high ISO instead. Your 85mm lens on the 20D should suffice. Just set it at ISO 1600, f/2.2, and 1/500. If the image is too dark, adjust shutter to 1/400 and/or aperture to f/2. These are general settings, of course, but should be close to what you need. Take a few test shots before the game and check exposure with your histogram. I wouldn't use the 28-75, though. An f/2.8 lens is often too slow in a gymnasium.

[salinas20d]

thank you Liza and Curtis N , Liza your advice sounds alot simpler until I master my flash . I'll post some of my pics of the event so you can see how I did . Curtis I'm going to take my flash so I can try what you sugested , I thank you both for your time .