Basketball Focusing Problems

[mmtrask]

I have a Canon 10d with a 70-200 2.8 IS lens. I have good exposure with my 550 speedlite and am shooting at 2.8 priority with shutters speeds 180-350. I am having trouble manually focusing and would like and suggestions, tips or techniques to get in focus photos. The Alservo mode seems be too slow and will focus on areas other than the subject. I am willing to practice but any "ideas" would be extremely helpful. Only about 25% of my photos have a crisp focus and harldy any of the shots when the player is coming at me and gets close are in focus. Thanks. Mike

[slin100]

Use the center focus point only. AI Servo does not guarantee that the first shot will be in focus. Read this article (http://photonotes.org/other/ai-servo.html) for details.

[Yance]

AI servo might not be the best for basketball. No matter what method you use, there will always be some out of focus shots. With my EOS 1n I set it so that the AF wasn't triggered by the shutter button. I'm not sure if the 10d allows this custom function but it helped so that pressing the shutter button wouldn't throw off a pre-focused shot. I always used one shot focus and the center focusing spot. Then I focused on the floor in the spot I wanted and waited for the player to get there. It takes some previsualization to get it right.

[maderito]

I always used one shot focus and the center focusing spot. Then I focused on the floor in the spot I wanted and waited for the player to get there. It takes some previsualization to get it right.
I tried AI focus mode my first time out shooting basketball and was very discourged by the number of out-of-focus shots. Even as I was shooting, it was obvious that even the best predictive AF system couldn't track the fast changing pace of basketball.

Subsequently, I read what other photographers said on various forums. Many gave advice like that provided by Yance. Several insited that you have to learn how to manually focus in real time as well.

Having been adicted to AF for so many years, the concept of manual focus is almost foreign to me! But I do have 50/1.4 and 85/1.8 lenses - both of which allow AF and full-time manual override. So I'm going to give it a try. Has anyone here used this approach?

[DaveG]

I think that I'd start by suggesting that you not use flash to shoot basketball. You'll either get flash fall off (the background is black) or extreme overexposure if a player steps in front of you.

If you have a faster lens than the 70-200 this is the place to use it. You'll be working with the available light in the room so you ISO is going to be high, at least 800 and probably higher. My personal preference is to not shoot sports below 1/500 of a second. I now expect responses from other photographers, indicating that THEY can shoot basketball at much slower shutterspeeds and there great ... et al, ad tedium. Well I made my living shooting this stuff for eight years and slower than 1/500 won't consistently do it.

So the focus. AI SERVO should do the AF trick. But the great lie of AF advertising is that it works all of the time. It doesn't and you have to realize that. But I just shot my son's Tai Quon Do sparring. I used a 50 mm f1.4 lens and the camera's AF was on AI SERVO. I couldn't have been more than three or four meters from him, so the depth of field was very limited. And - guess what - some shots were in focus and some weren't. I did use the centre rectagle for focusing and that helped, but as the two opponents moved in circles I know that the AF shifted to the other kid. Still it was probably better than manual focusing with the 10D.

Basketball should be easier to shoot than Tai Quon Do. The players tend to move in a more linear fashion. My shooting position of choice is on the baseline, out by the corner. I could follow the guards moving the ball on the perimiter as they set up the play. They are moving very slowly at this point and the AF can easily keep up. Then I could switch to the key area as the big guys banged away. With film I'd use an 85 mm lens so the 50 mm lens is effectively that.

Then I'd move to an under the basket position, but with a wide angle, sometimes even as wide as a 20 mm lens - and this was on film too! In either position sit on the floor. You'll get more impact when you shoot up.

But I never saw much use in using a long lens for basketball. As best you'd get a defensive player at the other end looking into the camera, which isn't bad for a feature type shot, but rarely too exciting. More likely you'll get a whole bunch of "backs of heads" shots.

I'd suggest that you use a moderate, but very fast telephoto and just shoot the stuff at the near end of the court and that'll mean that you'll get faces and that's what it's all about. And expect some of them to be out of focus, it'll help you sleep better.

[mmtrask]

Thanks for all the feedback. It seems that I will just need to practice my manual focusing skills. The local gyms are so dark that not using a flash is nearly impossible. I only can go to 2.8 with my lens and at 1/500 or even 1/250 with no flash the photos are very underexposed. If I get down to 1.4 I will give it a try. Thanks. Mike

[Transfix]

indoor lighting is tough, but I would lose the flash. I shoot basketball at 1000iso / 2.8 / 500 - 640 shutter.

I always use the center focusing point w/ ai servo. here are some samples.

http://gallery.mikestrong.net/list.php?exhibition=5

http://gallery.mikestrong.net/list.php?exhibition=11