Showjumping

[steve75]

Hi, i'd really appreciate anyone looking to give there opinion on these, any tips for me to improve next time etc etc....
1.
http://sjcphotos.zenfolio.com/img/p23937028-4.jpg
2.
http://sjcphotos.zenfolio.com/img/p526132536-4.jpg
3.
http://sjcphotos.zenfolio.com/img/p342251517-4.jpg
4.
http://sjcphotos.zenfolio.com/img/p448908618-4.jpg
5.
http://sjcphotos.zenfolio.com/img/p364055101-4.jpg
6.
http://sjcphotos.zenfolio.com/img/p113993932-4.jpg
7.
http://sjcphotos.zenfolio.com/img/p520287512-4.jpg

All were shot with the 350d in full manual metered off the brown boards at the back of the arena at iso1600 with w/50mm f1.4 the last one was with the 85mm f1.8 - full exifs available in my gallery

feel free to look at the larger images in my gallery http://sjcphotos.zenfolio.com/ I literally only just set it up so there's not much on there yet besides what i just posted up....

i'm pretty new to slr photography having only started end of the summer last year, my girlfriend competes in showjumping [she's the one in pics 4, 5 & 7so it's ended up being the main focus of my photography. I'm hoping at some point to get consistently good results and see if i can a spot doing all the photos for my local equestrian center and the local pony club..... it's pretty tuff getting a decent shutter speed in these places! no option but to use iso 1600 and some of the less well equiped equestrian centers even that seems never to be enough.....

anyway, i'm rambling..... please feel free to give any due critisism.

thanks for looking

[Borderfox]

Really nice pictures. I know what you mean about the lighting, its pretty bad in most of these arenas. 6 & 7 are good shots for selling, I do these events at the weekends and the shots coming straight towards you dont really sell for me. Good quality for ISO 1600. I use a 50mm f1.8 ISO 400 on a 350d and an 85mm f1.8 ISO 800 on a 20d. Handy having 2 bodies aswell gives you a lot more flexibility in what you can cover. If you do sell try to sell on the day. I cant see any pictures on the web address you gave.

[steve75]

Thanks for the feedback! yes i'm hoping to buy another body this year, either a 30d or a 5d. give the gallery another go.... i just edited the link

[Borderfox]

Yeah really nice pictures the riders love to see the horse at full stretch taking off over a jump, if I get those I have a really good day. Try to find a spot where you can cover 2 or 3 jumps without moving. I would be more inclined to go with the 30d for the better fps. All my lenses are f2.8 or bigger but the 70-200 f2.8 and the 18-50 f2.8 are fairly useless in these arenas. I stick all my pictures on www.flickr.com/photos/keithjack

[Kiddo]

Those are great photos!!

[steve75]

I've just ben looking through your gallery, very nice! i love the pics of dante & spirit1 making friends, and the one of spirit rolling in the grove....... really nice stuff in there.

So do you think i'd appreciate the 5fps more on the 30d than i would the lower noise on the 5d? this is the battle that i'm having in my mind: fps Vs noise.......... :confused:

all my shots with the 50mm were shot using one-shot AF and pre-focusing on the fence as i was having trouble getting consistent results from the AF when trying to track the target, i notice alot of your pics are ones you tracked using AIservo.... What lense do you use when tracking like that? cus when i try i get like 60% bad 40% good result :(

Thanks again for the feedback, any other comments or advice is welcome....

Steve


Yeah really nice pictures the riders love to see the horse at full stretch taking off over a jump, if I get those I have a really good day. Try to find a spot where you can cover 2 or 3 jumps without moving. I would be more inclined to go with the 30d for the better fps. All my lenses are f2.8 or bigger but the 70-200 f2.8 and the 18-50 f2.8 are fairly useless in these arenas. I stick all my pictures on www.flickr.com/photos/keithjack (http://www.flickr.com/photos/keithjack)

[Borderfox]

I use the 20d and an 85mm f1.8 (wide open at f1.8) stick it on aiservo and ISO 400-800, pan with the rider on the way into the jump or catch them as early as I can as they come towards me and then bang,bang,bang. I handhold all the time, tried a monopod but wasnt too good. I am getting very good keeper rates with this set up (around 80-85% sometimes 90%)

[Borderfox]

I think you would get more use out of the 30d. The 5d is a great camera but is very fussy about what glass you use with it and the 30d still has a faster fps. Depends very much on what you plan on doing as well as showjumping. Nearly all my work is equestrian (I have a full time job as well) so the 20d suits me.

[steve75]

Hmmmm... perhaps i'll give the 30d some more thought then, then with what i save from not buying a 5d i can put towards a 70-200mm 2.8L IS!

I'll be shooting again at a show this saturday evening, so i shall give AIServo and panning another go and i'll post the results..........

anyone else have anything to add, tips? C&C is very much welcome...........

Thanks for your help again borderfox....

Steve

[Borderfox]

The 70-200 f2.8is is good but the IS wont help with movement. Good luck with the show. I heard on one the the other threads that the 85mm is a quicker focussing lens than the 50mm.

[wilky95]

Hi nice pic's for the 350d I use a 30d now and most of my shots are outside but if you want indoor then I would go 5d for the low noise at high iso saying that though the 30d is fantastic and with the money you save you could have a new lense as well :lol: I also find that the side on take off shots look the best but I must admit its the out door shots in the sun that do it for me.:lol:



Martin