Rented 300F4IS youth soccer

[brokenbones67]

I rented the 300F4 IS for a u12 soccer tourney this weekend.
Couple of questions:
1) I understand the stabilizer doesn't really come into play with sport shots but which mode is for horizontal and which one is for vertical panning.
2) On the stabilizer swith itself, what position is on vs off
3) What is the switch labeled 1.5m and 3m. Where should it be set for sport shots?

I took some quick shots of practice today. There was plenty of light but most were soft and OOF. I shot AV mode F4 to F5.6, ISO 125, shutter speed was anywhere btwn 800-1250 custom function 4.3 center focus point. I forgot to set it to AI servo. Could that be why they look OOF?

[eigga]

I forgot to set it to AI servo

Was it in one shot mode? If so thats a major issue for moving subjects

1) Mode one is for regular IS - Mode 2 is for panning
2) Not sure - when its off it wont "spin"
3) this is the minimum focus distance setting it to 1.5 means it will focus anywhere between 1.5m and infinity. Setting it to 3m means it will only focus form 3m to infinity. This helps when your subject is always farther away than 3m so it has less focus distance to cover. I always leave it on the smaller #

[brokenbones67]

It was set to one shot. The 300 F4 L was making a slight clunking sound too.

My static shots were fine.

So it doesn't matter if I set the minimum focus distance switch to either 1.5 or 3mm for the action shots?

This weekend should be bright and sunny with afternoon games. Should I expect good results wide open at F4 with good light or should I plan to stop down a bit?

Thanks
Doug

[kb9tdj]

It was set to one shot. The 300 F4 L was making a slight clunking sound too.

My static shots were fine.

So it doesn't matter if I set the minimum focus distance switch to either 1.5 or 3mm for the action shots?

This weekend should be bright and sunny with afternoon games. Should I expect good results wide open at F4 with good light or should I plan to stop down a bit?

Thanks
Doug

I have the 300 f/4 and I always turn IS off for sports action shots. You should be shooting at high enough shutter speeds that you don't need the IS.

If you're going to be at least 3m (~10 ft) from your subjects, then leave the min focus distance at 3m, it will reduce the range that the lens has to hunt through when focusing and will enable you to help get a quicker focus lock.

For aperture, I sometimes do stop down maybe 1 stop or so to help get a bit more depth of field to ensure good sharpness on the subject, but I have also had very good luck wide open. Since it sounds like you'll be shooting in good light, then you should have no issues with shutter speed and can try stopping down a bit if you want. Do remember though, that shooting wide open at a close subject against a distant background you will be able to help blur out any distracting backgrounds, which is a huge plus.

My only complaint is that I do see a bit of CA when shooting our team when they are at home and wearing their all white jerseys.

[tmalone893]

It was set to one shot. The 300 F4 L was making a slight clunking sound too.

The IS is on when you are hearing that clunking sound. As others have stated, turn it off and go wide open. The 300 f/4 is a great lens and you should have success with it. Good luck.

[canonnoob]

I rented the 300F4 IS for a u12 soccer tourney this weekend.
Couple of questions:
1) I understand the stabilizer doesn't really come into play with sport shots but which mode is for horizontal and which one is for vertical panning.
2) On the stabilizer swith itself, what position is on vs off
3) What is the switch labeled 1.5m and 3m. Where should it be set for sport shots?

I took some quick shots of practice today. There was plenty of light but most were soft and OOF. I shot AV mode F4 to F5.6, ISO 125, shutter speed was anywhere btwn 800-1250 custom function 4.3 center focus point. I forgot to set it to AI servo. Could that be why they look OOF?

1. mode 1 is normal stabilzing, mode 2 is panning
2. l=on O=off
3. that is your focusing distance.. honestly it doesnt totally matter from what I understand. That is if you are talking about the switch that is 1.5m-http://upload.wikimedia.org/math/d/2/4/d245777abca64ece2d5d7ca0d19fddb6.png or 3m-http://upload.wikimedia.org/math/d/2/4/d245777abca64ece2d5d7ca0d19fddb6.png.

shoot wide open (f4), I dont know what the cf 4.3 is so no help there, good job on the center point.

They probably look oof because of the fact that you werent on AI servo

[clarence]

I dont know what the cf 4.3 is so no help there, good job on the center point.

OP doesn't say what camera he's using, but he's probably referring to the back-button AF, which on the 40D is C.Fn IV-1 (back button AF).

On the 40D, cf 4.3 is the "SET" button.

But if he's using the 30D, the C.Fns are probably numbered differently.

[brokenbones67]

30D

[patwill]

Using the back button focus method is something that you have to acquire a taste for, some people like it but others don't.

But using AI Servo is a must for sports action shooting.