I've been gunning for this one for two months now. :)

[kenyc]

I've been trying to capture this one (the bat hitting the ball) since I started this serious softball photography about two months ago.

Canon EOS 20D 7/2/2005 2:27:43 PM 1/1000 f 3.2 ISO 100 70.0 - 200.0L mm EF IS 2.8 @ 100.0 mm

KAC

[drewmk2]

Hmmm. The focus is clearly on the fence or table in back of the subject. Otherwise, looks nice.

[Croasdail]

Nice timing - check that one off the list of thing you must do at least once. the 20d does love those chain link fences though - doesn't it! I have had to go to manual focus in situations like this.

[kenyc]

Well, yeah, the timing was right, the focus sucked. :)

KAC
P.S. there's no way to 'manual focus' this sort of thing. I know they used to do it in the old days, but things happen too fast. If you manual focus you have to rely on luck more than if you use ai servo mode. :)

[cappy27]

Nice shot. The next one will be even better !

[kenyc]

Nice shot. The next one will be even better !

Maybe in focus at least! :)

KAC

[drewmk2]

For shots where the subject isnt moving, dont use servo. The subject is fairly stationary when batting.

[kenyc]

Thanks for the input and it's true to some extent, but as I said it doesn't work when you are shooting the whole game, not just a portrait of a batter. Have ever seen slappers in softball?

KAC
P.S. in this particular case she was relatively stationary, but I just didn't get the center focus point in the right place at the right time...

[dmwierz]

Well, yeah, the timing was right, the focus sucked. :)

KAC
P.S. there's no way to 'manual focus' this sort of thing. I know they used to do it in the old days, but things happen too fast. If you manual focus you have to rely on luck more than if you use ai servo mode. :)

I have found that depressing and holding the "*" button to shift into AI servo, then letting off to go back to one shot focus lock (CFn 4-1 on the D Rebel XT - not sure what body you're using - a 20D?) lets me get the focus on batters pretty well. As mentioned earlier, the batter stays pretty much in the same focal plane, so once you focus lock on him/her you don't need to focus anymore. Not using the CFn, you could just depress the shutter halfway to lock the focus and then hold it. When framing, inevitably, you need to lead the batter a bit, which, as you found out, causes the AI Servo to grab whatever is now in the center of the frame, like the backstop, or a coach, or anything but what you want.

Good luck. I find that being able to see the pitcher out of my free eye helps me estimate the timing (and having played ball since I was a kid), and I can usually get several BOB shots each day I shoot. What I am seeking is the BOB stopped at 1/2000 or faster with the ball conformed to the bat, and the bat bending...now THAT would be a shot!

[DeltaWebb]

I understand what you mean about shooting the whole game, but can't you concentrate on one aspect at a time? I mean, if no one is on base, try focusing your attention on the batter and there won't be anything to miss in the field except for a quick play! I pretty sure that's why you always see so many photogs at a pro baseball game and why a really timely and GREAT shot is so rare. I always watch the Angels games live (hottest team playing right now...11 of last 13...my boys! :D) and then check the papers and web articles and the pictures I expect to see are not always there. Always see like four shooters in each camera pit.

Just a suggestion. One camera can't capture everything all the time!;)

[DeltaWebb]

What I am seeking is the BOB stopped at 1/2000 or faster with the ball conformed to the bat, and the bat bending...now THAT would be a shot!

AGREED!!! :D :D :D

I don't think I've seen too many pro shots like that!

[kenyc]

I have found that depressing and holding the "*" button to shift into AI servo, then letting off to go back to one shot focus lock (CFn 4-1 on the D Rebel XT - not sure what body you're using - a 20D?) lets me get the focus on batters pretty well. As mentioned earlier, the batter stays pretty much in the same focal plane, so once you focus lock on him/her you don't need to focus anymore. Not using the CFn, you could just depress the shutter halfway to lock the focus and then hold it. When framing, inevitably, you need to lead the batter a bit, which, as you found out, causes the AI Servo to grab whatever is now in the center of the frame, like the backstop, or a coach, or anything but what you want.

Good luck. I find that being able to see the pitcher out of my free eye helps me estimate the timing (and having played ball since I was a kid), and I can usually get several BOB shots each day I shoot. What I am seeking is the BOB stopped at 1/2000 or faster with the ball conformed to the bat, and the bat bending...now THAT would be a shot!

Yep, but I have enough to do without switching between settings. :) And again, if you know about softball slapping you know they are three steps towards first base by the time the bat hits the ball.

There was a baseball shot posted here (was that you?) that displayed exactly those characteristics and I do want to capture that in softball at some point.....and I will.

KAC

[kenyc]

I understand what you mean about shooting the whole game, but can't you concentrate on one aspect at a time? I mean, if no one is on base, try focusing your attention on the batter and there won't be anything to miss in the field except for a quick play! I pretty sure that's why you always see so many photogs at a pro baseball game and why a really timely and GREAT shot is so rare. I always watch the Angels games live (hottest team playing right now...11 of last 13...my boys! :D) and then check the papers and web articles and the pictures I expect to see are not always there. Always see like four shooters in each camera pit.

Just a suggestion. One camera can't capture everything all the time!;)

I'm just trying to capture "most" of it. There's only one of me and two teams on the field to get pics of. I do focus on different aspects of the game at different times for the very reason of capturing different aspects of the game, running, catching, throwing, stealing/sliding etc. I certainly know you can't get it all, but I do want to get as many of those key plays and the emotion of the game as is possible. I enjoy watching the pro baseball players, but it's boring compared to fastpitch softball :)

Best,
KAC

[QUASIPHOTO]

Hey nice capture Kenny. Good timing. I've been trying to get a shot like that, but no luck so far. I've come close a couple times, but not that close yet. I know what you mean about trying to capture most of the game with only yourself. It's a tough deal. I hate it when I miss a GREAT shot. But there's only so much you can do. We were up there in Westminster this last week and I got about 600 shots. I'll try and post a couple of the best ones sometime this week.
WOW you guys have some amazing facilities up there. We played at the Christopher Fields.......HOLY COW those are primo!!!
Still with the girls/players moving around so much in softball (because things happen soooo much faster than baseball) it's hard to keep everything just right. But that's the challenge I guess ;) . I hate it when you take a shot then get it home and figure out that the player moved just enough to be out of focus, or moved enough to get the camera to focus on something else behind her/him. And there goes your shot.
Anyway keep shooting your doing great.

Jeff

[kenyc]

Thanks Jeff, but How'd your team do???? I did check out the schedule but did not have a chance to get by there because my boss was out of town and I had way too much to do. Glad you liked it! We do have some good softball fields. The Aurora Sports park (where the western world series was last year is primo but there's no shade! The trees have not had time to grow in the three years it's been there.

I was really disappointed when I found this one out of focus, but stil proud of it because of the timing, so had to post it.

The shots I usually miss are the incredible ones, because I'm just not expecting such a thing to happen. :) And it's usually my daughter :) :) She's a serious slapper so I'm learning to keep that center focus on her, but it's still difficult. I was able to catch almost all of a home-run sequence on Friday. We played at a field I'd never played at in Golden so there's even more fields than I know about.

Looking forward to seeing your shots!
I'll post a few more from this past weekend when I get a chance.

Thanks!
KAC
P.S. 600 sounds about right. :) I usually end up with something between 500 and 1000 for each tournament. of course (at least for me) only about 1% of those are great shots maybe 70% are average and 20% are "deletes."

[dmwierz]

Yep, but I have enough to do without switching between settings. :) And again, if you know about softball slapping you know they are three steps towards first base by the time the bat hits the ball.

There was a baseball shot posted here (was that you?) that displayed exactly those characteristics and I do want to capture that in softball at some point.....and I will.

KAC

Actually, that's the beauty of the CFn - you don't have to switch between AF modes. Hold the * down for AI Servo, or let it up and you're in One Shot AF mode. This is perfect for baseball, as it allows you to set the AF point, then let up the * button for shooting the batter or pitcher, then quickly shift to AI Servo for a play in the field. Until I learned how to use this, I was constantly either missing batter/pitcher shots 'cuz I would be in AI Servo, or missing plays in the field 'cuz I was in One Shot AF. With the Custom Function described, I can bounce back and forth from one to the other without taking my thumb off the * button or taking my finger off the shutter.

Try it - I learned it from a guy who does this for a living. One of the best tips I've gotten so far.

[kenyc]

Thanks dmwierz, I'll give it try. Sounds like it may do some good. The only problem I see is that it's one more button to think about and deal with :)

Have you actually used this to shoot fastpitch softball?

KAC

[dmwierz]

Thanks dmwierz, I'll give it try. Sounds like it may do some good. The only problem I see is that it's one more button to think about and deal with :)

Have you actually used this to shoot fastpitch softball?

KAC

No, but I've used it to shoot 13 year-old fastpitch baseball and Single A Pro Baseball, which are, I'd guess, similar if not faster in speed. I find that once I got used to using both the * and the shutter, it became second nature. Now I use my index finger AND my thumb! It is especially helpful to have the battery grip for vertical orientation, as this puts the * and shutter buttons in a more convenient location. I shoot maybe 70-80% vertical for most baseball.

Good luck, and have fun!

[QUASIPHOTO]

Kenny, in answer to your question.....we were lucky enough to come out of pool play I think 2nd and ended up in the Gold Bracket. Then our girls played REALLY well and we ended up taking 3rd. It was a very fun tournament (but then again its always fun when you win :D ).
But I'm going to have to agree with dmwierz with the * button thing. I found that holding it in all the time doesn't really work all that well. So I started focusing on the batter with just one press of the button and snapping a single shot, but then when I wanted to taked a sequence of pics (say like a tag play) I'd hold it in, seemed to work good that way. But I'm still learning soooooo much. And having fun doing it, with everyones help here.
And no disrespect to dmwierz at all.........but I had older boys that played baseball all the way up from little league to high school, and with all respect, girls fastpitch softball is WAY faster. Everything is so much closer.....bases are only 60ft and the pitchers mound is only 40 or 46ft, and the fence is only 200ft. So when things happen.....they happen quick.....it's a lot of fun.
But I still want to try and go get some shots at some baseball games. And whatever else I can.........it's like I have a disease now......lol.

Jeff