First Youth Soccer (Football) with T1i

[Alikat]

First soccer shots with my new T1i (first time with DSLR ever). I rate them "meh", but feedback will help me learn quicker...thanks in advance for your C&C.


1.
432925

2.
432926

[FstopMiami123]

You might need a faster lens or try upping the iso they both are very soft.

Armadno

[Alikat]

You might need a faster lens or try upping the iso they both are very soft.

Armadno

After shooting this and some junior hockey in the first two days with the camera I completely understand why "kit lenses" are just that :oops: Already dreaming/planning a better lens for sports. I will try in the interim, upping the ISO for shots like this, thank you, that is awesome feedback that is extremely helpful!!!

[va_rider]

Looks like you missed focus on both.... tell us about your AF Points... center? One Shot? AI Servo?

I see you're shooting in Shutter Priority Mode : (Tv) ... and both shots at 1/250s ... what made you pick these settings out of curiosity? Upping the ISO will make you slow your shutter speed, or open up your aperture...

[Alikat]

va_rider:

One Shot (should I have used continuous? To be honest, I JUST found it in the menu)

Photo 1: ISO 400 / f/6.3 / 1/250
Photo 2: ISO 250 / f/5.6 / 1/250

1/250s for both, unsure actually of my thought behind that, wasn't sure how it would play out with this camera compared to a point and shoot? Ummm...more than likely I did not experiment enough throughout the game.

I'm not so good with shutter speed knowledge, I know it needs to be faster (obviously) for sports and movement (toddlers! eek!) but I've yet to figure out just "how" fast is "fast" due to lack of experimenting...thoughts and suggestions for upping my learning curve (other than reading and practicing?).

Thank you!

[Fosters]

One pet peeve of mine (that my wife can't stand), is that I typically delete any shot that has the back of someone. Not always (but in general) someone's back doesn't "tell a story." I'm not as good as most on here, but that is one of my picky points.

You did capture the ball in your 1st shot, so my comment might not apply in that case. :P Have fun, and I would recommend reading a few books. I believe it is Understanding Exposure that is highly recommended.

Josh

[cpo13]

As others have said you need to up the shutter speed for soccer, so assuming f5.6 is the best your kit lens can do at the long end I'd use Av at 5.6, then adjust ISO upwards until you get at least 1/400, (preferably higher).

Also, try to find somewhere lower to shoot, (on the sideline either sitting or kneeling if you can). Will make the players stand out much more than shots from above.

Getting the timing right so you have the ball/face and/or peak action will usually come with practice, so shooting lots and posting here for c&c often will get you there. Good luck.

[va_rider]

for AF, I'd be using AI Servo for action like this... if you're using One Shot, by the time you set the focus, whatever you set it on is gone... and you're left focused on the grass somewhere...

As far as how fast is fast ... depending on what you're shooting, you can do a little math if you're so inclined.... figure a soccer ball is moving at 40mph... 40mph is equal to 58.6 feet per second... so, in 1/250 of a second, the ball is moving .235 feet, or about 3 inches.... Looking at the first picture... that seems about right.... so.. using math, you can figure out how fast you have to go to stop motion...

next step is once you have the speed correct to stop motion, you'll have a very dark picture at the settings you're using now... so, you'd have to open up your aperture a bit to let in some more light... with the distances you're shooting, 5.6 is likely the lowest you'll get on your current lens... so, a faster lens would suit this type of shooting a bit better... something like a 135mm f/2 ... or... better lighting will allow a faster speed.... buy those poor girls some nice bright stadium lights. ... or, the next compromise is increasing the ISO... but the shots will be grainier... ISO100 would make you have to go to a slower shutter speed... but ISO 1600 would let you bring the shutter speed much faster... with the tradeoff of graininess....

[Alikat]

One pet peeve of mine (that my wife can't stand), is that I typically delete any shot that has the back of someone. Not always (but in general) someone's back doesn't "tell a story." I'm not as good as most on here, but that is one of my picky points.

You did capture the ball in your 1st shot, so my comment might not apply in that case. :P Have fun, and I would recommend reading a few books. I believe it is Understanding Exposure that is highly recommended.

Josh

Thanks, I've got that book on request at the library, been reading a few others I've purchased. I don't know why, and this sounds retarded, but I never thought of shutter speed as linked to focus. hmmmm...shows the gaps in my knowledge base already.

The "back" picture I generally agree on actually, good point and well taken. I'm biased because its my daughter, and her kick is the biggest and best on the team so I tend to shoot a lot whenever I see her go for a kick.

Thank you very much for the feedback. :)

[Alikat]

As others have said you need to up the shutter speed for soccer, so assuming f5.6 is the best your kit lens can do at the long end I'd set Av at 5.6, then adjust ISO upwards until you get at least 1/400, (preferably higher).

Also, try to find somewhere lower to shoot, (on the sideline either sitting or kneeling if you can). Will make the players stand out much more than shots from above.

Getting the timing right so you have the ball/face and/or peak action will usually come with practice, so shooting lots and posting here for c&c often will get you there. Good luck.

Good points, all of them. This park is set up strangley and the opposing team's coach and I have gotten "into it" a few times, being the Regional Cup Final game I was avoiding being near him at all costs (as were almost all the parents). She plays 6 days a week so I will get lots of practice and put these points into practice. Awesome feedback, thank you!

[Alikat]

for AF, I'd be using AI Servo for action like this... if you're using One Shot, by the time you set the focus, whatever you set it on is gone... and you're left focused on the grass somewhere...

As far as how fast is fast ... depending on what you're shooting, you can do a little math if you're so inclined.... figure a soccer ball is moving at 40mph... 40mph is equal to 58.6 feet per second... so, in 1/250 of a second, the ball is moving .235 feet, or about 3 inches.... Looking at the first picture... that seems about right.... so.. using math, you can figure out how fast you have to go to stop motion...

next step is once you have the speed correct to stop motion, you'll have a very dark picture at the settings you're using now... so, you'd have to open up your aperture a bit to let in some more light... with the distances you're shooting, 5.6 is likely the lowest you'll get on your current lens... so, a faster lens would suit this type of shooting a bit better... something like a 135mm f/2 ... or... better lighting will allow a faster speed.... buy those poor girls some nice bright stadium lights. ... or, the next compromise is increasing the ISO... but the shots will be grainier... ISO100 would make you have to go to a slower shutter speed... but ISO 1600 would let you bring the shutter speed much faster... with the tradeoff of graininess....

Yes, I actually learned about ISO in a brutal way at a cheerleading competition (gym lights just stunk!) and am adverse to the graininess and try to avoid it where I can.

Shuddering at the math, but I understand the calculation. My question that came first off for you though is about AI Servo. I don't even KNOW how that's different from say continuous (green, told ya so! lol). Its not something that I can recall ever using or having on my old point and shoot...hmmm...

(and thank you, very much, for delving into detailed answers for me!)