Taking Tennis Photos

[dwarrenr]

Originally Posted by saul1333

Yes, I have used Manual. Is it better to use for this occasion?

The event is next week. I hope to get some good pics

If the sun is behind the player I'm shooting, I'll use manual and meter for the player. The background will be blown out, but the player will be properly exposed. If the sun is behind me, I'll us Av and adjust the ISO so that my shutter speed is at least faster then 1/800. Of course none of this is set in stone. There could be a white pole barn behind the courts that will mess with the camera as far as exposure goes, in which case I'll either shoot manual or add an exposure adjustment of 1/3rd of a stop or so. Point is, each time you change your vantage point you have to consider the lighting and set your camera accordingly.

[snakedoc]

Everyone's provided really good technical advice in this thread, so I'll just throw in the best single piece of advice I've come across with regards to tennis: Shoot tight, crop tighter.

Also, unless you're shooting from a vantage point that's actually on court, 200mm will not get you close enough. I'd add a 1.4x to the mix.

[vreeke]

[saul1333]

Hello again

I want to get a 400mm. Just wondering if IS is worth the $$$?

Thanks.

[Zivnuska]

Originally Posted by saul1333

Hello again

I want to get a 400mm. Just wondering if IS is worth the $$$?

Thanks.

If you are shooting sports exclusively, IS is not required since sports usually requires high shutter speeds. 400mm is great for tennis but it is quite tight and requires some skill in order to frame the images properly.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/....php?t=1170564

[watt100]

Originally Posted by saul1333

Hello again

I want to get a 400mm. Just wondering if IS is worth the $$$?

Thanks.

you may find 400mm a little tight for tennis (unless you had a zoom like the 100-400)

[saul1333]

Thank you both for your replies.