Need help fast for flash settings for tonights game.

[rrpruett]

O.K I bit the bullet this afternoon and got the 580EX flash to shoot tonight’s High School football game. As always the lighting is going to be bad. I have been shooting every weekend without flash and getting some O.K results but like everyone else, there is a lot of post processing. Since it is already 3:47 pst and I need to shoot in about 3 hours. I wanted to see if I could get some quick settings to start with. I did read one post that gave me some info. I just wanted to get some other feedback. Here is the post I read today.

shoot the XT in manual mode, choosing f2.8 and around 1/320 sec (of course, you'll need a lens at least as fast as f2.8 to do this). Put the flash into ETTL and HSS (high speed sync) modes, and using FEC (flash exposure compensation),

Since I have not read the manual and will do so on the way to the game it could be a long night. Also how many shots can I expect to get from standard 2 AA batteries. I bought a Quantum turbo power supply but they gave me the wrong charger in LA and I drove all the way back to Bakersfield only to find out that it will not charge. That’s another story.

Any help would be appreciated.

[DwightMcCann]

OH, you lucky dog ... that was exactly the advice I was about to give! Shoot ISO 1600, f3.2, 1/320, with flash on auto. Shoot only on your half of the field. I just got this same advice from a local newspaper guy who used to shoot NFL ... I got a good percentage of keepers! Oh, and he also said "Don't put your camera down until you hear the whistle" and "When they are at the 20 or closer, move to the end zone so that they are running at you." And I say, "Introduce yourself to the officials and coaches ... which also means, get there early!" Good luck and be sure to append images to this thread! OH, and buy some more batteries. Oh, and I didn't use highspeed sync so perhaps the image were really at 1/250th ... I don't know.

[rrpruett]

Should I shoot in AV mode and leave it set to 2.8 or 3.5 and let the camera choose the speed or TV mode. I have been shooting in M at f/2.8 and anywhere from 250 to 350 and that with about – ½ to -1 on the meter, that is what it has been taking to get enough light. Can I now change to possibly 1/500 with the flash and if so, if I shoot burst and the flash can’t keep up, will everything else in the sequence be junk. If so then maybe I should keep the setting at 1/250 that way if the flash cant keep up at least I have something that is usable.

What should my camera setting be set at?

[rklepper]

I would also suggest a monopod. Nothing helps quite like a pod.

[dmwierz]

Originally Posted by rrpruett

Should I shoot in AV mode and leave it set to 2.8 or 3.5 and let the camera choose the speed or TV mode. I have been shooting in M at f/2.8 and anywhere from 250 to 350 and that with about – ½ to -1 on the meter, that is what it has been taking to get enough light. Can I now change to possibly 1/500 with the flash and if so, if I shoot burst and the flash can’t keep up, will everything else in the sequence be junk. If so then maybe I should keep the setting at 1/250 that way if the flash cant keep up at least I have something that is usable.

What should my camera setting be set at?

This is probably too late, but I second the opinion about the monopod, and I suggest shooting manual. Your in-camera exposure meter will know about the flash and adjust its display accordingly. Also, don't just use the LCD preview - use the histogram to see how well-exposed your shots are.

I shot last night in the rain and really had some odd results with exposure. Almost like the flash was confused by the rain and by the AquaTech cover on the flash. Way too many turned out overexposed. Ended up changing from FEC +1 to Manual 1/4 power by the end of the night to avoid highlight blowout. I'm batch processing the shots as I write this in PS CS2 and will start editing when this is done. Hope I can salvage some of the over-exposures.

Regarding shooting a burst with the flash, My Quantum 2x2 helps a bit here by reducing recycle time, but even with this I only get 1 or at the most 2 shots per second with the flash. The rest of the shots in a burst end up being shot with ambient light.

Given the choice, underexpose and fix later in PS. Once you over-expose and blow out the highlights, your recovery options are limited.

As I said in my post you quoted above, I strive for 1/320 at f2.8 and ISO 1600. Some parts of the field are brighter and others darker. 1/250 is a bit slow, and you'll get motion blur, but you can't mess with Physics! There is only so much light a camera can detect.

Let us see you shots!