Softball Pic fire away

[burnet44]

Ok here is my deal

If I put it at high ISO people say its to grainy
If I put it on a high ss people say its too underexposed
if I put it on 2.8 people say there is no DOF or focus
If I put it on a low ss people say its blurred

I have tried most of the suggestions here
all of my manual pics look a lot darker than with sports or av or tv mode
but I cant get any of those to give me a decent iso , fast ss, and a higher f stop all at the same time
maybe Im doing those wrong?



ISO 400
Exposure 1/1250 sec
Aperture 4.5
Focal Length 200mm
White Balance 0
Metering Mode 3
Exposure Program 3
Compression 6
CCD Width 18.433266
Exposure Bias 0.0
Focal Plane X-Resolution 4438.356
Focal Plane Resolution Unit 2.0


cloudy overcast day
a little sun through the clouds rt to left though the trees
65 degrees


just doesnt seem sharp to me?

[Numenorean]

Seems sharp enough to me....well at least at that size.

1/1250 is plenty fast enough to stop action. ISO 400 shouldn't be a problem. f/4.5 shouldn't be an issue at 200mm. I probably would shoot wide open but that's my style.

I don't see anything wrong other than it's tilted a bit, and the action you did get doesn't really say anything about what's happening - I have no clue what she's attempting to do or has done. Rather awkward looking moment.

[burnet44]

she is a pitcher
thats a change up she is throwing
thanks
I had decent light
but when I dont Im screwed

[Daship]

Sharpness requires a little of everything. Even if you have all the settings spot on you still may not have enough reach. Another thing is it an L lens or a cheap zoom. I owned a cheap 55-200mm and it was crap, I have since upgraded to a70-200 f4 L and it blows my old lens away. I only kept the old one about a week. I think the above pic is pretty good considering your gear/ and the distance to subject. There is eventually a point where you cant get the detail with out more reach.

[burnet44]

thanks
I shot this through the fence to the right of the pitcher

so is this the best I can do with this lens? with my camera? and my dumb arse shooter?

yeah I got a 70-300 4-5/6 zoom its about like my shooting
snitty

[Noitca]

I almost put this in the other thread, but will put here...

Did you crop the picture at all, or was that how it was framed on the camera? If cropped, maybe leave some more background on the left side of the picture and put her front hip on the right 1/3 of the frame... to "give the ball somewhere to go". ?

Other than that, nice shot IMO. I like how it shows the position of the pitching hand, which is counter intuitive to what most think of a "correct position" for an underhand throw. (which would be palm facing forward fingers curling up).

Also, is that picture with AI Servo, or One Shot focus?

[burnet44]

cropped but from the right thats as much as I had on the left
bad technique by me

thanks for the advice

AI Servo ( I deleted the snitty ones) I guess I sprayed and prayed lol

[tmoore323]

Do you use a lens hood?

[Noitca]

Yeah, I get those a lot too.

Spray and Pray. LOL. All the time.

[Q-Man]

This one isn't bad. What are you seeing that isn't sharp that's concerning you? I think she's acceptably sharp (at least when seen at this size). Her feet and the ball have some motion blur, but I think that's to be expected and shows some action.

[tmoore323]

Originally Posted by Noitca

Yeah, I get those a lot too.

Spray and Pray. LOL. All the time.

If that was in answer to my question, "do you use a lens hood" I'm not sure I understand the response...

Using a lens hood, would take away some flare and allow you to get a better overall picture at a lower ISO and shutter speed like Q-Man says above.

[burnet44]

had lens hood on always

[Noitca]

Originally Posted by tmoore323

If that was in answer to my question, "do you use a lens hood" I'm not sure I understand the response...

Using a lens hood, would take away some flare and allow you to get a better overall picture at a lower ISO and shutter speed like Q-Man says above.

Nope, sorry.. didn't notice you posted before I did.

[Daship]

I doubt you get much better without upgrading the glass, or getting closer.

[burnet44]

see thats what Im looking for
thanks
I cant tell If Im doing the best I can with what I got

I still feel I dont know enough about my equipment
everyone says the 70-200 2.8 is great
and seems like everyone says the 40D is great (except me)

I had a thread on If/should I up grade my camera and what to get
Until Im positive Im doing all I can with this and or can afford other stuff
all I can do is shoot and try to learn

Im cheaper than another camera or lens

I do feel like I have a pretty good lens? true? maybe?
seem to be a popular one