MLS : Whitecaps Vs. Earthquakes

Hello everybody!

Thanks to this forum, I have really begun to learn and understand the focusing system on my Canon 7D.

For reference, I shoot my sports shots with the Canon 70-300mm non-IS plastic lens... I know this lens is a total joke, but I honestly believe that by using it exclusively and by forcing myself to eek every ounce of detail from it has forced me to really learn the camera's focusing system, how to use ISO effectively, etc. I honestly believe that by going this route, I have learned 10x more than if I had simply gone out and bought a 70-200mm f2.8l lens because that lens would have done a lot to compensate/subsidize my own photography shortcomings... when I am satisfied that I have gotten everything possible from my basic lens then I will look to upgrade but I know I am not there yet.

These were shot yesterday at BC Place. The roof was closed because of a threat of rain so the lighting was largely artificial and I always struggle with contrast on the artificial turf. The AF seems to lock better onto players wearing dark uniforms.

I shot most images at 1/640th of a second at 800 ISO. The lens is very slow so achieving a satisfying DOF is very difficult.

I was sitting in the stands handholding the camera near 300mm (without IS) for most of these shots...

focus appears to be spot on in these

rick_reno... thanks man.

Last year, I posted some MLB pictures... the users here correctly recognized that they were all out of focus. I was heartbroken until I realized they were right. I didn't want to give up on the lens and blame it so I just kept learning the AF system. These were shot with AI Servo. What a difference! The keeper rate is WAYYY higher!!! What was I thinking using ONE SHOOT AF before? In the brief instance between locking your subject and pressing the shutter your subject has already moved.

The lens I was using struggled to keep up but still managed some good shots for me. I was using single-point expansion.

Would you mind sharing the EXIF info?

These two were sourced from JPEGs not the RAW files. I'd like to use the RAW files to clean them up a bit. The data that OS X is giving me says:

Focal length: 300
Alpha channel: No
Red eye: No
F number: 5.6
Exposure time: 1/640

Sunfighter wrote in post #14758599
I have learned 10x more than if I had simply gone out and bought a 70-200mm f2.8l lens because that lens would have done a lot to compensate/subsidize my own photography shortcomings...

It's good that you're trying to get the most out of your current gear. However, I'd just like to point out that you may have found it more frustrating learning with a 2.8 lens because nailing focus when DOF is shallow can be an issue when the action is moving fast.

#1 doesn't really do anything for me, it's not a moment of peak action.

#2 would have worked better as a vertical crop and exposure could be bumped and shadows could be lifted a little (face is pretty dark).

soccer without rain? I didn't know that was possible lol

jeoblack2022... thanks for the tips man!

BLD_007... stadium has a retractable roof.