Help with Indoor Sports settings/lenses/cameras

My daughter started playing middle-school volleyball and shooting these games has been humbling! I'm currently using a Canon 7D and 70-200 2.8 IS lens. To get pics that are okay, I've been using ISO over 4000, usually 5000 but that high ISO is really grainy. I also have a Canon Macro 2.0 macro and wondered if that might be a good lens for indoor shooting or maybe a fast 50/85 prime would be better?

I shoot a lot of outdoor sports (mainly BB) as well as wildlife (probably 90% of my shooting) so my 7D has been great and I've been planning on upgrading to the 7D Mark II but am now wondering if it would be better to keep my 7D for the outdoor pursuits and pick up a FF like the 6D for low-light/indoor shooting?

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

I'm not informed enough about the various bodies to make much of a recommendation, other than to state the 7D Mk II anti-flicker feature might be worth considering if you're experiencing color shift in the gyms you're shooting; however, I think a good first step would be to buy an 85mm f/1.8 lens (used prices seem to be around $250-300). Its focus is fast and the range is useful for volleyball.

Good luck as volleyball is one of the more difficult sports to shoot -- fast action (more so as the girls get older), congested court, net grabs focus, usually poor lighting and the clincher is the often not so flattering facial expressions. The girls loved looking at the photos and laughing at each other, but weren't too interested in prints. Thank goodness for moms as I've done OK on sales. It is a fun sport to shoot though.

If you use the search tool, and enter the term "mini-review" under the title, there is a thread about how to get the most from high iso shots on the 7d. It might provide some relief at the higher ISO spectrum on the the 7d.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18139867
If you use the search tool, and enter the term "mini-review" under the title, there is a thread about how to get the most from high iso shots on the 7d. It might provide some relief at the higher ISO spectrum on the the 7d.

I'll make sure to check that out....thank you! Will also take a look at the 85mm f1.8.

Not sure what f/2 macro you have, as I was pretty sure all of Canon's macro lenses were f/2.8 (except the 180, which is f/3.5). But that extra stop of aperture may help a lot. On a crop sensor, the 50/85 are a pretty good combo for indoor sports; though there's now the sigma 50-100 f/1.8, which sounds like an ideal lens for these situations. I have found that my 70-200 2.8 works well in well-lit gyms, but I'll often prefer the 85 if the light is especially poor.

Macros aren't the fastest focusing lenses out there, so I would be a bit leary in using a macro lens for sports. I have the 100L and I would never use it for sports, personally.

The big issue here is probably lack of good lighting in a middle school gym, unless they have upgraded lighting to LED, or other sources. You will want to shoot a custom WB to make processing easier too. Otherwise the color shifts will accent the noise.

A 7D2 will be better definitely, but something to consider would be a good 1D4 as well. I shot indoor high school basketball with one, and it worked very well.

Settings often used for indoor sports, hopefully your gym has good enough lighting. ISO 6400, f/2.8 and 1/640 sec. (shoot Raw for better editing)

Great info on the 7D Mark 2 here: 7D2 owners unite! Discuss and post photos https://photography-on-the.net …read.php?t=1397​980&page=1 over 13,000 posts to wade through

My experience with a 7D Mark II
-Noise cleans up great in Lightroom - DO NOT underexpose for best images
-I have shot at ISO 16000 in an emergency with surprisingly good results
-10 fps is a huge benefit for sports
-Anti-flicker is wonderful if the lights cycle
-Various menu settings can be intimidating
-Battery life is shorter than similar cameras

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18140882
A 7D2 will be better definitely, but something to consider would be a good 1D4 as well.

Yes, a 1D Mark IV would be an excellent choice.


Phil

Nebraska wrote in post #18139800
My daughter started playing middle-school volleyball and shooting these games has been humbling! I'm currently using a Canon 7D and 70-200 2.8 IS lens. To get pics that are okay, I've been using ISO over 4000, usually 5000 but that high ISO is really grainy. I also have a Canon Macro 2.0 macro and wondered if that might be a good lens for indoor shooting or maybe a fast 50/85 prime would be better?

I shoot a lot of outdoor sports (mainly BB) as well as wildlife (probably 90% of my shooting) so my 7D has been great and I've been planning on upgrading to the 7D Mark II but am now wondering if it would be better to keep my 7D for the outdoor pursuits and pick up a FF like the 6D for low-light/indoor shooting?

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Heya,

Stick to your 7D. If you're already buying a 7D2 regardless, that's even better, you'll be using the same ISO values, but they will be a little bit cleaner. Regardless, no matter what you shoot, you'll need to clean up the files. Check out TeamSpeed's guides and his results. That 7D can be shot no problem at ISO 6400 & 12,800 with proper exposure and proper clean up. See his guides again as reference. Also if you move to 7D2, this is still the case, all the same ideas apply. You will still need clean up.

If you want to give yourself more room on ISO, use a faster lens, like an EF 85mm F1.8. That extra 1 & 1/3rd stop of light is faster than your F2.8, and it's sharper wide open. It focuses very, very fast. The field of view is static, compared to a zoom, but the speed is a really great thing and tighter crops look better anyways. Just get low, below their eye level and shoot up, it will look great.

It's not atypical to be shooting at 1/1000s, F2.8, ISO 12,800. With F2, you could be doing 1/1000s, F2, ISO 6400, or you could even go to 1/640s, F1.8, ISO 3200. This is assuming a dark gym. Definitely meter for what you will need and shoot manual to keep it there. Getting exposure right is the first step to using high ISO values.

Very best,

Nebraska wrote in post #18139800
My daughter started playing middle-school volleyball and shooting these games has been humbling! I'm currently using a Canon 7D and 70-200 2.8 IS lens. To get pics that are okay, I've been using ISO over 4000, usually 5000 but that high ISO is really grainy. I also have a Canon Macro 2.0 macro and wondered if that might be a good lens for indoor shooting or maybe a fast 50/85 prime would be better?

I shoot a lot of outdoor sports (mainly BB) as well as wildlife (probably 90% of my shooting) so my 7D has been great and I've been planning on upgrading to the 7D Mark II but am now wondering if it would be better to keep my 7D for the outdoor pursuits and pick up a FF like the 6D for low-light/indoor shooting?

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

As an owner of both the 7DII and the 6D, I can't recommend the 6D for sports. The focusing system just isn't designed for it. That said, I've used it for both basketball and volleyball and it worked; it's just far from ideal. I'd much more comfortably recommend the 7DII. As mentioned already, the noise cleans up pretty nicely in Lightroom.

The basic indoor sports coverage lens is a 70-200mm f/2.8. Unless you want to invest the time and money in using strobes, the only approach is to use high ISOs. Until imaging technology evolves in a few decades, a good technique for the noise-averse is touse noise reduction software.

http://imagenomic.com/

Nebraska wrote in post #18139800
My daughter started playing middle-school volleyball and shooting these games has been humbling! I'm currently using a Canon 7D and 70-200 2.8 IS lens. To get pics that are okay, I've been using ISO over 4000, usually 5000 but that high ISO is really grainy. I also have a Canon Macro 2.0 macro and wondered if that might be a good lens for indoor shooting or maybe a fast 50/85 prime would be better?

I shoot a lot of outdoor sports (mainly BB) as well as wildlife (probably 90% of my shooting) so my 7D has been great and I've been planning on upgrading to the 7D Mark II but am now wondering if it would be better to keep my 7D for the outdoor pursuits and pick up a FF like the 6D for low-light/indoor shooting?

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Do you have any before and after examples?

Here's an image processed through Imagenomic Noiseware noise reduction software. Original was at ISO 6400.

bjbsav wrote in post #18216443
Do you have any before and after examples?

I ran this image through it. ISO 4000

I am shooting again tomorrow night. I will try and push the limits of the software.


Before

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/QjVx​dP

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/P6Ui​tv