Settings for basketball with 580EX Flash

I am shooting with a Canon 28-300mm and D5 I have a canon 580EX flash and would like to know what you are using for flash and camera settings for High School basketball. Thanks for you help

Flash OFF. ISO1600.

Seconded.
Flash (even if it has the reach) will kill the atmosphere.

not fast enough for the lights in our gym.. I can only shoot at 125th sec. at 5.6 at 1600

Why are you shooting at f/5.6? You need a fast lens for basketball, like the 85mm f/1.8. And flash can be a big no-no depending on the setting. IHSA forbids the use of flash at our games, as do many coaches. Shoot with a fast prime at f/2.2, ISO 1600, and 1/500 to get good results. You might have to dial the shutter down to 1/400, but those settings with the right lens should be okay.

lets see some of your samples liza.. and right now its the only canon lens i have other then 17-40.. hopfuly 70-200mm 2.8 IS Ships soon it was supposed to ship on the 8th from Dell

Go to my Smugmug site.

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Marions, I shoot in gyms all the time. Your 70-200 F2.8 will work nicely at ISO 800 and 1600 to get the maximum shutter speeds.

Brice

Yes, don't be afraid of the noise in ISO800 and 1600...today's noise reduction tools are wonderful. Maybe also practice panning your shots with a monopod (and IS off or set to remove vertical shake only.)

f/2.8 is woefully inadequate for the gymnasiums that we play in here. The f/1.8 is the only thing that gets close.

I had to use my 50mm f1.8 when shooting basketball. A fast zoom is the way to go. remember that most school sports do not allow the use of flash.I agree with a prior reply that it would kill the atmosphere, although if you do end up using it, shoot in RAW and you can adj. the WB when you edit it. That MIGHT help the atmospere of the image. Just a thought, I have not tried it.

Hi there,

I shoot a lot of my sons indoor baskeball games with the 85mm 1.8, 1600 ISO, no flash. i get some pretty good results. But due to the light flickering in the gym I can get several varying quality photos in one burst mode. But the keepers are good for printing and framing. here's a sample.

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Maybe my eyes are messing with me but that looks misfocused. Or blurred. I can't tell which.

Mercury vapor lights, I'm told cycle between two different light frequencies. That's why you may be getting different results in a burst.

Shooting under these conditions with a wide open apeture and short DOF often results in a narrow DOF. I use 70-200MM F2.8 lens at long distances to resolve DOF issues. 85 mm would work nicely, but you'd need your feet as a zoom and understand the DOF at your apeture to pick a distance to maximize DOF for the scene.

Brice

Curtis did a good write up which may explain your problems:
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=100091