CAMERA SETTINGS for sports ??

Here are the settings that Sports Illustrated photogs use

http://www.siphoto.com

gherrry wrote in post #2035798
What is your settings when shooting for sport?

WHITE BALACE?
METER MODE?
FOCUS MODE?
(do you use CF4 =1?)
etc. . .
etc. . .

I hope I don't sound like a gruff old bugger, but this question is no different than asking "What settings do you use to take photographs?". It is a question for which there is truly no answer without a lot of definition for each individual situation.

While there are camera settings like "RAW vs .JPG" or the CF4=1, neither of which will probably ever be changed once the owner adapts to the setup, every photographic situation one runs into will require different exposure settings for a variety of reasons.

Rather than trying to compile a list of exposure settings (ISO, shutter speed, and aperture), focal lengths, etc., for a variety of situations, one should take the time to LEARN THE BASICS. After learning the basics, you will understand why you would choose different shutter speeds, apertures, etc., and not just what settings Joe Blow would choose (whether or not Joe understands why HE uses the settings).

SkipD wrote in post #2043435
I hope I don't sound like a gruff old bugger, ...

Nope, you don't ....
But if someone says you do, then I'll have to be included in that accusation, too ....

Because I agree with your "reading" of the OP's question .... but for the life of me I couldn't come up with as tactful a response as you have ....

But, in line with your suggestion on learning the basics, I can recommend a good book that the OP can start with: "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson.

Screamer wrote in post #2042371
Here are the settings that Sports Illustrated photogs use

http://www.siphoto.com

great info SCREAMER.

primoz wrote in post #2036433
There are few basic things and there are few things which depends on particular sport. For me basic things are always same... this means manual metering, ai servo, cfn4-3. Af point selection depends on composition and sport, so does white balance settings.

I was trying to use cfn4-3 and couldn't figure how to?

Basically you are pressing (or holding) back * button instead of shutter release if you want camera to focus. For me it's easier to do it this way, since I don't lose (stop) tracking between shoots... especially since 1d is able to focus even when shutter is open.
And when not shooting sport it's easier for me to recompose this way, but that's just how I got used to work.

primoz wrote in post #2075151
Basically you are pressing (or holding) back * button instead of shutter release if you want camera to focus. For me it's easier to do it this way, since I don't lose (stop) tracking between shoots... especially since 1d is able to focus even when shutter is open.
And when not shooting sport it's easier for me to recompose this way, but that's just how I got used to work.

How do you hold the * as you follow but then say a ref and a blocker get in your way, do you let go * so that you can pass those obstructs and then press it again to follow your subject once again. Or do you keep * pressed the whole time even if objects get in your way?

I just got my 1DN yesterday and reading this post has been great.

Is it as "simple" as sitting down the day before you shoot and running through the settings to get what you think will work best, then try it??

I get the impression you pro dudes would have a recipe (starting point) for the various types of shooting you do. Again, just a starting point. So before you shoot soccer or what ever, you can load the recipe and you're close to where you want to be?

Am I on the right track?

PS - Love the 1DN. What a step up from the 20D!!!!. Can't wait to shoot this weekend.

tghaines wrote in post #2077293
I just got my 1DN yesterday and reading this post has been great.

Is it as "simple" as sitting down the day before you shoot and running through the settings to get what you think will work best, then try it??

I get the impression you pro dudes would have a recipe (starting point) for the various types of shooting you do. Again, just a starting point. So before you shoot soccer or what ever, you can load the recipe and you're close to where you want to be?

Am I on the right track?

Someday I'll get a 1-series body, but for now the 20D will suffice .

Anyhow - I almost never change any of the internal settings on my body. I operate in manual exposure mode most of the time. I always shoot in RAW plus Large JPG. The only thing that I usually will change that I would call a "setting" (other than ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture) is the White Balance setting.

I will often photograph a reference card (Kodak 18% Gray Card) or a Gretag MacBeth color reference card in one shot of a series so that I can do critical color matching if necesary.

Exposure settings will sometimes be calculated with the camera's meter, and just about as often I will use my handheld meter ( Sekonic L-358 ). Obviously, I will make judgements as to what shutter speed to use vs aperture vs ISO setting, but I don't go into a shoot with "pre-determined" values in mind unless I'm going to shoot something in a very familiar place where I have worked out an optimum setup before.

1d has custom function for exactly this thing. With this custom function you can change sensitivity (or better to say speed) of af to obstacles. With this you can tell camera how fast it switches focus from object you are tracking to obstacle which comes between camera and tracked object.

What I was saying in my previous post was not that I leave all the settings to factory default, but I have carefully chosen what Custom Functions and other settings that I want to use. After having done that once, I typically will not change them for any particular shoot.

The internal settings are a way to "customize" the camera. Once customized, I leave it that way. Having the camera work the same way every time I take it out makes mistakes less likely.

primoz wrote in post #2079187
1d has custom function for exactly this thing. With this custom function you can change sensitivity (or better to say speed) of af to obstacles. With this you can tell camera how fast it switches focus from object you are tracking to obstacle which comes between camera and tracked object.

Thanks Primoz. I currently have the 10D and I don't have that nice feature. Shooting NFL I did not seem to have too many problems when the ref got in the way, it seemed to keep tracking the player.

However, shooting with a 35-350mm 3.5/5.6 at 350mm I did lose focus a few times and the camera would not find the subject at 50 yards away and I missed some shots. It got very annoying. Can't wait to do enough NFL to buy the 1dmkIIn and this week I might get the 70-200 f/2.8 Might be the IS or not the IS, I still can't decide! Mostly for sports so I don't need it there, but I still want to take family shots so I might need the IS for that. Who knows, $700 extra is a lot.

I had same decission to make few years ago. I went with non-IS version. I don't need IS for my work so about $500 less for non-IS was right decision for me, and I never regret it. But that's for me, so for yourself only you can tell if it's worth or not