shooting outside sports in manual...?

If you can, go with much shorter times then 1/300 or 1/500. On sunny day, you shouldn't have problems getting to 1/2000 or even faster with pretty low iso. And to be on safe side, go with fast times, even if iso is set a bit higher, rather then hoping everything will work fine with iso50 and 1/300.
And if you will be shooting with 50mm lens, which I still think is bad choice, don't use f1.8. DOF is so shallow at f1.8, that not many things will be in focus. So close lens down a bit (at least f3.2 or f3.5). But if you ask me, I would rather go with 17-70mm. 70mm is not long, but still better then 50mm. I don't know how close you can come, but for 50mm, you should be really really close. Too close to be allowed to be.

Wilt wrote in post #5177100
Arguably, if you don't use M to shoot sports, you should used Tv so that you have preset a certain level of action stopping, and let the aperture be the variable as your desire ffor more or less DOF is secondary to action stopping. Av might make more sense for landscape shooting, where DOF is primary and the shutter speed's action stopping is secondary.

I disagree. For sports controlling the aperture is real important. So I would recommend Av mode at wide open apertures, if one doesn not want to use manual mode (which I prefer, indoors or outdoors)

With wide open in Av mode, you will always have fastest shutter speed for given ISO.

With fixed ss in Tv mode, you letting the aperture float, which won't always give you the nicer blurred backgrounds that you looking for.

There is reason people buy and use f2.8 lens at f2.8 for sports, even for outdoors in very bright light.

I think OP needs a longer lens. 50mm f1.8 is too short and slow to AF, I wouldn't use it.

bobbyz wrote in post #5179412
I disagree. For sports controlling the aperture is real important. So I would recommend Av mode at wide open apertures, if one doesn not want to use manual mode (which I prefer, indoors or outdoors)

With wide open in Av mode, you will always have fastest shutter speed for given ISO.

With fixed ss in Tv mode, you letting the aperture float, which won't always give you the nicer blurred backgrounds that you looking for.

There is reason people buy and use f2.8 lens at f2.8 for sports, even for outdoors in very bright light.

I did state it was arguable!
To present the other side of the coin (Tv)...if you are attempting to 'freeze' action at a controlled level...just a bit of motion blur.
For example, a rowing crew has a very predictable tempo and rate of motion. And it absolutely does not matter if the camera is using F/2.8 or f/5.6 simply because the other crew boat is so far away in its lane, from the boat of interest in its lane, that the other boat is always out of focus, so shutter speed would indeed be the variable that you want tightest control over, and not at all care about DOF!

I found shooting LAX in AV mode last week the Exposure varied. I was not happy. The players had all different color sweats on. The next day I spot metered in AV to one player . Av gave me a shutter setting. Then switched over to M mode. Made a few adjustments And all the photos looked great !

eigga wrote in post #5176961
I guess it depends on your skill, camera, preference and situation.

I just use center weight or spot metering (I know OP doesn't have this)

I find AV is more appropriate in covering my sports but M is not "wrong" I was assuming the OP was fairly new based on the wording and was suggesting a good way to start.

What are you shooting?? The 100 meter dawdle?? Shooting sport the place to start is in Tv with a shutterspeed of 500th or more to freeze the action..If the lighting is constant shoot in manual mode taking your meter reading off the grass or similar..Do a few lighting checks at different places of the park..

Outside in decent light I know the shutter speed is not an issue. 1/500 is rarley an issue so I prefer to adjust the aperture and manage my DOF.

When light is an issue I use M, honestly have never use TV or needed it. Would you need Tv if you are always getting shutters of 1/1000 (most sunny days) or more at f/3.2? Just seems silly to me unless you want a specific blur effect.

ok, so bascially some like TV, some like AV, others like Manual bascially from what im reading it doesnt matter if you like AV or TV.. If you cant get high shuuter speeds through AV, then switch to TV to have shutter control.

also, i see most say to focus on the grass in manual or a few other spots and sorta get a average of the light and go from there? Either way, in TV or AV, it seems both of those features should end up getting the same basic results given good light

my biggest issue is that my photos just dont seem to have great POP to them. I hate editing photos to get them right and would perferr great shots right off the camera. I see lots of photos here and the people look crisp and actaully seem to pop out. Maybe its just a better lens. Im happy with my photos and they are 3 times better than P&S's Just trying to always better the shots

hdd wrote in post #5180211
If you cant get high shuuter speeds through AV, then switch to TV to have shutter control.

I don't understand what you mean by this?

If you can' get required shutter speed with Av (slow lens for example), how can you switching the mode to Tv or anything else going to help?

regarding pop, I would post some of the shots with exif info so people can provide their recommendations.

hdd wrote in post #5180211
ok, so bascially some like TV, some like AV, others like Manual bascially from what im reading it doesnt matter if you like AV or TV.. If you cant get high shuuter speeds through AV, then switch to TV to have shutter control.

Some, like me, choose any one of the three modes, based simply on what is of the greatest importance for a given shoot! In some cases, I want control of DOF so I use Av. In other cases, I want control of motion capture, so I use Tv. In other cases, I want absolutely consistent shot-to-shot exposure to be in all shots, so I shoot in M.

hdd wrote in post #5180211
also, i see most say to focus on the grass in manual or a few other spots and sorta get a average of the light and go from there? Either way, in TV or AV, it seems both of those features should end up getting the same basic results given good light

There is no single best mode, there is only the parameter that you are willing to be the variable...aperture variable (Tv), motion variable (Av), no variable (M), push-here-dummy (P or GreenBox)

hdd wrote in post #5180211
my biggest issue is that my photos just dont seem to have great POP to them. I hate editing photos to get them right and would perferr great shots right off the camera. I see lots of photos here and the people look crisp and actaully seem to pop out. Maybe its just a better lens. Im happy with my photos and they are 3 times better than P&S's Just trying to always better the shots

Have you considered that others' photos might pop simply because they DO spend a bit of time tweaking in Post Processing?! And with a good program, it need not be super time consuming and painful. Yesterday I took photos during family Easter gathering, then spent maybe 15 minutes tweaking the dozens of photos shot during the day before burning them to CD to give.

Perfect.... and I agree with the processing. Taking the image is step #1

Wilt, thnaks for the info! You bascially summed it up in the first paragraph Mainly if im shooting the kids playing tee ball, the BG isnt a huge concern. I just want to make sure I capture the bat during the swing so TV would be what I need to freeze that. If there was something I didnt want to show to well in the BG, then I know AV would be used for that. My biggest question was is 1.8 would give you a sharper photo than say f4. But I see that it really doesnt matter since what you focus will be sharp and that the aperture will only effect how sharp the BG is. Im still learning so thats why I wnated to ask some advice

as for manual, its gonna take some learning for me. Ive only had my XTI for 5 days Also, thanks for the info on PP work. I figured that was the case. Im just never happy with anything I do LOL

hdd wrote in post #5180762
as for manual, its gonna take some learning for me. Ive only had my XTI for 5 days Also, thanks for the info on PP work. I figured that was the case. Im just never happy with anything I do LOL

Manual is NOT complex at all. If you put your camera in Tv mode and select 1/250, the camera might come back and set 'f/11'. If you put your camera in Av mode, the camera might come back and set '1/250'. But if a white jersey ran past (vs. a navy blue jersey) the Tv 1/250 might set 'f/16', or the Av camera might set '1/500' as the brighter jersey ran past, but you know that you want to expose for the skin tones rather than changing exposure for jersey brightness!

M merely takes the two settings the meter displayed, and YOU set them into the camera (by lining up the indicator to the center of the scale) and they stay set at what you chose. You set 1/250 and you set f/11, and you have consistent exposure in spite of the color jersey running past! You merely need to monitor that the light intensity striking the scene is not changing, such as due to the sun ducking behind a cloud on a partially cloudy day.

I understand Wilt If you wanted, couldnt you take a shot in AV mode or TV. See how that exposed and if its what you want, just switch to manual and put those settings in(provided like you said, the light stays the same). I have had a chance to get outside today since its cloudy and cold, but I snapped a pic of my kids inside and natural light. Feel free to help CC these.. These arent action or outdoors but these were shot in AV mode.
1/30 - f1.8 - ISO 1600
http://www.delanofarms​.net/testp.jpg

1/80 - f4 - ISO1600
http://www.delanofarms​.net/testp2.jpg

1/125 - f2.8 ISO 1600
http://www.delanofarms​.net/testp3.jpg

also, I had to overexpose 2/3(or 2 clicks) Not sure if I overexposed to much or not but I just liked the look compared to the 0 setting since the BG wasnt to DARK!

im not sure if I'm on the right track. No tripod so some of these turned out fuzzy do to the low shutter and poor light. Any help would be great for natural light

i also forgot to ask, but is it better to stay in one shot or switch to Al Servo for this? I would assume al servo would be better since if they move quickly, the camera will refocus