Little league help needed...

Okay guys,


Help... I'll try to keep this short...

1. Full size of runner rounding 3rd is clean. 100% crop is clean. But...

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Outfielder full size is decent, 100% crop is bad. What did I do wrong? Camera shake? TIF>

John.

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Where is the rest of his body? I always strive to get whole body shots in baseball when they are going for a steal/run. It is clear though, I will give it that much. Also, the baseball field looks like it is in the middle of BFE.

I have the same problem.. I belive it is camera shake for the most part. Just that little bit of shake when you are zoomed out that far will make it happen. I guess we need to save up for those IS lenses LOL..

Just in case EXIF isn't there,

1. 4.5, 1/2000, ISO 200
2. 5.6, 1/640, ISO 200

Could the slower shutter speed be the problem? It's not like he was running in the outfield... Thanks again for your replies.

I have IS, on the 100-400L... It was turned on.

We're in BFE, Arkansas. I had the camera in landscape for a rare time on this shot. I usually like to get the feet and the head also. That's not my question though. Why is close up shot clean and the outfield shot blurry? Thanks.

Where's Dennis when you need him?

Invest in a mono pod, you can get one at you local Super Wal-Mart for around $30 or get one off of BH Photo. Even if you don't use it, they are nice too have.

Got a monopod... used it for the shot. Sorry I wasn't more specific to begin with. Thanks for the reply though.

I'm curious to know if there's a difference in IQ from close range to long range. I thought I was being steady and careful when I took the outfielder shot, but it didn't turn out good. I know I was unprepared for the close range shot, but it turned out great. Lucky? Or is there something about the distance from the camera? Thanks again..

BTW, "Even if you don't use it, they are nice too have."

What else are you using your monopod for?

John.

It's the camera shake. The longer the focal length, the more movement affects the image.

Bendel,

Thanks for the reply, and sorry for the delay in responding. I was at the ball fields all day yesterday. Great drawing by the way, makes sense.

Regards,

John.

John, at a minimum open it up to f4 and jack the ss to 1250. If you want more, bump the ISO to 400 and give the ss another bump. You got plenty of wiggle room to deal with so I'd start there.

johndevane wrote in post #5268579
Just in case EXIF isn't there,

1. 4.5, 1/2000, ISO 200
2. 5.6, 1/640, ISO 200

Could the slower shutter speed be the problem? It's not like he was running in the outfield... Thanks again for your replies.

Keep your shutter speed maxed out -- I strive for no less than 1/1000, even if it means higher ISO.

My guess on your second shot -- Slight miss on AF and a touch of camera shake.

Cool diagram about focal length on this thread -- it looks spot-on!

Scott,

Good to hear from you again. Thanks for the input.

Sam,

Thanks. I'll pay more attention to the SS. I've been letting AV decide.

Follow the advise about bumping up the ss. Also, it might be a good time to start shooting in manual mode. I found when shooting in AV my exposures would be all over the place do to the players uniforms (White Sox = white pants and black shirt). With manual I set my ISO, set my aputure (usually wide open), and meter off the grass to get my ss. I'll adjust ISO as necessary to keep my ss as high as I can.

Here's a little trick that I've been working on that has really helped me. I try to keep my ss up around 4000 (daylight) then when I have to swing around and point into the shadows I spin that little ss wheel about 3 or 4 clicks as I'm turning and I'm good to go. My minds eye is finally getting trained to glance at the viewfinder meter and respond to it. Takes a little practice, but if you work on it you can get pretty fast. Just remember to dial it back when you turn back around.