Need Help Freezing Motion!

Hey everyone, well I just got my first DSLR: 20D with 70-200 f/4 L.
I got it to focus on Equine/Wildlife and Portrait Work. Well we have 27 horses and let them all out of there paddock and into the pasture all at once. I wanted to get some great shots of them running. (This was the first day I got the camera and lens) and when I uploaded all the photos only 1 out of the 50 or so shots was in focus. Every horse was out of focus but the background was clear as day.

What can I do to improve my shots without using a tripod? If this helps I was on P Mode. Also could someone tell me how to change my focus point so I do not alwasy have to be on the center point.

Thanks and if you need a picture of what I'm talking about, let me know.

It would really help if you posted some examples. Without an example it's hard to tell if you actually missed focus, or more likely, you had too slow a shutter speed and what you think is bad focus is actually motion blur.

crn3371 wrote in post #5815220
It would really help if you posted some examples. Without an example it's hard to tell if you actually missed focus, or more likely, you had too slow a shutter speed and what you think is bad focus is actually motion blur.

Will do, hold on.

Post the exif data. Seems your shutter speeds a bit slow. You might want 1/1000 or so.

Set you ISO to around 800 and set to Tv at 1/500 or 1/1000 and see what you get. If it is too dark, go all the way to 1600.

Number 1 has no sharp areas - probably the shutter speed was too low for handholding.

Number 2 & 3 have no areas crystal clear but they are sharper than number 1. For a 70-200 lens the depth of field on these shots looks fairly high so I'm guessing a small aperture has caused a slow shutter speed meaning some camera shake & blurring of motion.

I'd aim for a shutter speed of about 1/1000 second or faster. Set the camera to tv mode, choose shutter speed of 1/1000 and then half press with the lens pointed at the subject. If the aperture value flashes at you then alter the ISO to a higher number until you are getting an aperture of somewhere between F4 & F8.

If the 20D is like most of the other canons then the top right hand button on the back of the camera combined with the dial alters the focus point. I'd be shooting with AF in servo mode to follow focus the horses.

Hope this helps

Phil

choomps wrote in post #5815302
Post the exif data. Seems your shutter speeds a bit slow. You might want 1/1000 or so.

F/6.3
SS: 1/160s
ISO:200

Focus: AI Focus

And how do you change your focus points?

bakerbranded wrote in post #5815318
F/6.3
SS: 1/160s

ISO:200

Focus: AI Focus

And how do you change your focus points?

Ok - based on all that ISO 400 should be about right for the conditions & open up the aperture a little - f4.5 say.

Did you read my bit on focus points?

AI Servo please. That is for motion. Did you try center focus setting?

philthejuggler wrote in post #5815339
Ok - based on all that ISO 400 should be about right for the conditions & open up the aperture a little - f4.5 say.

Did you read my bit on focus points?

AI Servo, got it., but thanks for the help

SuzyView wrote in post #5815348
AI Servo please. That is for motion. Did you try center focus setting?

Will do and I have it on the center focus point. I dont know how to chnage it to anything else. Can you tell me how to chnage it if I need to?

Too slow a shutter speed. Either bump your iso up to 400 which would double your shutter speed up to 1/320, or open up the aperture on your lens. An easy way to prove that it is you and not your gear would be to shoot in sports mode and see what your results look like.

crn3371 wrote in post #5815375
Too slow a shutter speed. Either bump your iso up to 400 which would double your shutter speed up to 1/320, or open up the aperture on your lens. An easy way to prove that it is you and not your gear would be to shoot in sports mode and see what your results look like.

That was another idea I had. Thanks.

bakerbranded wrote in post #5815364
Will do and I have it on the center focus point. I dont know how to chnage it to anything else. Can you tell me how to chnage it if I need to?

Aaaaagh! I typed all that above - on most Canon cameras it is the top right button on the back of the camera & then roll the dial!!!! The focus points then move through a sequence of each selected in turn & then all selected.