Advice Needed for Game on Friday

This will be my first time attempting to take action/sports photos and I'm looking to obviously get the best photos I can. For clarification, at this point I have a Rebel XS with the 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS kit lens and the highest ISO setting is 1600. I am going to be front row against the glass at the Quinnipiac v Yale ice hockey game on Friday. I was hoping that someone could recommend settings for this game.

Also, I am lending my camera to my girlfriend for Saturday so she can take pictures of a cheerleading competition. I do not know where this will be taking place so I can't give an idea of how the lighting will be. I was hoping I could also get some recommendations for settings for this so I could have it all set for her to use.

There's not much you can do with that setup there. Use Manual, set the lens to 55mm, and program the camera to f/5.6, and ISO to 1600. At that point, depending on available light, you may only get to a shutter speed of 125-150, which is going to be too slow to capture much action at all. You might get some stills of the goalie in net, or pre-faceoffs, but other than that, my only suggestion would be to pray really hard that the guy next to you has a spare 70-200L with him.

The lens may limit you in both focal length and max aperture. College game and rink? The light will probably be pretty good. You may be in decent shape. I'd start by setting the camera to AV @ f/5.6 and take a shot of the ice (nothing else in the frame). Look at what the camera gives you for a shutter, set the camera to manual then set your shutter 2 stops lower than the camera set in AV mode. In other words, if the camera sets a shutter of 1/1600 in AV and you slow it two stops, you should end up with 1/400 in manual mode. This normally works well, but check your shots as you go. I'd also go with an auto WB and definitely AI Servo for focus. Try selecting the center point only. The bigger problem in your case is going to be that focal length. Probably a bit too wide. On the other hand, since you're so close to the glass, you may capture some killer stuff up close that the lens most use for hockey would not be able to focus on! Good luck, and post what you get.

On the Cheer competition, this may be a bigger problem. I've never shot cheer, but I do shoot gymnastics. If it's anything like a gymnastic meet for lighting, and I suspect it is, that lens is going to be hard to use. The good thing about hockey is you have the big sheet of ice as an aide for getting the camera set up. Normally there is no such aide in a gym or field house. I use a grey card in those situations. I shoot the card in AV, look at the settings and go from there. I'll normally bump the exposure 1/3 to 2/3rds of a stop from the grey card settings.

In general, asking what settings to use for a particular event isn’t very helpful. It's not so much the action you're shooting as it is the venue you're shooting it in. As a general rule for sports, I'd say that you need a decent shutter 1/250 - 1/500, AI Servo and AV or Manual mode. Some like TV, but that's a personal use thing. Knowing how to find the settings for a particular venue is much more useful info.

Setting the camera up for your girlfriend? If you need to do that, I'd say AV mode ISO 1600, f/5.6 with maybe +1/3 EC. AI Servo with the center point. Hope for the best!

Yep, unless you have great lighting in the rink (possible given NCAA hockey) you are pushing the limits for what you need for hockey photos. I use 40D and 70-200 f2.8L and often the best I can get is 1600ISO f2.8 and 1/400. The kit lens is also not the greatest in terms of focusing speed and IQ. However, as mentioned, try and focus on the play as it comes to you and you may get some neat wide angle shots. Also, if your seating angle permits, key on the goalie and action at the net. If the lens is too wide, you can always try and crop a bit in post processing. Good luck.