Just Got My Sigma 70-200 f2.8 Lens

Any and all shooting tips are welcome.
I will mostly be shooting my 8 year old's hockey games.
Previously was using a Canon 55-250 with decent results after fixing the shots in Lightroom and CS4.
My camera is a T1i.
Thanks people.

My advice is to only shoot wide open if you have to. If you can increase the ISO and use f/4, do it. The lens will give you sharper results at f/4 than at f/2.8 and you'll have a little extra fudge factor for focus error.

cdifoto wrote in post #8687216
My advice is to only shoot wide open if you have to. If you can increase the ISO and use f/4, do it. The lens will give you sharper results at f/4 than at f/2.8 and you'll have a little extra fudge factor for focus error.

What ISO do you recommend at F4?
Thanks

Depends. You'll need to decide that on your own.

Shoot in Av mode for a few test shots first. Check histogram / image and see if the brightness is alright. If your shutter speed is a little slow (slower than 1/400 or 1/500) try to increase your ISO. Then decide on a correct exposure (assuming lighting doesn't change) and shoot in manual (:

carshop wrote in post #8687205
I will mostly be shooting my 8 year old's hockey games.

For sports, I find that the exposure settings begin with the shutter speed. For 12yo hockey, I need 1/400 s or faster to avoid motion blur - you might get away with a bit slower. Many of the rinks I shoot in are dim enough that to achieve that shutter speed I'm maxed out on both aperture and ISO (with a 100/2 on my XSi). When you have the luxury of more light, it becomes a trade off between lowering the ISO for less noise or stopping down for more depth of field (which can be helpful for moving targets).

Since you've been shooting hockey already, you probably know that there is a lot of white, so your histograms should be well to the right (i.e., a higher exposure than the camera would choose, if you let it).

I like the 55-250 a lot, but not for hockey - you should be much happier with the Sigma.

JHutter wrote in post #8687389
For sports, I find that the exposure settings begin with the shutter speed. For 12yo hockey, I need 1/400 s or faster to avoid motion blur - you might get away with a bit slower. Many of the rinks I shoot in are dim enough that to achieve that shutter speed I'm maxed out on both aperture and ISO (with a 100/2 on my XSi). When you have the luxury of more light, it becomes a trade off between lowering the ISO for less noise or stopping down for more depth of field (which can be helpful for moving targets).

Since you've been shooting hockey already, you probably know that there is a lot of white, so your histograms should be well to the right (i.e., a higher exposure than the camera would choose, if you let it).

I like the 55-250 a lot, but not for hockey - you should be much happier with the Sigma.

Thanks for the tips.
Yes I love my 55-250, great all around lens.
Cant wait to shoot with this new monster.

center point focus - mine searches pretty bad when using multi-point focus. just a side note. love my lens though.

carshop wrote in post #8687285
What ISO do you recommend at F4?
Thanks

Rule of thumb,,shoot the lowest ISO possible.. It all depends on the lighting conditions and the subject..

as your kid (and the kids he plays with/against) get older, you're going to need faster shutter speeds
8 yearolds, you should be able to get away with 1/320-1/400, but that also depends at what level he's playing....
forwards usually move faster than kids playing defence, so if your kid is on D, you can adjust settings to clean up those images...
and if you're shooting the goalie, he's not moving much, but his movements can be quick at times

SMP_Homer wrote in post #8689626
as your kid (and the kids he plays with/against) get older, you're going to need faster shutter speeds
8 yearolds, you should be able to get away with 1/320-1/400, but that also depends at what level he's playing....
forwards usually move faster than kids playing defence, so if your kid is on D, you can adjust settings to clean up those images...
and if you're shooting the goalie, he's not moving much, but his movements can be quick at times

He plays AAA on D and forward.
Thanks for the tips guys

It's a Sigma. Send it in for the inevitable focus "calibration" before the season starts.

Gene

kini wrote in post #8689929
It's a Sigma. Send it in for the inevitable focus "calibration" before the season starts.

Gene

How would I know if it needs calibration?

Shoot with it in real life situations. if there is something wrong with the images that cant be traced back to user error, set up a focus test. Camera on a tripod, remote release, focus on one battery in a row of 4 or 5 or so. If your lens obviously has issues, send it in.

Now you guys have me paranoid, lol.
Here is a pic of my son on the computer.
I focused on his left eye.
Is it ok?

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The upload is not as sharp as the original I took.