Indoor Soccer

Here is a picture I took tonight while coaching my boys soccer team. The picture was taken with a Canon 70-200mm f2.8 non IS, ISO 1600, 150mm, 0ev, f2.8, 1/200, ai servio mode,
Image doesn't seem very sharp.

http://www.flickr.com …/thestreets06/5​434936645/

What am I going wrong? This image was taken in RAW and has not been touched up.

Thanks

Shutter speed is too slow for soccer at that age, need it to be faster, may need to find a spot to hide an off camera flash.

Yes, there is some motion blur. 1/200th is usually too slow to capture action sports. However, the slight blur around the legs and arms adds something to the image. The image is a bit small to see the face. It looks a little OOF, but it is possible to have acceptable blur and still have the main subject in focus. Keep shooting!

What focus point were you using? If you used center point, that would be around his lower chest or belly - the face could be enough off plane to be a little OOF. At 2.8, that can happen.

But the pic is too small to say for sure.

one word...flash. Its the best way to consistently get good results indoors. I've even experimented with using a Fong diffuser (lined with tin foil for a little added power) and got acceptable results with no real shadowing. I'll see if I can dig up an image I shot with that diffuser on.

I was using center point focusing on ai servio. Would I be better off using all 9 AF points that my 60D offers?
This may be a stupid question, but what do you mean by too small?

Thx

figo wrote in post #11823579
I was using center point focusing on ai servio. Would I be better off using all 9 AF points that my 60D offers?
This may be a stupid question, but what do you mean by too small?

Thx

Center point will render the best results. By saying, "too small," when I click the link, it only brings up one about 600px dimension. A larger image will allow us to see more detail.

asysin2leads wrote in post #11823602
Center point will render the best results. By saying, "too small," when I click the link, it only brings up one about 600px dimension. A larger image will allow us to see more detail.

Thanks for answering, Kevin. I only now noticed the post. But I wasn't sure if the center point was still the best on the 60D since I don't have one.

From one Kevin to another...

kfyount wrote in post #11824023
Thanks for answering, Kevin. I only now noticed the post. But I wasn't sure if the center point was still the best on the 60D since I don't have one.

From one Kevin to another...

AI Servo and center point focus is the best combination when shooting action sports.

asysin2leads wrote in post #11824145
AI Servo and center point focus is the best combination when shooting action sports.

I knew that was the case for my little 1000D and I was pretty sure it was true for other Canons, but the 60D is new and maybe they enhanced the other focus points...

As for focus point what are people's thoughts on center top focus point. I like to shoot lots of sports and I really want the face to be the most focused. With the center focus I feel I am loosing the lower body shot out of the frame. Would center top allow me to keep the entire body with face most focused with a Canon 40D and 2.8 70-200 IS? Any thoughts? Thanks.

asysin2leads wrote in post #11824145
AI Servo and center point focus is the best combination when shooting action sports.

Also use your back focus button. *

lax76 wrote in post #11825884
As for focus point what are people's thoughts on center top focus point. I like to shoot lots of sports and I really want the face to be the most focused. With the center focus I feel I am loosing the lower body shot out of the frame. Would center top allow me to keep the entire body with face most focused with a Canon 40D and 2.8 70-200 IS? Any thoughts? Thanks.

This is also of interest to me - I have the same challenge. I've read (and as discused in previous posts) that center point is the most accurate. But like you point out, when I use center and focus on the face, the shot is not composed as I want it (cut off legs, etc.).

But if you use a different focus point, the AI servo doesn't function as well.

Is there an easy solution that I am overlooking? I am learning to do back button focus but I don't think that has any impact on this issue, does it? Also, I have the 1000D/XS - are there other Canon models that deal with this better?

My understanding is that the * back button focus is no more or less accurate than pressing the shutter halfway. Just a matter of preference.

You could work that shot in PS a little to improve it, but the truth is that lights in most indoor facilities are bad. Making use of only ambient light will give you the kind of shot you posted.

If you are using photoshop ACR, run that shot through it. Your white balance looks close, I suspect that if you toy with the blacks slider and the fill light you can get more contrast, which will help a lot. Boost clarity, saturation and vibrance. Then next time, try flash.

sfinkernagel wrote in post #11831440
My understanding is that the * back button focus is no more or less accurate than pressing the shutter halfway. Just a matter of preference.

That is true - back button has the same focus accuracy as the default setting. Thus it is limited by the camera and by the photographer's ability (my main problem).

But back button does provide advantage over default when you want to shoot action. Some find it easier to maintain the focus with the back button and get the exact timed shot with the shutter button. Using back button keep the lens from needing to refocus after each shot (which can be good or bad...)

But it is true that much of it is a matter of preference.