K-5 for sports-photography

bdery · 09-22-2010, 04:37 AM

Why not learn to anticipate the action, and take the right picture at the right time, instead of whining that the yet unreleased camera cannot take enough pictures in 3, 5, or 123657 seconds?

People used to take sports shots when cameras were manual focus only. People nowadays take sports pictures with compacts taking one second to focus. I'm sure we can manage with the K-5. Heck, amazing as it is, I even got two sports pictures in the PPG with the K20D. Can you imagine?

</>Tongue in cheeck<>

tarsus · 09-22-2010, 04:41 AM - **1 Like**

I shoot a lot of sports for a newspaper with the Kx. I anticipate the action, prefocus on a spot and shoot, at most, one burst and try it again. Try again being the key. It cost nothing and with patience you will get a good shot. A $3,000 camera will make no difference if you don't use it properly. I am sure in the right hands the K-5, or the K20D as noted above, will work fine. An example of the technique below with the Kx and the Tamron 18-250.

kittykat46 · 09-22-2010, 05:07 AM

Originally posted by Arpe

What drugs you on boy?

There's Pentax glass for sports? Who would know? Oh, you mean second hand made years ago lenses.

Okay pentax, if you now have a sports camera, how about some new sports glass? (Not slow SDM either!) Hmmm....off to dear Pentax thread...

Yup....I was thinking the same...Pentax may have finally got their sports camera with K-5 , but SDM doesn't cut it for fast-action shooting

Arpe · 09-22-2010, 04:30 PM

Originally posted by tarsus

I anticipate the action, prefocus on a spot and shoot

Do that for rugby and you're likely to get one shot a game! Just like the old days with film and manual focus.

JohnBee · 09-22-2010, 06:20 PM

Originally posted by laissezfaire

I was told by a professional sports shooter (using Canon) that they always shoot JPEG, not RAW.

I think most working shooters operate within their own comfort zones and its nor very likely that one Pro would speak for another and so on and so forth...

I know a few Canon(MK3) folk who cover sporting events as regulars and they both shoot RAW.
I've never done anything official myself(not equipped for it), but I can't see myself ever shooting anything but RAW tbh. JPG just don't carry the flexibility I'd want to get out an image.

opiet70 · 09-22-2010, 07:11 PM

Originally posted by Arpe

The K-5 would be much better in the rain!

I've never kept my finger on the button for 3 seconds and I shoot a lot of sport.

I don't shoot sports, but I do try to catch waterfowl in flight. There are time I'd want to shoot for 2-3 seconds straight, but it's not often.

Long story short, what I've read so far I think the k-5 will meet my needs if the IQ and ISO are solid.

tuco · 09-22-2010, 07:36 PM

Originally posted by EricT

This video nicely demonstrates why the "spray and pray" technique is bad for sports photography. Even at 10fps, it fails to capture the crucial moments. It is much better to use single-shot mode and anticipate the shots. In fact, this is what most sports photographers I know do.

That's a good point. And just think, no one was ever able to capture the agony of defeat before in the last 50 years until today with our awesome technology.

bdery · 09-23-2010, 05:03 AM

Quote:

Do that for rugby and you're likely to get one shot a game! Just like the old days with film and manual focus

I get many good shots at every football game I attend, and that's quite a lot. It's not the gear that makes you a good photographer...

For the record, my best football shots were done with two lenses : Vivitar series 1 70-210 MANUAL FOCUS, and FA 100-300 f4,7, not the fastest AF on the block...

tarsus · 09-23-2010, 05:21 AM

Dear Rugby fan,
I would get plenty of good shots using that method. It's a learned skill AND you have to understand the sport, a lesson many do not appreciate.

Arpe · 09-23-2010, 04:14 PM

Originally posted by bdery

It's not the gear that makes you a good photographer...

But it obviously helps considerably, just check what the pros use.
And obviously to use the pre-focus technique I'll have to upgrade my crystal ball, it's senser is too noisy and low-res to tell me which way the ball is going to go from the scrum or ruck, whether the first five eighth is going to pass or kick, and who is going to win the lineout!

Arpe · 09-23-2010, 04:15 PM

Originally posted by tarsus

AND you have to understand the sport

Yeah coz living in New Zealand it's not like I ever see much rugby!!

RonHendriks1966 · 09-24-2010, 01:03 AM

I was at PhotoKina and askied at the Pentax boot:

K-5:
Hi-speed: 7 fps for 40 jpg or 15 RAW
Low-speed: 3,3 fps for full SD-card or 17 RAW.

He said that the current models that are out ther have a limited access to their buffer space, but productionmodels have full access.

LeFanch · 09-24-2010, 01:18 AM

Originally posted by RonHendriks1966

I was at PhotoKina and askied at the Pentax boot:

K-5:
Hi-speed: 7 fps for 40 jpg or 15 RAW
Low-speed: 3,3 fps for full SD-card or 17 RAW.

He said that the current models that are out ther have a limited access to their buffer space, but productionmodels have full access.

Hi!

Thanks a lot for this info, that sounds good!

François

brecklundin · 09-24-2010, 01:22 AM

Originally posted by Arpe

The K-5 would be much better in the rain!

I've never kept my finger on the button for 3 seconds and I shoot a lot of sport.

yeah, but "spray 'n pray" is sounds so cool when you are doing it in a crowd of PnS sorts...

Arpe · 09-24-2010, 03:37 AM

Originally posted by brecklundin

yeah, but "spray 'n pray" is sounds so cool when you are doing it in a crowd of PnS sorts...

Not with the K-7, they can hardly hear it!
Seriously I hear the Canons and Nikons when they're 50 metres away, they probably don't think I take many!

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09-22-2010, 04:37 AM	#16
bdery Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Quebec city, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,357	Why not learn to anticipate the action, and take the right picture at the right time, instead of whining that the yet unreleased camera cannot take enough pictures in 3, 5, or 123657 seconds? People used to take sports shots when cameras were manual focus only. People nowadays take sports pictures with compacts taking one second to focus. I'm sure we can manage with the K-5. Heck, amazing as it is, I even got two sports pictures in the PPG with the *K20D*. Can you imagine? </>Tongue in cheeck<>

09-22-2010, 05:07 AM	#18
kittykat46 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 923	Originally posted by Arpe What drugs you on boy? There's Pentax glass for sports? Who would know? Oh, you mean second hand made years ago lenses. Okay pentax, if you now have a sports camera, how about some new sports glass? (Not slow SDM either!) Hmmm....off to dear Pentax thread... Yup....I was thinking the same...Pentax may have finally got their sports camera with K-5 , but SDM doesn't cut it for fast-action shooting

09-22-2010, 04:30 PM	#19
Arpe Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: New Zealand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,452	Originally posted by tarsus I anticipate the action, prefocus on a spot and shoot Do that for rugby and you're likely to get one shot a game! Just like the old days with film and manual focus.

09-22-2010, 06:20 PM	#20
JohnBee Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Newrfoundland Photos: Albums Posts: 4,667	Originally posted by laissezfaire I was told by a professional sports shooter (using Canon) that they always shoot JPEG, not RAW. I think most working shooters operate within their own comfort zones and its nor very likely that one Pro would speak for another and so on and so forth... I know a few Canon(MK3) folk who cover sporting events as regulars and they both shoot RAW. I've never done anything official myself(not equipped for it), but I can't see myself ever shooting anything but RAW tbh. JPG just don't carry the flexibility I'd want to get out an image.

09-22-2010, 07:11 PM	#21
opiet70 Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dallas, TX Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 499	Originally posted by Arpe The K-5 would be much better in the rain! I've never kept my finger on the button for 3 seconds and I shoot a lot of sport. I don't shoot sports, but I do try to catch waterfowl in flight. There are time I'd want to shoot for 2-3 seconds straight, but it's not often. Long story short, what I've read so far I think the k-5 will meet my needs if the IQ and ISO are solid.

09-22-2010, 07:36 PM	#22
tuco Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pugetopolis Posts: 11,026	Originally posted by EricT This video nicely demonstrates why the "spray and pray" technique is bad for sports photography. Even at 10fps, it fails to capture the crucial moments. It is much better to use single-shot mode and anticipate the shots. In fact, this is what most sports photographers I know do. That's a good point. And just think, no one was ever able to capture the agony of defeat before in the last 50 years until today with our awesome technology.

09-23-2010, 05:03 AM	#23
bdery Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Quebec city, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,357	Quote: Do that for rugby and you're likely to get one shot a game! Just like the old days with film and manual focus I get many good shots at every football game I attend, and that's quite a lot. It's not the gear that makes you a good photographer... For the record, my best football shots were done with two lenses : Vivitar series 1 70-210 MANUAL FOCUS, and FA 100-300 f4,7, not the fastest AF on the block...

09-23-2010, 05:21 AM	#24
tarsus Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mount Shasta Posts: 185	Dear Rugby fan, I would get plenty of good shots using that method. It's a learned skill AND you have to understand the sport, a lesson many do not appreciate.

09-23-2010, 04:14 PM	#25
Arpe Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: New Zealand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,452	Originally posted by bdery It's not the gear that makes you a good photographer... But it obviously helps considerably, just check what the pros use. And obviously to use the pre-focus technique I'll have to upgrade my crystal ball, it's senser is too noisy and low-res to tell me which way the ball is going to go from the scrum or ruck, whether the first five eighth is going to pass or kick, and who is going to win the lineout!

09-23-2010, 04:15 PM	#26
Arpe Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: New Zealand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,452	Originally posted by tarsus AND you have to understand the sport Yeah coz living in New Zealand it's not like I ever see much rugby!!

09-24-2010, 01:03 AM	#27
RonHendriks1966 Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,675 Original Poster	I was at PhotoKina and askied at the Pentax boot: K-5: Hi-speed: 7 fps for 40 jpg or 15 RAW Low-speed: 3,3 fps for full SD-card or 17 RAW. He said that the current models that are out ther have a limited access to their buffer space, but productionmodels have full access.

09-24-2010, 01:18 AM	#28
LeFanch Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Working in Norway, Bordeaux area when on time-off Posts: 123	Originally posted by RonHendriks1966 I was at PhotoKina and askied at the Pentax boot: K-5: Hi-speed: 7 fps for 40 jpg or 15 RAW Low-speed: 3,3 fps for full SD-card or 17 RAW. He said that the current models that are out ther have a limited access to their buffer space, but productionmodels have full access. Hi! Thanks a lot for this info, that sounds good! François

09-24-2010, 01:22 AM	#29
brecklundin Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Photos: Albums Posts: 1,674	Originally posted by Arpe The K-5 would be much better in the rain! I've never kept my finger on the button for 3 seconds and I shoot a lot of sport. yeah, but "spray 'n pray" is sounds so cool when you are doing it in a crowd of PnS sorts...

09-24-2010, 03:37 AM	#30
Arpe Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: New Zealand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,452	Originally posted by brecklundin yeah, but "spray 'n pray" is sounds so cool when you are doing it in a crowd of PnS sorts... Not with the K-7, they can hardly hear it! Seriously I hear the Canons and Nikons when they're 50 metres away, they probably don't think I take many!