K-5 for sports-photography

RonHendriks1966 · 08-29-2012, 01:44 AM

Originally posted by klh

Great shot Ron, but nasty "strawberry" on her knee. Ouch!

These girls are tough, so don't mind kicking them

bossa · 08-29-2012, 01:52 AM

Originally posted by dosdan

Our team, Sunnybank Saints U10 Vortex, have a week off before the coming semi-finals match. The coach asked the team to come to an informal match on Saturday so that they could keep working on improvements. Since there was no team to play against, the coach asked for relatives and friends (some of whom play soccer in older age grades) to make up an opposing team.

I want along planning to experiment as there was no self-imposed pressure on me to capture all the action. I've never seen a match with so much smiling.

I kept to the Sigma 70-200/F2.8 II, fully open, and varied positions, all sitting on the ground with the camera hand-held. I preferred the initial midpoint sideline shots as the background was less busy and the furthest distances weren't too bad.

Since there was a lot of action in the 1st half near the oppositions goal and end of the field, in the 2nd half I decided to position myself first at the opposition corner and then later next to their goal, thinking I'd get a lot of close action. However, perversely, most of the action occurred up the other end, so a lot of stuff was photographed at a large distance and with a busier background and with the sun behind them. In retrospect, I would have gotten better results in the 2nd half by staying at the mid-point sideline. (The field was N-S orientated.)

Often the OOF background became obtrusive @ f/2.8. I think this happens if the subject is a bit OOF.

I mainly wanted to practice shooting with the decoupling of AF from the shutter release button. I tried using the AF button with both Auto-AF (1st half) & Centre-point AF (2nd half). For me, Auto-AF gave better results, but this may well change as I get more experience with this way of shooting.

All shots shown here at f/2.8, 1/2500s-1/4000s, ISO100-ISO320.

1. Two Vortex players

2. My son kicks a ball which has his coach cowering for a change!

3. A nice shot. Maybe I'd recrop to have a little more space on the left.

4. This shot captures the spirit of the match well.

5.

A 4-shot sequence that has the coach directing even as he's playing against a Vortex player. The 3rd & 4th photos for me are quite emotive, with overtones of fostering, encouraging & directing the next generation.

6a.

6b.

6c.

6d.

7.

8. The OOF background is becoming intrusive.

9.

10. The face is slightly OOF, but the ball looks in focus. I could tighten this up with masking & applying Focus Magic to the palyer, but I haven't bothered with any major processing in these images.

Dan.

Nice work but #4 looks like the adult just gave the kid a whack around the head. Seriously, if they had boxing gloves on you'd swear he just smacked him one.

dosdan · 08-29-2012, 06:59 PM

Originally posted by bossa

#4 looks like the adult just gave the kid a whack around the head. Seriously, if they had boxing gloves on you'd swear he just smacked him one.

The young player's facial expression is from laughter, not cringing in terror from a physical blow. I never thought that the shot would convey an impression of belligerence, but then again I was there, and you were not.

Perhaps this highlights the problem of (mis)interpreting a situation from one photo. That's why I often prefer a sequence.

Dan.

GvilleRick · 08-30-2012, 06:54 PM

It was an interesting night for me shooting a JV Football game at 6 and then a volleyball game at 7:00. I used the same lens for both, my Tamron 70-200 f/2.8, using a Tamron 1.4 TC I just got on the lens for the football game and removing it for the volleyball shots. Lighting was pretty bad for the volleyball so the ISO was at 3200. Here are my favorite shots from the night.

gamester · 09-03-2012, 01:03 PM

Karate1 WKF Premier League in Istanbul
Male Team Kata Final: Japan Team Bunkai

Pentax K-5 & Pentax 50-200mm
ISO 5000 f/5.6 1/800

Pentax K-5 & Pentax 50-200mm
ISO 4000

treebeard · 09-04-2012, 05:56 PM

I recognize the names on those shirts, what county is that?

Chaos_Realm · 09-04-2012, 06:00 PM

Originally posted by gamester

Karate1 WKF Premier League in Istanbul
Male Team Kata Final: Japan Team Bunkai

Pentax K-5 & Pentax 50-200mm
ISO 5000 f/5.6 1/800

Pentax K-5 & Pentax 50-200mm
ISO 4000

These are some excellent captures. Look kind of painful too.

**Ex Finn.** · 09-05-2012, 03:17 AM

Varsity soccer. TAv and AFC works pretty good, can`t wait to see what the new models bring to the table.

RonHendriks1966 · 09-05-2012, 05:50 AM

Originally posted by Ex Finn.

Varsity soccer. TAv and AFC works pretty good, can`t wait to see what the new models bring to the table.

These girls already look fine to me, are you changing them?

VisualDarkness · 09-05-2012, 05:53 AM

This is from Surahammar (local team, Tommy Salo?) vs Tre Kronor Legends where I bet some of you will find a known face or two. Click on a pick to see even more of them.

lambros · 09-05-2012, 10:44 AM

Very inspiring thread. Ron, love your work. Im new to the site. Learning the k5. This thread has taught me a lot about shutter speed , technique, and lenses. Great shots and info from a lot of pentaxians, you guys rock ! Below is my addition to the thread. Shot in the island of Chios Greece. A friend's son practicing some soccer shots at the beach ...and I some action shots ..

.... K5 , smc da 55-300mm

VisualDarkness · 09-05-2012, 10:58 AM

Perfect timing on that shot! I love how you also got the eyes so clear.

lambros · 09-05-2012, 11:15 AM

thank you ... like i said .. you guys and this thread helped me out tremendously ..Im very happy with the results also. I def see a difference with in camera lens correction / adjustments turned on and off. In trying to recreate the shot with lens corrections on .. at another place and time .. I wasn't able to get the eyes as clear as above. Im thinking the frame rate is tad slower ... could that be ? or is just a simple hit or miss on autofocus ?

**Ex Finn.** · 09-05-2012, 06:47 PM

Originally posted by VisualDarkness

This is from Surahammar (local team, Tommy Salo?) vs Tre Kronor Legends where I bet some of you will find a known face or two. Click on a pick to see even more of them.

Serious series of very good hockey shots, well done.

**Ex Finn.** · 09-05-2012, 06:48 PM

Originally posted by lambros

Very inspiring thread. Ron, love your work. Im new to the site. Learning the k5. This thread has taught me a lot about shutter speed , technique, and lenses. Great shots and info from a lot of pentaxians, you guys rock ! Below is my addition to the thread. Shot in the island of Chios Greece. A friend's son practicing some soccer shots at the beach ...and I some action shots ..

.... K5 , smc da 55-300mm

That is a cool shot.

08-29-2012, 06:59 PM	#918
dosdan Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Brisbane, Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,741	Originally posted by bossa #4 looks like the adult just gave the kid a whack around the head. Seriously, if they had boxing gloves on you'd swear he just smacked him one. The young player's facial expression is from laughter, not cringing in terror from a physical blow. I never thought that the shot would convey an impression of belligerence, but then again I was there, and you were not. Perhaps this highlights the problem of (mis)interpreting a situation from one photo. That's why I often prefer a sequence. Dan. Last edited by dosdan; 08-29-2012 at 07:11 PM.

09-05-2012, 03:17 AM	#923
Ex Finn. Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern Maryland. Espoo. Kouvola. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,975	Varsity soccer. TAv and AFC works pretty good, can`t wait to see what the new models bring to the table. Last edited by Ex Finn.; 11-11-2014 at 05:47 PM.

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08-29-2012, 01:44 AM	#916
RonHendriks1966 Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,675 Original Poster	Originally posted by klh Great shot Ron, but nasty "strawberry" on her knee. Ouch! These girls are tough, so don't mind kicking them

08-29-2012, 01:52 AM	#917
bossa Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Adelaide Posts: 4,546	Originally posted by dosdan Our team, Sunnybank Saints U10 Vortex, have a week off before the coming semi-finals match. The coach asked the team to come to an informal match on Saturday so that they could keep working on improvements. Since there was no team to play against, the coach asked for relatives and friends (some of whom play soccer in older age grades) to make up an opposing team. I want along planning to experiment as there was no self-imposed pressure on me to capture all the action. I've never seen a match with so much smiling. I kept to the Sigma 70-200/F2.8 II, fully open, and varied positions, all sitting on the ground with the camera hand-held. I preferred the initial midpoint sideline shots as the background was less busy and the furthest distances weren't too bad. Since there was a lot of action in the 1st half near the oppositions goal and end of the field, in the 2nd half I decided to position myself first at the opposition corner and then later next to their goal, thinking I'd get a lot of close action. However, perversely, most of the action occurred up the other end, so a lot of stuff was photographed at a large distance and with a busier background and with the sun behind them. In retrospect, I would have gotten better results in the 2nd half by staying at the mid-point sideline. (The field was N-S orientated.) Often the OOF background became obtrusive @ f/2.8. I think this happens if the subject is a bit OOF. I mainly wanted to practice shooting with the decoupling of AF from the shutter release button. I tried using the AF button with both Auto-AF (1st half) & Centre-point AF (2nd half). For me, Auto-AF gave better results, but this may well change as I get more experience with this way of shooting. All shots shown here at f/2.8, 1/2500s-1/4000s, ISO100-ISO320. 1. Two Vortex players 2. My son kicks a ball which has his coach cowering for a change! 3. A nice shot. Maybe I'd recrop to have a little more space on the left. 4. This shot captures the spirit of the match well. 5. A 4-shot sequence that has the coach directing even as he's playing against a Vortex player. The 3rd & 4th photos for me are quite emotive, with overtones of fostering, encouraging & directing the next generation. 6a. 6b. 6c. 6d. 7. 8. The OOF background is becoming intrusive. 9. 10. The face is slightly OOF, but the ball looks in focus. I could tighten this up with masking & applying Focus Magic to the palyer, but I haven't bothered with any major processing in these images. Dan. Nice work but #4 looks like the adult just gave the kid a whack around the head. Seriously, if they had boxing gloves on you'd swear he just smacked him one.

08-30-2012, 06:54 PM	#919
GvilleRick Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2011 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,689	It was an interesting night for me shooting a JV Football game at 6 and then a volleyball game at 7:00. I used the same lens for both, my Tamron 70-200 f/2.8, using a Tamron 1.4 TC I just got on the lens for the football game and removing it for the volleyball shots. Lighting was pretty bad for the volleyball so the ISO was at 3200. Here are my favorite shots from the night.

09-03-2012, 01:03 PM	#920
gamester New Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 7	Karate1 WKF Premier League in Istanbul Male Team Kata Final: Japan Team Bunkai Pentax K-5 & Pentax 50-200mm ISO 5000 f/5.6 1/800 Pentax K-5 & Pentax 50-200mm ISO 4000

09-04-2012, 05:56 PM	#921
treebeard Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Windham, NH Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 793	I recognize the names on those shirts, what county is that?

09-04-2012, 06:00 PM	#922
Chaos_Realm Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Melbourne, Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,251	Originally posted by gamester Karate1 WKF Premier League in Istanbul Male Team Kata Final: Japan Team Bunkai Pentax K-5 & Pentax 50-200mm ISO 5000 f/5.6 1/800 Pentax K-5 & Pentax 50-200mm ISO 4000 These are some excellent captures. Look kind of painful too.

09-05-2012, 05:50 AM	#924
RonHendriks1966 Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,675 Original Poster	Originally posted by Ex Finn. Varsity soccer. TAv and AFC works pretty good, can`t wait to see what the new models bring to the table. These girls already look fine to me, are you changing them?

09-05-2012, 05:53 AM	#925
VisualDarkness Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Uppsala, Sweden Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,439	This is from Surahammar (local team, Tommy Salo?) vs Tre Kronor Legends where I bet some of you will find a known face or two. Click on a pick to see even more of them.

09-05-2012, 10:58 AM	#927
VisualDarkness Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Uppsala, Sweden Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,439	Perfect timing on that shot! I love how you also got the eyes so clear.

09-05-2012, 11:15 AM	#928
lambros New Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Levittown, NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 18	thank you ... like i said .. you guys and this thread helped me out tremendously ..Im very happy with the results also. I def see a difference with in camera lens correction / adjustments turned on and off. In trying to recreate the shot with lens corrections on .. at another place and time .. I wasn't able to get the eyes as clear as above. Im thinking the frame rate is tad slower ... could that be ? or is just a simple hit or miss on autofocus ?

09-05-2012, 06:47 PM	#929
Ex Finn. Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern Maryland. Espoo. Kouvola. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,975	Originally posted by VisualDarkness This is from Surahammar (local team, Tommy Salo?) vs Tre Kronor Legends where I bet some of you will find a known face or two. Click on a pick to see even more of them. Serious series of very good hockey shots, well done.

09-05-2012, 06:48 PM	#930
Ex Finn. Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern Maryland. Espoo. Kouvola. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,975	Originally posted by lambros Very inspiring thread. Ron, love your work. Im new to the site. Learning the k5. This thread has taught me a lot about shutter speed , technique, and lenses. Great shots and info from a lot of pentaxians, you guys rock ! Below is my addition to the thread. Shot in the island of Chios Greece. A friend's son practicing some soccer shots at the beach ...and I some action shots .. .... K5 , smc da 55-300mm That is a cool shot.