Forgot Password
Pentax Camera Forums Home
 

Reply
Show Printable Version Search this Thread
05-23-2016, 01:08 PM   #1
Veteran Member
slip's Avatar

Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: 2 hours north of toronto ontario canada
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 3,535
sports tracking wide open?

this might sound like an overlap posting but it's not. I see some great shots but most of them are at small F stops like F7, F8 etc. with this small of and F stop the depth of field is so large that it is almost an exercise in shutter speed then autofocus tracking.
could we please see some examples of tracking wide open, or close to it?

thanks

Randy

05-23-2016, 01:28 PM   #2
Veteran Member
Mareket's Avatar

Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Chester
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 719
https://www.facebook.com/Olexi-Photography-142238982536887/photos/?tab=album...44862005607909

There's a load of examples there of shooting indoor in low light with f/2.8 nearly all the time on the 50-135 which is a pain to focus with, very slow. It's still quite serviceable. Not great but not a deal breaker. Certainly wouldn't want to shoot professionally with it though, at least not for this situation. Other than low light sports shooting it's a great lens, but low light action is really demanding on any camera.

Edit: Some are on the 16-50 and 50/1.8 too. A lot are out of focus but in there because they're the best of a bad bunch, it's not the best example but it does highlight the shortfall of this particular camera/lens combination. This is using continuous 9-point pattern AF with medium tracking.

Last edited by Mareket; 05-23-2016 at 01:35 PM.
05-23-2016, 01:41 PM   #3
Veteran Member
slip's Avatar

Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: 2 hours north of toronto ontario canada
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 3,535
Original Poster
QuoteOriginally posted by Mareket Quote
https://www.facebook.com/Olexi-Photography-142238982536887/photos/?tab=album...44862005607909

There's a load of examples there of shooting indoor in low light with f/2.8 nearly all the time on the 50-135 which is a pain to focus with, very slow. It's still quite serviceable. Not great but not a deal breaker. Certainly wouldn't want to shoot professionally with it though, at least not for this situation. Other than low light sports shooting it's a great lens, but low light action is really demanding on any camera.

Edit: Some are on the 16-50 and 50/1.8 too. A lot are out of focus but in there because they're the best of a bad bunch, it's not the best example but it does highlight the shortfall of this particular camera/lens combination. This is using continuous 9-point pattern AF with medium tracking.
your link is dead. thanks

Randy
05-23-2016, 02:07 PM   #4
Administrator
Site Webmaster
Adam's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Arizona
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 51,558
There's a handful here:
Smc PENTAX-DA* 50-135mm F2.8 ED [IF] SDM and PENTAX K-3 | Sample Photos for Pentax Cameras & Lenses - PentaxForums.com


Adam
PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide | Site Help | My Photography)



PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:
05-23-2016, 02:54 PM   #5
Veteran Member




Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 11,913
In defence of f8 ... when sports shooting, there are a lot of good reasons to shoot f8 (and smaller). Lenses perform best optically stopped down, particularly at the edges, and sometimes the extra DOF (eg at medium telephoto like 70-200mm) means you may get (for example) more useful details or context in the scene. f2.8, f1.8 etc can be useful in low-light, but reality isn't flat, and subjects don't always move in perfectly straight lines directly in front of your camera either.

Plus a lot of sports shooting is with long telephoto. At 300 - 500mm+, f8 doesn't really give you much extra DOF. And with some long lenses, f8 is just one stop above wide-open anyhow.
05-23-2016, 06:12 PM   #6
Senior Member




Join Date: Oct 2015
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 108
the tamron 17-50 is fast focus at 2.8 you may want to try that one if you need quick focus with aps-c
05-23-2016, 06:14 PM   #7
Veteran Member
slip's Avatar

Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: 2 hours north of toronto ontario canada
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 3,535
Original Poster
QuoteOriginally posted by HudsonShooter Quote
the tamron 17-50 is fast focus at 2.8 you may want to try that one if you need quick focus with aps-c
thanks. I used to own one but didn't care much for the build quality and sold it

Randy

05-23-2016, 07:12 PM   #8
rfg
Senior Member




Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Sydney
Posts: 139
QuoteOriginally posted by slip Quote
this might sound like an overlap posting but it's not. I see some great shots but most of them are at small F stops like F7, F8 etc. with this small of and F stop the depth of field is so large that it is almost an exercise in shutter speed then autofocus tracking.
could we please see some examples of tracking wide open, or close to it?

thanks

Randy
There was a good thread on this last year, which I see you posted in too so probably you remember it? https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/172-pentax-k-3/305681-increasing-af-speed...ware-both.html
There is a sequence of a basketball player running towards the camera at f2.8 on the first page. Also awaldram gives a nice explanation that AF-C tracking relies on distinguishing the subject (keep in focus) from the out of focus background so tracking should work best with small f numbers.
05-25-2016, 10:16 AM   #9
Veteran Member
slip's Avatar

Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: 2 hours north of toronto ontario canada
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 3,535
Original Poster
QuoteOriginally posted by rfg Quote
There was a good thread on this last year, which I see you posted in too so probably you remember it? https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/172-pentax-k-3/305681-increasing-af-speed...ware-both.html
There is a sequence of a basketball player running towards the camera at f2.8 on the first page. Also awaldram gives a nice explanation that AF-C tracking relies on distinguishing the subject (keep in focus) from the out of focus background so tracking should work best with small f numbers.
after 10 years and over 3,000 post it is hard for me to remember Thanks for the link


Randy
Reply

Bookmarks
  • Submit Thread to Facebook Facebook
  • Submit Thread to Twitter Twitter
  • Submit Thread to Digg Digg
Tags - Make this thread easier to find by adding keywords to it!
dslr, k-3, k3, pentax k-3
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Landscape Wide Open & Flat Out Kerrowdown Post Your Photos! 13 12-13-2017 07:34 AM
Landscape Wide Open Spaces Dewman Post Your Photos! 5 05-26-2015 10:44 AM
m42 for wide open metering Rimfiredude Welcomes and Introductions 9 11-09-2014 07:29 AM
K-3 DA* 60-250 AF Tracking Sample Shot Sequence Sports for your analysis Rudy Pentax K-3 & K-3 II 13 11-21-2013 09:55 PM
Some indoor sports photos from Aviva Singapore Badminton Open art2d2 Post Your Photos! 9 06-18-2008 06:47 AM



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 09:56 PM. | See also: NikonForums.com, CanonForums.com part of our network of photo forums!
  • Red (Default)
  • Green
  • Gray
  • Dark
  • Dark Yellow
  • Dark Blue
  • Old Red
  • Old Green
  • Old Gray
  • Dial-Up Style
Hello! It's great to see you back on the forum! Have you considered joining the community?
register
Creating a FREE ACCOUNT takes under a minute, removes ads, and lets you post! [Dismiss]
Top