[Reportage]

damn...gonna need to spend a fortune to get F/2 or faster AF glass if ever i get this assignment again next year.

F/3.5 even with iso 3200/6400 barely cut it and the action was too fast to manual focus.

brought out the 18-55mm WR + K20D because rain and high humidity was expected. Good thing was the camera still hunted and somehow locked even though it looked totally dark from the viewfinder.



This was the kind of conditions i was working with. Thankfully i knew a few tricks and learnt a few more for future similar event.

looks like Prime is the route for me. Anyone care to recommend what should be my eventual lens setup if this becomes a yearly assignment?

I say eventual because all at once is impossible at the moment.

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Last edited by Reportage; 10-11-2010 at 06:48 AM.

[Rory]

If you were comfortable with that range, just not the speed, why not a DA* 16-50? Faster, versitile, weatherproof.

[Reportage]

If you were comfortable with that range, just not the speed, why not a DA* 16-50? Faster, versitile, weatherproof.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/117799-pentax-...low-light.html

for the sports i do and the pictures i want, f/2.8 is not really that convincing when the above pic was best at f/3.5 at the shutter speed i needed.

[Rory]

Larger than 2.8 for sports would leave a pretty thin DOV.

[Ron Kruger]

Use wide angle, get close and fill with flash.

[Reportage]

Use wide angle, get close and fill with flash.

i was advised flash was to be used at own discretion but from experience usually means dont use flash.

[Reportage]

Larger than 2.8 for sports would leave a pretty thin DOV.

something else to learn.

eventually i will have enough material just on sports photography with pentax gear to write my own article.

[FullertonImages]

When in doubt, shoot wide and hyperfocal focus. I use that a lot with sports/action shooting, when the action is too fast or the light is too low for the AF system to be useful. Another option is focus trapping. In a setting like the picture above, it would be really easy to AF on tree at a certain point, then switch over to MF, but leave the focus how it is, then just shoot the runners when the are right next to that tree. With some practice, you can get accurate and sharp results with either of those techniques.

Or get a K-5 and shoot at iso12,800 all day long...