[cxdoo]

some surf
K-7 and F80-200 F4.7-5.6

This is really nice. We have a spot where surfers/parasailers/paragliders convene regularly but I'm too lazy to go out there in the wind to shoot.


Snow is a relatively rare occurrence in Cyprus. We've got a 2000m high mountain and almost every year it does snow, but the area where it stays is very small. Consequently, people here don't see a need to invest in appropriate gear.
Here's one creative use for a garbage bag. Snowbagging?

[chris528735]

Here's a shot I took of my son at his HS wrestling match earlier this year. My equipment really isn't ideal for sports photography but I did the best with what I had. Any suggestions for good lens for wrestling shoots? I'm usually positioned pretty close on the corner of the mat.


1/125 sec at f/2.8, ISO 3200, 100mm (smc PENTAX-D FA MACRO 100MM F2.8 WR)
K30

[dosdan]

chris528735, a nice shot under difficult lighting conditions. Your settings match 4.9LV. These are difficult lighting conditions for action. Fortuitously, in wrestling, you have periods of relative stillness so you can get away with 1/125s. I've been getting motion blur issues in soccer & athletics with a shutter speed of 1/1000s. (I use FocusMagic to attempt to correct the blur. Here's an example, although in this case it didn't sharpen up as much as it often does so I suspect there's more than just motion blur going on in this shot, https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/32-digital-processing-software-printing/2...ml#post3023009 )

I've got a Pentax-FA 100/F2.8 Macro lens. (Not the later "D" version, so it's got a focus limiter.) I think the relatively slow movement of the focusing mechanism (nice for manual fine-focus adjustment in macro situations) would make it tough for use in sports, although with wresting there will be many times when the distance of subjects is static for a while.

Is the image cropped at all? The AR is still 3:2. If this is uncropped, the horiz. FOV of the image is about 2.5m (8'). The subject distance for this FOV at 100mm FL & f/2.8 is 10.5m (34') .

Shooting, say basketball under those lighting conditions, using this macro lens at f/2.8 & 1/125s, would be near impossible.

Dan.

[chris528735]

chris528735, a nice shot under difficult lighting conditions. Your settings match 4.9LV. These are difficult lighting conditions for action. Fortuitously, in wrestling, you have periods of relative stillness so you can get away with 1/125s. I've been getting motion blur issues in soccer & athletics with a shutter speed of 1/1000s. (I use FocusMagic to attempt to correct the blur. Here's an example, although in this case it didn't sharpen up as much as it often does so I suspect there's more than just motion blur going on here, https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/32-digital-processing-software-printing/2...ml#post3023009 )

I've got a Pentax-FA 100/F2.8 Macro lens. (Not the later "D" version, so it's got a focus limiter.) I think the relatively slow movement of the focusing mechanism (nice for manual fine-focus adjustment in macro situations) would make it tough for use in sports, although with wresting there will be many times when the distance of subjects is static for a while.

Is the image cropped at all? The AR is still 3:2. If this is uncropped, the horiz. FOV of the image is about 3m (10'). The subject distance for this FOV at 100mm FL & f/2.8 is 13m (a bit over 40') .

Shooting, say basketball under those lighting conditions, using this macro lens at f/2.8 & 1/125s, would be near impossible.

Dan.

Thanks for the reply, Dan. I consider myself still a fairly amateur shooter so still have much to learn. My fastest lens at present are the FA 50mm and the DFA 100 MACRO. I did shoot some with the 50mm over the weekend but it was wider that I preferred and most of my shots with that lens came out blurry (in hindsight I think this is more my technique than anything else). I'm seriously thinking of stepping up to either the K5 IIs given the great deal at BH or the K3 coupled with a faster lens primarily for shooting wresting and some basketball. Would you please clarify what is meant by "Your settings match 4.9LV"? I am not familiar this terminology.

[dosdan]

Would you please clarify what is meant by "Your settings match 4.9LV"? I am not familiar this terminology.

LV is the Light Value of the scene as determined from the Exif data in the shot. It doesn't consider the lens transmission losses or any rendering brightness adjustment in PP. See Table 2 here: Exposure value - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I've created a LV Calculator program: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/55-photography-articles/88197-excel-2003-...alculator.html

Dan.

[dosdan]

Concerning LV, this thread (https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/55-photography-articles/126203-stops-shut...nsitivity.html) which brings up APEX (Additive System of Photographic Exposure), is worthwhile reading as Light Value is now stored in the Exif data: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/172-pentax-k-3/252885-tracking-football-s...-60-250-a.html

Dan.

[RGlasel]

Any suggestions for good lens for wrestling shoots?

Anything with fast, accurate focus. But there is nothing wrong with the focus in the shot you posted. Good technique trumps slow AF motors. If you can get this close, a P-TTL capable flash will also help, but you may not like the harsh shadows of direct flash. You can forget about bouncing the flash off of a wall or ceiling, it simply isn't going to work. You also don't need a longer focal length than 100mm, so you don't need to blow big bucks on an f2.8 70-200 zoom, never mind how much easier it is to handle the smaller lenses.

It costs you nothing to develop digital photos, so why not experiment the next time you take pictures? And don't restrict yourself to conventional wisdom about shutter speed and ISO settings. Try ISO 6400 and see if you like it. If you are truly getting blurred faces at 1/125 sec. (not just out of focus), try increasing your shutter speed in small increments. For a wrestling match, I highly doubt you will need to go faster than 1/250 sec. No one cares if the fingertips are sharp, what people want to see is the expressions on the wrestlers' faces. In my experience the K-30 is not very good at tracking moving subjects across the frame, I have better luck with Spot AF-C (focus priority) and continuous shooting, but you should experiment to see what works best for you.

[dosdan]

A flying junior soccer kick. K3 + DA* 60-250/F4 @250mm FL, 1/1000s, f/7.1, ISO500.



Dan.

[dadipentak]

Any suggestions for good lens for wrestling shoots?

I'd recommend a zoom if you're going to be shooting away meet--you never know how close you'll be to the action. I use a Sigma 50-150 for indoor sports but it's discontinued (and scarce used.) I've never handled one but I was going to recommend the DA*50-135 but the reviews regarding the AF give me pause. A Sigma or Tamron 70-200/2.8 might be good options--especially if your son indulges in field sports.

[chris528735]

Anything with fast, accurate focus. But there is nothing wrong with the focus in the shot you posted. Good technique trumps slow AF motors. If you can get this close, a P-TTL capable flash will also help, but you may not like the harsh shadows of direct flash. You can forget about bouncing the flash off of a wall or ceiling, it simply isn't going to work. You also don't need a longer focal length than 100mm, so you don't need to blow big bucks on an f2.8 70-200 zoom, never mind how much easier it is to handle the smaller lenses.

It costs you nothing to develop digital photos, so why not experiment the next time you take pictures? And don't restrict yourself to conventional wisdom about shutter speed and ISO settings. Try ISO 6400 and see if you like it. If you are truly getting blurred faces at 1/125 sec. (not just out of focus), try increasing your shutter speed in small increments. For a wrestling match, I highly doubt you will need to go faster than 1/250 sec. No one cares if the fingertips are sharp, what people want to see is the expressions on the wrestlers' faces. In my experience the K-30 is not very good at tracking moving subjects across the frame, I have better luck with Spot AF-C (focus priority) and continuous shooting, but you should experiment to see what works best for you.

Thanks for the reply. I will do some experimentation at the meet tomorrow. I was thinking about getting another lens but I just saw the great deal that Adorama had on the K3 with grip and card that I could not resist. So, next weekend I will have the benefit of much better camera for the task. In reflection I do think you are correct about technique over technology and I will focus more on that tomorrow. Thanks

Thanks for the reply. I will do some experimentation at the meet tomorrow. I was thinking about getting another lens but I just saw the great deal that Adorama had on the K3 with grip and card that I could not resist. So, next weekend I will have the benefit of much better camera for the task. In reflection I do think you are correct about technique over technology and I will focus more on that tomorrow. Thanks

I shoot in lots of low light with high shutter speed to stop action. Think about a 2.8 zoom, like the Tamron 28-75. From the corner of the mat, you'll be in good shape. Currently using a pair of K5IIs bodies and if I need to, go to 6400 or 12,800. I bet if you set your shutter speed for 1/320, you'll stop most of the wrestling action. They can't be faster than Cinderella.

[dadipentak]

That's a terrific image Brooke! Also a lovely athlete ;~)

[Stavri]

Real Madrid vs. Manchester United on Guinness Cup 2014, Michigan Stadium,

[crewl1]

Real Madrid vs. Manchester United on Guinness Cup 2014, Michigan Stadium,

Great shot, I like how the spectators are captured to give a feel for the event. Excellent!

The photog with the big Canon lens is missing the action, probably found a cute girl in the stands

[6BQ5]

My son in his taekwan do class ... for belt graduation.


IMGP1217 by Never Off, on Flickr