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Forum: Photographic Technique
12-29-2013, 10:47 AM
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Since gyms vary so much lighting-wise, it's hard to make specific recommendations. First, I assume you are shooting from the sidelines, particularly the end line region. If not, I'd say just use your iPhone to take a few snaps and enjoy the game because shots from the stands are not impactful. You want to fill 2/3 of the frame with action..Remember to shoot vertically.
Secondly, take an exposure meter to get a baseline of what the ideal settings would be in a few places where you will be shooting. Often lighting is spotty, and you may not realize this until you review your shots. Thirdly, while I assume your zoom Is too slow, the focal range is great, and it will give you good data on what particular focal lengths are preferred for you.
Then you can determine the faster best lens for the game. Maybe DA 70mm Ltd. Maybe DA 40 because it is so fast to focus. Maybe the cheap 50mm f1.8. I would avoid the 50-135mm-- great optics, but too slow to AF sadly. The worse the lighting the sooner and harder you will run into the wall of Pentax lens limitations--which is why 99.84% of sports shooters use Canon or Nikon.
M
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Forum: Photographic Technique
12-28-2013, 11:36 PM
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I don't know the lighting at your gym of course, but generally at the high school level (or younger) it is lousy for photography. In addition, to freeze sports action like basketball, a minimum shutter speed of 1/750 is necessary for consistency. I prefer 1/1000 - 1/1500. To achieve this will require you to visit the extremes of your equipment capabilities or simply spend $7000 for professional level tools.
Pump up the ISO and fix things as best you can in post. With the K-3 I've been shooting indoor soccer at ISO 6400, but it would work at 12,800. Since the K-5II has a slightly less noisy sensor this should be a doable ISO for you.
Regarding the lens, I believe that any f4 lens is too slow to work with the ISO+Shutter speed requirements noted above. Maybe your situation will prove me wrong. . .but I would use a lens at f2.8. For indoor I used both an FA 50mm f1.4 @ f2.8 and later switched to the DA 70mm Ltd f2.4 @ 2.8 for better reach. So if you have any 2.8 or faster AF lenses, bring 'em with. I would only use AF lenses for this kind of action.
Basketball is somewhat predictable in that the court is relatively small, the goal is in a fixed location, and there are only five players per side, and you generally know that most shots will be taken within a certain perimeter at each end. Generally the middle of the court is a transition zone. Consider focusing on one player/defender combo for a few minutes at a time. There will be enough touches on the ball to create good action shots. You can then rotate to other players. One person cannot capture all the action on a basketball court, there is too much going on in a confined space--baseball as you noted is predictable, especially if you follow the ball and understand the flow of the game.
Hope this helps.
M
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