Des' latest footy pics installment

[losfp]

These were taken (again, the reserves match) at the SCG. Again, the less said about the main game, the better...






I think I'm getting better at capturing "moments", and anticipating play. Certainly got a higher percentage of keepers than the last attempt. I used AF-C this time, and I think it might have helped, though I did worry that the camera would start to focus on the wrong thing if I wasn't able to keep the subject in the focus area while panning, for example.

Any comments, suggestions? I'm still not quite sure how to crop the pics. The first is not a very tight crop, the second is pretty tight.

D70s, 70-300G, 1/500 @ f/8, ISO400. Crop, exposure, curves in Camera Raw, Resize and Smart Sharpen in CS2.

The 8 best pics are at http://thesystemisdown.com/gallery/thum ... p?album=26 if anyone is interested.

[wmaburnett]

Great job capturing facial expressions! very nice
~William

[byrt_001]

hi

the last shot is great, just a bit too dark. but the expression on the guy face is great.

thanks for sharing

christian

[MCWB]

Nice Des, these are excellent! I shot at the Port game a couple of weekends ago so I sympathise with how difficult it can be. This is what I found:

*the lighting is a bitch, especially if you're on the Eastern side. Heavily backlit small subject with shadow background = goddamn nasty! I used the 70-200 VR and actually got some lens flare in one shot! I have never experienced this with the 70-200 VR before; the lighting really sucked. I used centre-weighted metering and I'm amazed how good a job it did though. I think you would ideally want to give the subject in both your pics about another + 0.5 EV, but that's then going to blow the highlights even more. Unless you can hit them with a mofo of a flash and put up with the dark background I think you've done about as well as you can!

*AF-C was good, but I used single point AF, which often focussed on the background stands rather than the small player in the foreground. I didn't really think about this when I was there, have you tried the multiple-area moving subject thingo AF mode?

[losfp]

Nice Des, these are excellent! I shot at the Port game a couple of weekends ago so I sympathise with how difficult it can be. This is what I found:

*the lighting is a bitch, especially if you're on the Eastern side. Heavily backlit small subject with shadow background = goddamn nasty! I used the 70-200 VR and actually got some lens flare in one shot! I have never experienced this with the 70-200 VR before; the lighting really sucked. I used centre-weighted metering and I'm amazed how good a job it did though. I think you would ideally want to give the subject in both your pics about another + 0.5 EV, but that's then going to blow the highlights even more. Unless you can hit them with a mofo of a flash and put up with the dark background I think you've done about as well as you can!

*AF-C was good, but I used single point AF, which often focussed on the background stands rather than the small player in the foreground. I didn't really think about this when I was there, have you tried the multiple-area moving subject thingo AF mode?

Thanks for the comments, guys!

Trent, it's heartening to know that even guys with 70-200VRs struggle. At the time I was shooting, around noon, the lighting IS pretty lousy. I've tried from the wing on the O'Reilly stand side, and for this batch, I shot from behind the goals at the Randwick end. Next time, I might try behind the goals at the Paddington end.

I normally use single point AF too, but as you said, it is all too easy to focus on the stand. I will attempt using the closest subject AF mode thingie next time, but I'm afraid it will still be something of a crapshoot, considering the D70s only has 5 AF points (and really only the centre is anywhere approaching reliable).

Will the rate of improvement continue in the next instalment? Only time will tell....

[^catalyst]

A technique I picked up from DaveB at the Zoo is to use the button 'on the thumb' at the back of the camera AF-L/AE-L as AF-ON.

Set camera to AF-C and hold rear button to focus, shoot with shutter release as per usual. The advantage is the shutter release won't trigger auto focus, so you can focus and shoot, stop and quickly shoot again still focused where you were.

Sounds weird, give it a go. I've become a bit of a fan of shooting this way.

-Lachie

[Manta]

A technique I picked up from DaveB at the Zoo is to use the button 'on the thumb' at the back of the camera AF-L/AE-L as AF-ON.

Set camera to AF-C and hold rear button to focus, shoot with shutter release as per usual. The advantage is the shutter release won't trigger auto focus, so you can focus and shoot, stop and quickly shoot again still focused where you were.

Sounds weird, give it a go. I've become a bit of a fan of shooting this way.

-Lachie

Agree with you wholeheartedly on this point Lachie. It's my standard set up now, if only to see the priceless looks on the faces of freinds and family who pick up the camera expecting to snap a sneaky photo of the elusive Manta when he isn't looking. "Hey, how do you focus this thing???" Classic.

[MCWB]

I was indeed using the AF-ON method for focussing; it comes and goes like a fad for me, but it's in at the moment.

The problem however isn't one of AF speed (at least not with my 70-200 VR), but one of focus accuracy when tracking a small, fast moving object against a distant background. You have to have that middle AF sensor on the bloke you want to shoot when you AF (by whichever method), because if it's a bit off you get nicely in focus stands (and OMG my D70 has backfocus ). It's tracking the small guy running through the middle of the ground that's the problem, if they're on the wing close to you AF isn't as much of a problem because the subject covers more of the frame and therefore it's easier to cover the AF sensor with the subject.

The AF-ON method can be a very useful tool though once you get used to it (and of course provided you don't want AF/AE lock).

[losfp]

Thanks guys, I'll give that tip a go next time.

I sometimes use the AE Lock button, when I want to meter on something and focus on something completely different.. But interestingly enough, I rarely use it anyway (I prefer to stick it on M mode), so I might give it a go.

[the foto fanatic]

One of the problems with the D70's small viewfinder is focussing on fast-moving subjects (further emphasised if the photographer is over 30, the usual age by which the eye is starting to let in less light!).

It is easier and quicker to use the centre focus area, but that usually means recomposing the shot before pressing the shutter - not always ideal when shooting action.

Whilst the use of the AF-L/AE-L button to focus does help in some cases, I find that I still prefer to use that button for exposure control and the shutter button for focus control.

By the time your fingers and thumbs manage:
- the shutter button
- the AF-L/AF-E button
- the multi-selector button
- the main command dial
- the sub-command dial

You are sorry you didn't buy a video camera instead!

[Alex]

The beauty of using that button is that you can use AF-C and AF-S focusing without changing any of the settings.

Alex