Indoor action lens follow up

[philneast]

this is with the DA* 50-135 in gymn with poor lighting.

Used a K10D at ISO 800, shutter speed 160 and naturally aperture is wide open.


there has been noise ninja processing applied.

Not a really acceptable result from my point of view. It is ok as a snapshot but not really useable for anything else. I really only do it as practice shooting this type of action sports.

At ISO1600 the noise gets worse as expected.

The local press photographers mostly get right under the basket and use their flash, it is a poorly lit venue.

[mtngal]

As I said earlier in this thread, I had an opportunity to shoot some non-sports pictures in a sports arena (I never get the opportunity to try indoor sports). I think it wasn't as well lit as it could be for a basketball game, I thought it looked more like lighting you would see in a well-lit gym. I took a couple of pictures using the 77 Ltd and a couple with the DA*50-135. I made no effort to deal with the white balance, I was only curious what types of shutter speeds and size of the people I could get with the lenses. I was sitting back a bit - I think it would be comparable to the upper stands of a high school gym (though I have very limited experience in such places - my high school was very small).

The first picture was taken with the DA*50-135, at f2.8 and using ISO 2500 (I have a K20). The camera managed to get 1/125, which really isn't enough to stop much motion - the person was just walking across a stage and notice her back leg.

There are two pictures taken with the 77 Ltd - the first one at f2.0, ISO 800 and 1/160 shutter speed. That little bit of extra shutter speed made a difference. But also notice that the people I'm shooting at don't come close to filling the frame (all three are full frame, not cropped). The second one gives you a better idea of how far away I was sitting from the stage.

I definitely think the 77 Ltd would be a better lens, assuming that you can much closer than where I was sitting. Otherwise, the DA*50-135 would be better, but more limited as far as capturing the action.

[jnanpentaxfan]

Wow, they use a flash? I always refrain from using a flash because I don't want to do anything that would distract the athletes. It wouldn't be fair to them to have a flash going off when they are trying to concentrate on their shot, etc.

Originally Posted by philneast

this is with the DA* 50-135 in gymn with poor lighting.

Used a K10D at ISO 800, shutter speed 160 and naturally aperture is wide open.


there has been noise ninja processing applied.

Not a really acceptable result from my point of view. It is ok as a snapshot but not really useable for anything else. I really only do it as practice shooting this type of action sports.

At ISO1600 the noise gets worse as expected.

The local press photographers mostly get right under the basket and use their flash, it is a poorly lit venue.

[JohnG]

Originally Posted by jnanpentaxfan

Wow, they use a flash?

Flash is fairly common for basketball and wrestling. It's usually not allowed for volleyball or gymnastics though. I will warn though - you really want an EXTERNAL flash - not the poor built in ones (and every dslr has a poor built in flash compared to an external one). It's also difficult to get good looking results with flash - it's just one more aspect you as the photographer need to learn how to properly use.

The only time you should NOT use a flash - or even take a photo - is during a freethrow.

[robar]

consider this..
a 100mm macro lens?? they are made to be the sharpest lenses and are in the f2.8 range..that give you 2 lenses for only cost of 1....

[JohnG]

I think the OP will find 100mm to be an akward focal length for basketball. It's too tight on an APS-C sensor camera to shoot from the baseline. And, they also aren't necessarily built for focus speed - something very important for basketball.

[Mark1616]

Also as discussed earlier f2.8 is not likely to be enough brightness.