about a 80% crop gymnastics with Nikon D600

[Franko170]

85 1.8D lens. This is a jpeg at 'fine' setting, 3200 ISO at 1/500th of a second, 1.8. I can't get in as close as I would like, and a tripod isn't always practical at a gymnastics meet with gymnasts and people walking around the gym, and I have an old (unstabilized) Sigma 70-200 2.8. So I pulled out the Nikkor 85 1.8 D and shot from a distance.

I reduced the resolution and size of the original print and cropped about 20% off, to about 7x10 at 200 dpi to give to the parent of the gymnast; and cropped that image close in on the gymnast to only about 15-18% of the original image is what I am showing here. Gymnast is doing a 'full' on the vault (I believe), so the gymnast is turning rapidly to get a 360 degree turn before landing. 'Normal' noise reduction. I think I left high dynamic range 'on.'





Here's original uncropped pic link:

[SIMON40]

It would have been interesting to see how this would have turned out with the old Sigma lens- not as bright,but you'd have had to crop less.
The good thing about gymnasts on the vault- you can pre focus and expose on the apparatus before the said shot.
Shame the other lady is in the way a touch...!

[Franko170]

Originally Posted by SIMON40

It would have been interesting to see how this would have turned out with the old Sigma lens- not as bright,but you'd have had to crop less.
The good thing about gymnasts on the vault- you can pre focus and expose on the apparatus before the said shot.
Shame the other lady is in the way a touch...!

Ya, I couldn't do much about the coach spotting the vault and want to stay out of the way of judges and other gymnasts. I locked focus on the vault table, and then it's a matter of timing.

I'm saving up for a stabilized 70-200 2.8, or will lurk ebay for the Tokina 50-135 (but that's not full-frame) 2.8 as I've heard it's a very nice sharp lens and would be easier to hand-hold. The old Sigma can't hold a candle to the sharpness of the 85 1.8.