D70 @ kids events

[christyinohio]

Is the only way to get non blurry pictures at dance recitals, baseball games etc. is for me to buy a lens??? I have played with every possible setting at dance and still get 10 blurry to 1 good shot.

[JimC]

For things like Dance Recitals without a flash, you generally want use a brighter lens.

I'd look at a Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 Autofocus lens, or 50mm f/1.8 Autofocus lens if you can get close enough (the 85mm would be preferred).

Then, shoot in Aperture Priority mode using around f/2 and ISO 1600 and see what kind of shutter speeds you're getting, checking the exposure to make sure it's not underexposed or overexposed (then, use a +EV setting with Exposure Compensation for a Brighter Exposure, or a -EV Setting with Exposure Compensation for a darker exposure than the metering system is using).

Center Weighted metering is probably your best bet (it's usually more predictable in difficult conditions compared to Matrix). I'd probably use Incandescent (Tungsten) for White Balance.

[JimC]

P.S.

You posted this in our Nikon Forum, setup for point and shoot type Nikon cameras. For models like your D70, we have a Nikon dSLR Forum setup. I've moving this post there for you now.

[JimC]

For the baseball games, you'll probably want an f/2.8 zoom if you mean night games. For example, a Nikkor or Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 if you can get relatively close.

For day games, if you're getting a lot of blurry photos, increase your ISO speed (each time you double it, the camera can use shutter speeds twice as fast for the same aperture and lighting).

[nickphoto123]

christyinohio wrote:

Is the only way to get non blurry pictures at dance recitals, baseball games etc. is for me to buy a lens??? I have played with every possible setting at dance and still get 10 blurry to 1 good shot.

What lens are you using with your D70?

[christyinohio]

The one that came with it - and I am a COMPLETE amatuer so I need something that doesn't require a lot adjusting, if that is even possible. I know my camera does 10 times more things than I can make it do.

[nickphoto123]

Well we are getting close.

The name of the lens should be on the lens barrel.

[brm]

Christy: Your question is so general as to probably be beyond the scope of a short answer in this forum. And having had a D70 and read the manual, I don't want to refer you back to it, although it is a model of clarity compared to the D200 manual. Anyway, what you want is a large aperture and a fast shutter speed, and if you're indoors you'll need flash. If you got one of the kit lenses, it really is fairly "slow," meaning its maximum aperture at its maximum magnification (or even its minimum magnification) is not big enough to allow you to use a fast enough shutter speed to stop the blur of the action in front of you, or possible camera shake. Try this, at least outdoors: Use the "sports" setting on the top left dial. Set the ISO to "automatic" or 1600. Take some pictures and see how they come out. If it's not sunny, the shutter speed may slow down to under 1/250th, even with these settings, which may not be fast enough. Also be sure both your lens and camera are set on "A" for autofocus; if one's off, it may not be focusing properly at all. Better yet, see if your local camera store has classes, and take a beginner's class. You'll learn a lot more with hands-on instruction. Good luck.