Are you ready for some football?!!!! part 1 Ground Attack

[dc7thchild]

Great captures as usual, John!

Twice you've mentioned adjusting your lens focus. Could you explain your method for testing & adjusting? Thanks! - Tom

[JohnG]

dc7thchild wrote:

Twice you've mentioned adjusting your lens focus. Could you explain your method for testing & adjusting? Thanks! - Tom

The issue manifests because I shoot at long focal lengths and wide 2.8 apertures. So there is often only about 3 feet of total DOF and a moving subject. So a slight front or back focus results in images not quite sharp - but still consistent.

One of the nice features of the new 1d mk III is the ability to register a focus adjustment for up to 7 different lenses. You basically do focus tests to determine if a given lens is front or back focusing. The method I used was to mount on a tripod and take a shot of an object with aperture wide open, take a shot with 0 adjustment then take shots at -10, -5, +5 and +10 adjustments in the camera. Then download results and view on computer. From there you zero in on the value you need. The range goes from -20 to +20. I don't know what the unit of measurement is - if there even is one that makes sense to a user.

This is really a great feature - especially with 3rd party lenses. With other Canon cameras and canon lenses you would send both into Canon and they would test and fix back/front focus - you'd end up paying like $70 and waiting a week or two. With third party lenses it's worse - canon won't touch them and third party manufacturers could always claim "its the camera not the lens". Now at least with this camera you can do it yourself. I have no idea if Canon intends to push this function down to other cameras. We'll see when the next models are released.

[Ron G]

John,

Great shots as always.

I will be shooting my first Football game of the season in 2 hrs from now.

I just recieved my Nikon 70-200 mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Lens today!!!

I cannot wait to use it!!!!

FINALLY got the wife to splurge.

If I can get results HALF as great as yours always are, I will be happy.

[JohnG]

Congrats Ron. By all accounts it's a fantastic lens. Looking forward to your shots!

[Trojansoc]

Ron, you have caused a serious attack of lens envy among all of us who would lve to have a lens like that. Congratulations! Can't wait to see your shots.

John, just a note to let you know that you don't waste your breath with your advice, even though some of us are stubborn enough not to take it all the time, lol, I have used one of your ideas to get myself on the sidelines for part of football season, while getting the home games covered while I'm in the pressbox.

I'm going to travel with the team to shoot road football games, and the young lady I've been working with who has aspirations of being a photographer, has agreed to shoot most of the home games. (Somehow, I have a feeling the "deal" will break down about homecoming :-).) Since I don't have an f2.8, we're going to have to experiment to get up to the aperature/shutter combinations, and could well wind up shooting with the s6000 after full dark. This shouldn't be a big problem early in the season as we should have decent daylight for the first quarter or so of most games.

I was almost "forced" into doing something after the success we had with a photosharing website for soccer. All of my students who play the "other kind of football" began to whine to me about why no one does that for them, and I've seen the basketball coach lurking around my classroom door.

[JohnG]

Trojansoc wrote:

I was almost "forced" into doing something after the success we had with a photosharing website for soccer. All of my students who play the "other kind of football" began to whine to me about why no one does that for them, and I've seen the basketball coach lurking around my classroom door.

:GNow you've opened Pandora's box. Here is my honest suggestion - See if the school / boosters is willing to pony up the money for some gear - camera and lens. The school would own it but it could be used for sports pictures. You get to use a 2.8 lens and the school keeps getting free pictures. I think there'd be more issues with you owning the gear. Just an idea. Don't know if it would fly but it might be worth considering.

[Trojansoc]

It's an excellent suggestion, but it won't fly at this time because the school has bought the annual staff an xTi and was willing to buy an f2.8 lens for sports. However, the sponsor doesn't have a clue and turned it down.

Maybe later, when the school politics have a little different dimension, that will work.