Lure Coursing/action Pictures

[Purple Julie]

What are the best settings to take lure coursing (or other action) pictures on?

I have been experimenting, but Jyra doesn't run on command, so it's hard to practice really.

If you were limited to a 18-50 kit lens, what would you have as the ISO setting, shutter speed and aperture setting?

What settings do you usually use for action pictures?

I have been thinking that ISO of 800 would be good, a high shutter speed and the aperture as open as you can get it. I found that I only get dark pictures with a shutter speed of 1/500 or 1/1000 and the aperture open as far as it will go (and not using the flash). The flash limits the shutter speed to a maximum of 1/180.

Depending on the zoom that I use, the minimum aperture is different. Sometimes I can go right down to 3.5, but other times I can only go to 5.6, using the manual settings.

[Ripley]

If you are a beginner to the camera, my husband took shots of our dog running flat out using sports mode and AI servo setting. They came out clear as a bell. I haven't taken any real action shots yet.

ISO of 800 may introduce noise if you blow up the photo. Depends on the camera you have, I used ISO 800 when hand holding and shooting shots of a city (Hobart) at dusk and there wasn't too much noise but I've found my Canon to be ok like that.

[Guest Tess32]

What are the best settings to take lure coursing (or other action) pictures on?

I have been experimenting, but Jyra doesn't run on command, so it's hard to practice really.

If you were limited to a 18-50 kit lens, what would you have as the ISO setting, shutter speed and aperture setting?

What settings do you usually use for action pictures?

I have been thinking that ISO of 800 would be good, a high shutter speed and the aperture as open as you can get it. I found that I only get dark pictures with a shutter speed of 1/500 or 1/1000 and the aperture open as far as it will go (and not using the flash). The flash limits the shutter speed to a maximum of 1/180.

Depending on the zoom that I use, the minimum aperture is different. Sometimes I can go right down to 3.5, but other times I can only go to 5.6, using the manual settings.

Hi Julie,

50mm is pretty short to get lure coursing at kcc if that's where you're intending, you won't get much of a close up.

But anyway, depends on the weather. If it's a sunny day I keep it on ISO 400 anyway, max aperture. You should not be getting underexposure on a normal day.

Yes different lenses have different maximum apertures, you pay for a "fast" lens and you also pay more when the lens has a fixed aperture (so for eg is f2.8 no matter how far out you zoom).

Dogs running towards won't need as fast a shutter speed as dogs running horizontally across your vision. 1/800 will be ok, I prefer to go a bit higher.

Make sure you don't have it on 'one shot' so that you can keep your finger pressed down and the camera will continue to focus on the animal. Use the center focus point too. And take shots in bursts.

[Purple Julie]

Thanks Nat, I do have my Dad's 75-200mm zoom lens too, which has a minimum aperture of f2.8, but it has manual focus only, so I could use that, but Dad says that I would need to focus on a particular spot and take the photo when the dog gets to that spot as it would be to hard to adjust the focus while the dog is running. What do you think on that?

I took some photos of kids playing in water yesterday at 1/1000 and got the water droplets frozen which I was happy about :D

[rubiton]

Focus on the jump with an aperture of about F8 and take the photo as the dog goes over the jump. I would take it on a 45 degree angle (focus on middle of the top jump element). ISO 400 is fine for sunny weather and 1/1000th preferable shutter speed. Hope it is sunny and try to get th e sun behind you.

ETA - pan with dog and take as dog goes over jump (thats with agility - running flat out same thing just harder to pick the exact spot the dog will run past).

Edited November 25, 2007 by rubiton