Shooting Indoors At Kcc Park

[hollywood]

I'm still finding my way around my Canon EOS 500 and being new to this I could do with some help. I have had no luck getting sharp action shots inside at KCC Park. They were especially bad when using the 250mm lens but also not good enough with the 55mm.

Its only when I get home and look at them on the computer that I can really see they are not sharp and then its some time before I can go back and try again, always with limited success. I would appreciate help with the settings that people use down there as I've seen some lovely photos taken indoors.

Another problem I can't seem to find the answer to is once I have the settings how do I store and recall them on my camera for next time?

[piper]

I'm still finding my way around my Canon EOS 500 and being new to this I could do with some help. I have had no luck getting sharp action shots inside at KCC Park. They were especially bad when using the 250mm lens but also not good enough with the 55mm.

Its only when I get home and look at them on the computer that I can really see they are not sharp and then its some time before I can go back and try again, always with limited success. I would appreciate help with the settings that people use down there as I've seen some lovely photos taken indoors.

Another problem I can't seem to find the answer to is once I have the settings how do I store and recall them on my camera for next time?

Hollywood, I am not familiar with the KCCpark indoor setup but my guess would be 1big part of it is that those getting good are probably using much faster (ie:more expensive) lenses that can cope with poor lighting better than the cheap kit lenses. This is especially true if you are trying to take movement shots indoors or in poor light.

I don't think there is a capabiliity to save settings like that, and also what works 1 time may not be the right setting on another occassion. I think it is more learning your camera and lenses. For example I have 1 lens that I always drop the exposure compensationby 1 step otherwise it over exposes some areas on my border collies. My other lens I don't need to do that with.

[DMA]

I'm still finding my way around my Canon EOS 500 and being new to this I could do with some help. I have had no luck getting sharp action shots inside at KCC Park. They were especially bad when using the 250mm lens but also not good enough with the 55mm.

Its only when I get home and look at them on the computer that I can really see they are not sharp and then its some time before I can go back and try again, always with limited success. I would appreciate help with the settings that people use down there as I've seen some lovely photos taken indoors.

Another problem I can't seem to find the answer to is once I have the settings how do I store and recall them on my camera for next time?

I don't know the indoor conditions of KCC Park either, but I do a lot of indoors photography under very gloomy conditions. Quintessentially there are two aspects to concern your self with. First is your ISO speed & the second is your aperture width.

Now I don't use Canon, so I can't help advise what buttons you push, but you probably need to look at setting the ISO at 1 600. The next is you need a wide aperture lens no less than 2.8f IMHO. The first one that springs to mind, especially on a budget, is the Sigma 70-200mm which is at 2.8f given the focal lengths you've mentioned. However, depending on the lux level, you may find you need to use something even wider at say 1.8f. Either way you need to program the camera to set the lens aperture at the widest width possible. In doing so your shutter speed will be fast which should ensure sharper pictures. having said that, ensuring you've got good glass, rather than a cheap lens, should improve image quality as well as piper has suggested above.

Plus a better camera would improve things as well, especially in respect to better noise control at higher ISO speeds.

Edited December 31, 2010 by DMA

[Guest Tess32]

I'm still finding my way around my Canon EOS 500 and being new to this I could do with some help. I have had no luck getting sharp action shots inside at KCC Park. They were especially bad when using the 250mm lens but also not good enough with the 55mm.

Its only when I get home and look at them on the computer that I can really see they are not sharp and then its some time before I can go back and try again, always with limited success. I would appreciate help with the settings that people use down there as I've seen some lovely photos taken indoors.

Another problem I can't seem to find the answer to is once I have the settings how do I store and recall them on my camera for next time?

KCC has woeful lighting, don't expect to get anything much with the average lens.

The same setting may not work the next time, lighting is still different every day, so better to understand WHY you're using something and be able to decide what to use on the day

But basically you'll need an aperture of F2.8 to get anything reasonable at KCC, and even then I've used an ISO of 1600.

What settings were you using and what lenses do you have?

[hollywood]

Sorry not replying earlier but I have been away from the computer for a few days.

Sounds to me that I am always going to struggle with action shots indoors as I am only using canon kit lens.

I took some action shots the other day outside, very gloomy day and I played around with the ISO at 800 and 1600 to get the sharpness and i must admit I was quite happy with them. The best were at 1600, like I said it was very overcast. I can't justify more expensive lens at this stage but did indulge in a macro lens which I love for doing portrait shots of the dogs heads.

I know now that I can't achieve the shots I want to indoor and I will stick to practising in good light outside until I master that.

As for not being able to save the settings I understand the reasoning behind it not working for me. I was pouring over the manual trying to figure it out as someone with a cheaper camera told me they could do it and I thought I must somehow be able to do the same.

Thank you for your help it will now save me much frustration chasing the shots I wanted and never being satisfied. When I feel more confident and experienced I can wish for a decent lens, maybe next Christmas!

[PossumCorner]

Shooting Indoors At Kcc Park

There is an Arabic saying "When buying a horse or taking a wife, close your eyes tightly and commend yourself to God".

They could have added the KCC Park Indoors to that short list. I don't think anyone, ever, has produced "great" results. Just acceptable at best.

Good action shots are more than possible with good camera/lens, but the white balance is still not great, the ugly background of ring-fencing is too close to the action so can't be focussed out, and if done in Photoshop looks just that. Floor and wall colour and texture are bleergh. Lighting isn't just poor, it is very mixed.

A capable photographer with a "good eye" and using their equipment to its best advantage and within its limitations can produce beautiful work from a pretty ordinary camera. But KCC Park lighting conditions are challenging, and in general only the higher level bodies and lenses can produce what exhibitors want - sharp detail, good action, correct colour.

I think in a couple of years time entry-level cameras will be technologically more up to it, and it won't be necessary to also have classy lenses. Will be interesting to see, and KCC would be a good testing ground.

[hollywood]

Loved the quote!!

Well I feel better that it just isn't me, the conditions certainly are against people like myself that are at an entry level with SLR's.

[Linda K]

even if the cameras get better though, it does not magically give someone a great eye to take a photo - that bit is still up to the photographer to learn if they can - same as other art, just because you can paint, does not make you an artist, similarly just because someone can use a camera and expose a photo properly, does not mean it will be more than just a snapshot unless you have the eye with it to set up the composition