So, I have some camera questions.

BlackRider · Post by **BlackRider** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 6:20 pm

Indoor fast action? Like basketball or volleyball?

Step 1 - Set your white balance. If you don't want to spend $5 for a gray card, something white will do (sheet of paper, not a t-shirt).

Step 2 - Set your ISO to 1600.

Step 3 - Set your exposure. Turn the dial to M, set the widest aperture you can (smallest #), set the shutter speed off something on the basketball court and adjust based on some test images. (Check the histogram.) If there's really really good lighting and your shutter speed is faster than 1/400, I'd go try a slower ISO and reset exposure.

Step 4 - Shoot away!

Every time you put the camera down, check your last few images to make sure you're still getting good exposure. You'll want to slightly underexpose (you don't want alot touching the right side of the histogram)... I shoot Canon... so, does the Nikon have a highlight warning? I can set the Canon 40D to beep at me when the highlights are getting blown out.

Oh, a tip when setting aperture. I'm not familiar with your lenses, but the f-numbers after the focal length... if there's 2 of them (i.e. 18-55mm f/4-5.6) then keep in mind that if you set your exposure using the first number say: 1/200 f/4 and then you zoom in you'll be shooting 1/200 f/5.6 and you'll be underexposing by a whole stop.

I really hope you enjoy your D-SLR, mine's really made an addict out of me.

*edit*
Example of a really well lit gym:

1/400 f/3.5 ISO 800, 105mm zoom w/ 1.6x crop
(and actually I later went to 1/400 f/2.8 ISO 500, which... I think... is an equivilant exposure, but less noise)

Post by **XMEN Gambit** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 10:58 pm

Cool! Enjoy the new toy, Hat!

(A VR lens for $150?)

I've seen a lot of photographers complaining about "dim-nasiums" so don't think that indoor sports is an easy thing. You'll probably want to get a very fast (low f/stop) lens to do much of it, or live with the extra noise the high-ISO setting brings.

Have you got some software for processing RAW images? Sometimes you can pull a little extra detail out of an image if you alter the settings used to convert from RAW to jpg.

Spinning Hat · Post by **Spinning Hat** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 7:29 am

BR - We're talking Wrestling mostly, and eventually some dance recitals, etc. where using the flash isn't exactly the best thing to do. My 18-55 lens is a 3.5 - 5.6, and my 55-200 is 4 - 5.6. yes, the image flashes where it's getting blown out, so I need to check the image after each one, haven't figured out the sound settings yet.

Gambit - Yeah, and it's a Nikkor lens, can you believe it? It was a $50 upgrade from the 55-200 lens I was going to buy with the kit Ritz camera had. Essentially, they were offering $100 off the 55-200mm lens whether it was VR or not, so I got the VR lens. I do have some image processing software, as the Nikon comes with some, and I also have Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro. Is there a big advantage of shooting RAW over Jpeg?

BlackRider · Post by **BlackRider** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 12:55 pm

Hat - I've never used flash for sports. The lense I use for sports is way too big to use with the built-in flash, and 90% of the games I go to don't allow flash anyway. Wrestling, I think you could get away with... dance recitals....... idk, it depends on lighting. If they have all the gym lights on, yes... if the lights are dimmed, I doubt you'd be able to get much w/o a faster lense. (Though even my 50mm f/1.8 @ ISO 3200 hasn't given me night vision.

)

Spinning Hat · Post by **Spinning Hat** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 1:48 pm

I was talking flash for the dance.. I don't want to use the flash if I don't have to, but it seemed when I used it, the shutter speed went way up and I got a better picture. I'll play with this thing a TON more, and we'll see. Hopefully I get some better shots this or next weekend..

Post by **XMEN Gambit** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 5:45 pm

RAW vs JPG is the subject of much discussion in photog communities. Pros for RAW include more image information and better white balancing capability. Cons include more time to process, file size, and can you really tell the difference anyway?

For me, the extra info I can pull out of a RAW is worth the time, and you can definitely tell the difference. I'm not confident enough to shoot pure JPG and so shooting RAW gives me kind of a safety net. YMMV.