The XSi "sports/action mode" College Baseball

[Triplenickle]

I took several images yesterday of some college baseball action and posted them on my flickr link.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/galloimages

Some were taken with the 70-300mm IS and 100-400mm L IS.

 

[GoCubsGo]

Not bad. I would highly recommend also learning to shoot on a more manual setting, shutter priority is often good but learn how to shoot on both shutter and aperture priority as it is very lens-dependent. The reason why I say that is initially, based on the title alone, I figured you were going to ask people whether or not this mode is good for sports photgraphy. My short answer would have been no as it is nothing more than a setting that is intended to use under ideal conditions. Since that's cleraly not what your post is and you didn't ask I'm going to shut my mouth.

About the pictures.
This One is nice, seems sharp enough etc etc but I would have liked to have the pitcher a little more over to the right of the frame. Let the eye have some desire to move with the pitch...if it were released that is.

Personally this is one of my favorites. The only thing lacking is the fact that I would love to have been on the other side to see faces and expressions and such. I'm using it as my wallpaper right now actually. Hope you don't mind...if you do I'll tell you I'll dump the image and never use it again and you'll just have to trust me on that one.

 

[Triplenickle]

Not bad. I would highly recommend also learning to shoot on a more manual setting, shutter priority is often good but learn how to shoot on both shutter and aperture priority as it is very lens-dependent. The reason why I say that is initially, based on the title alone, I figured you were going to ask people whether or not this mode is good for sports photgraphy. My short answer would have been no as it is nothing more than a setting that is intended to use under ideal conditions. Since that's cleraly not what your post is and you didn't ask I'm going to shut my mouth.

About the pictures.
This One is nice, seems sharp enough etc etc but I would have liked to have the pitcher a little more over to the right of the frame. Let the eye have some desire to move with the pitch...if it were released that is.

Personally this is one of my favorites. The only thing lacking is the fact that I would love to have been on the other side to see faces and expressions and such. I'm using it as my wallpaper right now actually. Hope you don't mind...if you do I'll tell you I'll dump the image and never use it again and you'll just have to trust me on that one.

Thanks Jessica for your comments. Actually, I normally shoot ALL manual but wanted to see how the sports mode would do. I was very pleased with the results. I took almost 500 images and the vast majority looked great, IMHO considering using the sports/action mode.

 

[termina3]

I like the photos, but as was mentioned previously shutter or aperture priority is better than a "sports" mode, especially once the light gets bad.

I personally like to set the aperture to the lowest possible setting (/2.8), giving me the thinnest possible DOF. This technique isolates the subject as much as possible, although it doesn't leave any slack if my focus is off.

Another thing I'd suggest is getting more photos of the "action" plays; you've done this to a large degree, but photos of a batter looking are boring. Labeling them as such is essentially saying "I'm boring, don't look at me". Swinging misses–even if you can tell they're misses–are action, and much "cooler". You're almost there–for ex. the almost-diving-catch is a great shot.

PS I love the tulip on the linked-to page. Beautiful.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

You have taken lots of very nice photos. The bird is sharp as a tack. The Sports Mode is very useful at the racetrack, for example, where the subject is moving toward you or away from you. In this mode, the camera automatically tracks the subject and maintains its focus when the shutter button is half-pressed. The baseball photos could have been taken in any of modes from P to M, since the subject is not moving toward/away from you, but they are good photos, too.

 

[PkennethV]

The Sports Mode is very useful at the racetrack, for example, where the subject is moving toward you or away from you. In this mode, the camera automatically tracks the subject and maintains its focus when the shutter button is half-pressed. The baseball photos could have been taken in any of modes from P to M, since the subject is not moving toward/away from you, but they are good photos, too.

You can get the camera to focus in this manner (continues tracking when shutter button is half pressed) in any of the manual modes by changing the focus mode to AF-C rather than AF-A or AF-S. (the lingo may or may not different for Canon...but that's what it's called on Nikon cameras and I'm sure there's a way for the XSi)

 

[AlaskaMoose]

You can get the camera to focus in this manner (continues tracking when shutter button is half pressed) in any of the manual modes by changing the focus mode to AF-C rather than AF-A or AF-S. (the lingo may or may not different for Canon...but that's what it's called on Nikon cameras and I'm sure there's a way for the XSi)

Yes, you can set Canon cameras to "Servo" for continuous shooting (burst), but the Sports mode is specifically designed to do the same with the camera working on full auto, which is handy on impromptu shots when one has no time to mess around with exposure, WB, ISO and the rest. I use it sometimes on dog sled-races in Alaska, and it works very well. But I mostly shoot with the camera on P mode (auto, but with manual control as needed), or on aperture priority when using a prime lens and want to control the DOF.

 

[Triplenickle]

Yes, you can set Canon cameras to "Servo" for continuous shooting (burst), but the Sports mode is specifically designed to do the same with the camera working on full auto, which is handy on impromptu shots when one has no time to mess around with exposure, WB, ISO and the rest. I use it sometimes on dog sled-races in Alaska, and it works very well. But I mostly shoot with the camera on P mode (auto, but with manual control as needed), or on aperture priority when using a prime lens and want to control the DOF.

Exactly... I used the sports mode for a gull in flight (pic on my flickr link) and worked great. It a nice mode to use when you need to get ready fast!

 

[Triplenickle]

I like the photos, but as was mentioned previously shutter or aperture priority is better than a "sports" mode, especially once the light gets bad.

I personally like to set the aperture to the lowest possible setting (/2.8), giving me the thinnest possible DOF. This technique isolates the subject as much as possible, although it doesn't leave any slack if my focus is off.

Another thing I'd suggest is getting more photos of the "action" plays; you've done this to a large degree, but photos of a batter looking are boring. Labeling them as such is essentially saying "I'm boring, don't look at me". Swinging misses–even if you can tell they're misses–are action, and much "cooler". You're almost there–for ex. the almost-diving-catch is a great shot.

PS I love the tulip on the linked-to page. Beautiful.

Thanks for your comments. I have officiated baseball for 37 yrs.. high school, college and professional and I find pic of ( "dust cloud" from the catcher's mitt) the focus of that pic.... a very powerful image from my perspective, far from boring... It was a partly sunny day and the light was good the whole time.