First Attempt at BB with 85mm 1.8

Using the 85mm was a larger adjustment than I thought. It seemed as if I was to close to the action standing on the baseline during the game. The shots were taken at F2 at ISO 1600 1/400-1/500.







Warren

Hi Warren,

I presume this is a 20D?

Anyway, that lens does focus reasonably fast. Amazing bargain!

The framing for action is tight but good. A zoom does allow some choice.

Is this a kind enthusiastic Dad's pics? What team has black and blue pants with yellow?

Asher

How do you like the 85 as compared to the prior lenses that you used?

#1 - looks good. Could use a little more tighter crop.

#2 - watch your background on these sideline shots. The basket in the bg is a little distracting and tends to confuse as the picture is showing that she is taking a shot.

#3 - Looks to be soft. It looks like that the player with the darker yellow jersey is more in focus.

The 85 is one of the best lenses for bb. I use it a lot for my bb shots.

Here are a couple of shots that I have taken recently. I apologize for the loose crop as I had to submit these to the local newspaper:

1)

2)

3)

Asher,

You would think girls in that age group would be very concerned about matching. The get the shirt and wear whatever shorts they find. I'm using a 30D so it has the crop factor.

Jerry,
I love your shots. Can you tell me where you were standing to take each one? Are you using a full frame camera?

The gym that I was shooting at barely has enough room to kneel without touching the baseline at eilther end of the basket. There is plenty of room on the side where the stands are.

Here is an example of shot from under the basket during a foul shot. It was tough to get the ball in the picture with her arms extended.

BTW Asher her shorts match.

Maybe I just need to get used to the 85 focal length. With girls in this age group there is no action at the level of the hoop. I find it's hard to get shots without the other kids blocking the view, except for a breakaway or dribbling down the sidlines like your shot #1

Warren

Warren,

For #1 and #2, I was kneeling on the baseline about where the 3 point arch meets the baseline. I have about 8 feet of space between the baseline and the wall. On #3, I was on the sideline, about 10 feet in from the corner. On the baseline, you can capture them driving to the basket from the top of the key or from the corner going to the basket, or taking a jump shot, and rebounds and follow ups.

I am using a 1DMK2 with the 85 so the AF is little faster. The 85 takes some getting used to especially when you are under the basket but try shooting before you see the action that you think is going to take place in order to capture the peak action and also allow the lens to catch up. Even though the 85 is fast combined with the MK2, I do this a lot in order to avoid oof shots. I still get my share of oof shots.

Jerry,

Thanks for tips. I was just a fraction of a second off on alot of action. Do you think the 85 is to much on a 30D (vs the 50mm) as it's the equivalent of a 136mm on a full frame camera?
Any tips for avoiding my #3 where I'm focused on the wrong girl. I use CF4:3 and hold the star button down with center focus on the main subject then let go and fire a burst.

Warren

Here are 3 pictures from the same gym. All 3 are with the 85mm at f1.8, SS 1/500 and ISO800. The problem with the gym that my duaghter (and Walter's) play in is that there is only 3 feet between the baseline and the wall. Some referees let me sit there, some don't. I love the 85. I have used it for wrestling and basketball.





Rob

Great pictures.

I have a question. Do girls have stronger facial expression than guys in this highly competitive sport!

Asher

After looking through what I have taken of soccer, lacrosse and basketball, I would say yes.

Rob

Rob,

I'm glad you found these forums. Looking at your pictures from the same gym it makes it very clear I need to crop tighter.

Warren

Warren Buchalter said:

Jerry,
... I use CF4:3 and hold the star button down with center focus on the main subject then let go and fire a burst.

Click to expand...

Don't let go! You want AI servo AF to remain active and tracking the subject throughout the burst.

Nill
~~
www.toulme.net

Nill,

I just re-read your sticky on sports basics. Of course your point about not letting go of the AI servo AF is there. Do you shoot in Manual vs AV.

In AI servo why do some of my pics not have focus lock (center focus turns red)? I also reviewed some pictures I took at a band concert and alot of the pics with the 85mm don't have a red center focus (some in AI servo and one shot using CF4:3)Does it have to do with the first shot of a burst is shutter priority and subsequent are focus priority?

Warren

I shoot in Av in daylight, M under the lights.

I'm not sure what you mean by "center focus turns red" in regard to focus lock. As long as you're not using 45-point auto focus point selection (AFPS), the selected focus point will light up in red in the finder when you activate AF. This has nothing to do with whether focus has actually been acquired or not; it just tells you that AF is active. On 1-series cameras the focus point stays lit as long as AF is active. On non-1-series bodies, it just lights up momentarily then goes out. I hate that... it's one of my pet peeves about the non-1-series bodies.

OTOH, if you're using 45-point AFPS rather than a single selected point, then you get no indication in the finder of which focus point is being selected by the system when you're in AI servo mode. That's one of the things I don't like about using AFPS in AI servo. Canon's rationale is that you'd have dancing focus points all over the screen as AF tracked. Maybe that would be maddening and I'd quickly turn it off, but I'd like to have the option at least.

So, if what you're saying is that when you review the shots in the Canon software (or BreezeBrowser) and enable the highlighted focus point feature, there is none, then it might be that you're in AFPS. Also, when you focus and recompose in AI servo (using CF-4 and * to AF then releasing it to lock focus), no focus point will be recorded. Hmmm... come to think of it, this could be what you were experiencing, given that you say you were releasing the * button just before you started firing.

Setting aside the little red light question, and moving to the issue of whether focus is actually achieved or not, then yes you're right, it's easily possible to have the first frame of an AI servo burst beat the AF and fire before good focus is acquired, especially in poor light, if you don't lead the AF a bit and give it a chance to catch up to the subject before you release the shutter.

Does that make any sense?

Nill
~~
www.toulme.net

Nill,

I believe I'm in center focus. CF13:0 (normal) which on a 30D is controlled by the button to the right of the star (zoom in playback). When I press it the center focus square turns red for a second indicating it is the active area for focusing.

In AI Servo-pressing star CF4:3 it will blink red for a second and as you focus on other areas keeping the star button down you never see it turn red again. From your explaination I guess it's indicating the focus point or points that are being used but not that the image is in focus.

In One Shot-pressing star it blink briefly indicating you have obtained focus. Or is it again just showing you where it is focusing?

In many of my sports shots in AI-Servo viewing the images in Zoombrowser the center focus point is red but not in all of them.

In taking pictures during a band concert (same lens)most of the shots were in one shot focus viewing the images in Zoombrowser none of the focus points are red but the image is in focus.

Hopefully I'm making myself clear. Sorry for the rambling.

Warren

Warren Buchalter said:

In AI Servo-pressing star CF4:3 it will blink red for a second and as you focus on other areas keeping the star button down you never see it turn red again. From your explaination I guess it's indicating the focus point or points that are being used but not that the image is in focus.

Click to expand...

Correct.

In One Shot-pressing star it blink briefly indicating you have obtained focus. Or is it again just showing you where it is focusing?

Click to expand...

The latter. The green focus indicator down in the info area will light up when focus is obtained.

In many of my sports shots in AI-Servo viewing the images in Zoombrowser the center focus point is red but not in all of them.

Click to expand...

I'm guessing that's because you let off the * button, thereby deactivating AF, before releasing the shutter for those shots.

In taking pictures during a band concert (same lens)most of the shots were in one shot focus viewing the images in Zoombrowser none of the focus points are red but the image is in focus.

Click to expand...

Hmmm... not sure about that one, unless again you let off * before releasing the shutter. I think that will result in no focus point being recorded in the shooting data in one shot mode as well as AI servo.

Note that when you have CF4-1 or -3 activated and don't have the * button pressed, the camera is effectively in manual focus mode — there is no active focus point to record.

Nill
~~
www.toulme.net

Nill,

Your exactly correct. I focused with the star on my daughters face and the released the button and then reframed. Thanks for you help.