How do I take photos of a badminton game?

[denniskee]

Or you lend him your that specially made killer flash lah heheheh.

wait the players laugh, cant concentrate in their game than how:bsmilie::bsmilie:

 

[MRSAMO]

you're not quite making sense here.. in the fundamentals that is..

if you used aperture priority mode earlier.. and the shutter speed is too slow for your liking.. and then you switched to faster shutter speed.. ceteris paribus (everything else kept the same).. then of course you will get dark pictures..

to maintain a fast shutter speed for your action.. and to maintain the "correct" exposure.. you can either open up your aperture more (if possible).. or dial up your ISO to 800 / 1600 (or even higher)..

i suggest you google on "relationship of ISO / shutter speeds and aperture size" for that..

as for your understanding of metering.. yes it's true that spot metering is used to meter the light from one particular spot in the centre.. but if you chose to use full manual (M mode).. then there is not much "metering" to speak of.. since you decide to override whatever the camera "metered" for you..

i suggest you google "how metering works" for that..

Right I'm back. Now with this aperture mode I know that the greater the f stop the more light is let in and the faster the shutter speed. So I used 2.8/1.8 but the shutter reading was only 1/80 second. The picture wasn't acceptable.

And like I said, ISO 1600 is the highest my camera can go and it looks terrible, 800 was the highest I would ever go while still allowing me a little bit of light.

 

[MRSAMO]

Of course you have to use a flash in this instance heh.. There is not enough light in that hall for you to capture fast motion shots like someone whacking away at a shuttlecock heheh... You have to be shooting at about 1/500 to 1/1000 to freeze the action or maybe more if they are moving about faster like when they do a over head smash shot with the shuttlecock blasting away heh. ISO is all about getting too much graininess in your photo as oppose to less graininess shoot at ISO 200 for example.

Problem with using flash is, will you be distracting the players and end up having the shuttlecock whacked at you for spoiling their game. heheh...

With Flash fill-in shot you can also sent it to rear flash so that when you shoot the shot at say a slower speed like what you shot, the tail end of the shutter ..when it is about to close will be when the flash will fire so you end up with a shot that have a blurred streak of white of the shuttle which is leaded by a sharp photo of the shuttlecock freezed in place by the fast flashing. Not sure if you know what I mean by that heheh....

This was what I didn't try, using the flash. It just puzzled me knowing that with "fast" lenses I shouldn't have to use flash but this is indeed a different ball game to the landscape and happy snaps that I've always been accustomed to. I've never taken an action shot before, nor do I like using flash so this is a new experience for me, yoroshiku!

With your last paragraph no I had no idea what you're talking about but it sounds good

I'll try again next Tuesday hopefully with better results.

 

[MRSAMO]

hi ts, from the photo u posted, they looks ok lay.

if u need to pp to get the photos from ur current setup, than do it. as long as u get the result.

looking ur write up, already at aperture f1.8, there are only a handful of lens than is faster than that, so assuming cant use flash for indoor games, u r left with 2 other choice :

1) get the authority to brighten the hall with more lights.

2) use a camera that has better noise control at iso 1600 or even 3200.

Thanks mate. I can't ask the university to brighten up the halls and besides, the players don't like the lights anyway as it interferes with high overhead smashes, at least mine!

I'll try again and if it still produces the same results then it might be the lack of ISO availability on my camera that could be the problem. Dee ninety......;p

 

[MRSAMO]

Right I think I found an interesting article about photographing badminton, it might help!

http://www.robertphotoblog.com/2006/photographing-badminton/

Tip #1: Bring a dSLR camera and good ‘glass’ (L-series zoom lenses or primes). Stick with lenses that have a maximum aperture of at least f/2.8. To freeze action in sports, you need a shutter speed of about 1/500 sec. Several of the standard Canon primes work well also - the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 and the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8, for example. If you can get next to the courts, bring a wide angle lens and shoot crouching or lying on your stomach for an interesting perspective.

I use a Nikon but I also have a 50mm, should be fast enough.

Tip #2: Shoot with the lens wide open or nearly wide open using Av or Tv mode. In the Indoor Stadium (Kallang), the Exposure Value (EV) on the floor was between 11 and 12. That means, to get 1/500 sec shutter speed at f/2.8 you need to go up to about Iso 1,000. The wide aperture also helps to blur the background isolating the player from distracting surroundings. Use AI Servo mode or AI Focus mode (all focus points). You won’t have a chance of catching a ‘jump smash’ without focus tracking.

EV? This can only be adjusted in aperture mode, can it be adjusted in manual mode as well?

I've no idea what is Focus mode on the Nikon.

Tip #3: None of the white balance modes in the Canon EOS 30D can deal with stadium lighting. Using auto white balance, the photos have an ugly yellow cast. I recommend shooting in Canon raw format then correcting the white balance in raw conversion software such as Bibble Pro or equivalent. Also with raw files, you can correct exposure problems (+/-1 stop) and generate 16-bit tiffs for high quality prints. Most of the newer Canon dSLRs allow you to capture a raw file together with a jpeg. I usually choose ‘raw + small/fine jpeg’. The small jpeg is useful for sorting and selecting images as well as for quick edits.

Unless I'm shooting for Yonex magazine I couldn't care less about white balance just yet.

Tip #4: Use monopod or tripod. If you are stuck in the stands, you can bring a light weight tripod and set it up in front of you. If you have access to the floor, consider using a monopod. The monopod not only steadies the camera but also helps reduce fatigue without reducing mobility. The Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 IS is my favorite lens for shooting badminton. It comes with a nifty tripod ring that balances the camera and lens perfectly on a monopod. My favorite monopod is the Gitzo MonoTrek carbon fiber monopod mounted a Bogen (Manfrotto) Mini Ballhead.

I sit on the floor, should be steady no? I look like a nerd with a tripod.

 

[plato]

Just to check, are you shooting in JPG or RAW?

If you want to save some money, you can try shooting in RAW with the same settings. This will allow more room for brightening up the image in post processing. Although maybe I'd try a slightly higher shutter speed. I haven't shot badminton in a while, but I'd try for between 1/200 to 1/250 at least to minimise too much motion blur (a bit of motion blur is nice though).

 

[MRSAMO]

Thanks mate, I used RAW as I don't trust JPGs

Yeah I that shutter speed is about where I should be going though it would be even better at 1/500 or 1/800 with someone doing a smash.

 

[H4lcyon]

Right I think I found an interesting article about photographing badminton, it might help!

http://www.robertphotoblog.com/2006/photographing-badminton/



I use a Nikon but I also have a 50mm, should be fast enough.




EV? This can only be adjusted in aperture mode, can it be adjusted in manual mode as well?

I've no idea what is Focus mode on the Nikon.




Unless I'm shooting for Yonex magazine I couldn't care less about white balance just yet.




I sit on the floor, should be steady no? I look like a nerd with a tripod.

1. Your 50mm has nothing to do with fast or slow, your 1.8 aperture is the one that is fast enough.

2. The EV here means the Exposure Value (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposure_value) and not the exposure compensation that you're thinking. Anyway there is no use of adjusting your exposure compensation in Manual mode as you are the one who set the aperture & shutter speed based on your own judgement.

3. I think you need to use AF-C (Continuous) if you want to let your camera follow the action using all of its focus point.

4. You're correct. Settle your understanding of exposure first before moving on colour adjustment. Anyway shoot in RAW, then you can adjust the WB easily.

5. A D50 with 50mm lens at 1/125s doesn't need a mono/tri-pod. I think the author means more for those photographers using the big tele lenses. No way you can handheld those long, big barrels for an extended period of time without support.

To end it all, I guess what you have now is already at the limit of your current gear (f 1/8, ISO 800, 1/125). Your lens can't go any faster and your shutter speed can't go any slower. The only way is to increase your ISO but since 1600 is bad you have no choice here too. That's why professional photographer pays a lot of money for bodies that can handle high ISO well.

 

[MRSAMO]

Thanks for that, but come on man everybody knows what the nifty-fifty is It is quick, but you're right its famous because of its 1.8 and the cheap price. Both of my lenses are 2.8 and under, so should be good enough for next week's game.

 

[AMediaLuz]

Hijack this thread awhile...

Say, if I used a 85mm lens (also at F1.8) for this type of badminton shots, would there be any difference apart from the fact that I can stand further to get the action in the frame?

Some people in other threads say the bokeh will be different, but am not sure how.