Some soccer with a slow camera

[Nill Toulme]

Ugh, the first matches of fall... rusty rusty rusty. And with a new (to me) camera — a 1Ds Mark II. Fortunately it was so hot these U-13's could hardly move, so I could almost keep up with them.

Shooting with the FF body is interesting. I thought DOF was thin at f/2.8 (f/4 with the 1.4x) on the 1.25x crop; on FF it's razor-like, very unforgiving. It gives back though with the ability to shoot a little looser and still have enormous cropping ability. And the slower frame rate of course forces a somewhat more deliberate shooting style, but it didn't seem to get in the way at these not terribly fast-paced matches. The AF is what you'd expect it to be, and the huge RAW files seem to have even more latitude for holding onto the highlights in the white unis in the brutal Atlanta sun (it was an honest 100 degrees F). Processing takes longer with the gigantic files, but the slower shooting meant less of them, at least to start with.

Two complete matches with EXIF here.

Nill
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www.toulme.net

 

[Asher Kelman]

Nill,

I like this work! This has such a great new look for us as the players are moving against a gentle non distracting background that makes the kids so important, and that's what it's about.

The young kids seem to have the expressions of the older girls! Interesting. The over articulation of facial signals in the 3rd shot might be suppressed in adults by testosterone! Interesting!

Action seems as I've seen later in the season, although you might recognize some nuances I miss.

Thanks for sharing.

Asher

 

[Jim Kenny]

slow and rusty

Nill – Nill – Nill …. rusty – rusty – rusty …. And to add to the challenge you used a slow camera.

I mean just look at the cluttered background in image # 4 !

The two player competing for the ball PERFECTLY lined up with the house !

Just remember to smile when you hear someone say … but you can’t see little johnnies smiling face.

I look forward to later in the season when you are not so rusty …. I am sure you will share with us the shot where the players are competing for a header and still lined and framed perfectly with the roof of the house : )

I to felt a little “rusty” during the first game of the season that occurred yesterday evening … I will post in another thread (Bunch of Soccer Firsts) as not to hijack this one.

By the way … just keep at it … I am sure it will come back to you … also I was wondering with your comment about the heat why you have not rigged up your monopod sun shade to have a heat buster attachment … one that puts out a cool misting spray in the direction of the photog : )

Jim

 

[Steve Saunders]

Good shots Nill. Very well exposed in spite of the dark trees behind some of the subjects. I'd hazard a guess that you are a fellow fan of the histogram on the camera?

 

[Nill Toulme]

Thanks guys. Steve, I cheat. I shoot RAW and expose more or less just so as not to blow the highlights. Then I do a little quick levels/curves in the RAW conversion to make it look how I want it to look. I rely on the flashing highlight alert more than I do on the histogram.

Nill
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www.toulme.net

p.s. See my RAW Workflow for Sports Shooters here.

 

[Barry Johnston]

Advantages of Full Frame...

Hi Nill,
Very nice contribution here. I used the 300 2.8 in a local footy match here, and found depending which side of the field they were on, they were either too far or too close. I think a zoom would definitely have its advantages as well as a 'Full Framed' camera. How do you deal with this situation? What lens were you using for this soccer match if I may ask? Obviously with a FF, the crop will be different to the MkII N I am using.

I had a look at your other photos as well, there are some great shots I'm sure the parents and players will be very pleased with.

Many Thanks,
Barry.

 

[Nill Toulme]

Barry these were shot with the 400 f/2.8L IS plus 1.4x extender on the full frame body. That's actually the combination I often use even on 1.25x crop bodies. I like to get in close and tight. Yes, you lose some on the close side but I think you more than make up for it on the far side — IOW, because of the compression effect, I think you gain access to more of the field than you lose. And if they get "too close" and the action is tight, I just keep shooting. My philosophy is, as long as I've got a face and at least part of the ball in the frame, I've got a chance for an interesting shot.

Shooting with a long prime takes some getting used to, but overall I've found it to have some real advantages over shooting with zooms.

Nill
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www.toulme.net

 

[Steve Saunders]

I agree with Nill about good prime glass. I also find I can get around tha limitations of a long prime simply by picking the area of the field where I can fill the frame and just wait for the action to land in that area. No point in letting it get too close and cursing because I have too long a lens on the camera, just pick the sweet spot and stick with it.
I'll probably eventually make a bracket that allows me to have two cameras (different lens on each) beside one another and all I will need to do is move my eye and hands to the one I want at any particular time.

 

[Nill Toulme]

Wow, that sounds like a good idea. It'd be a heavy sucker though. Hmmm...

RRS has some stuff that would probably work. Could I use it without dropping the darn thing? Hmmm... interesting.

Nill
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www.toulme.net

 

[Barry Johnston]

Thanks...

Thanks for the tips guys....

I have a TC1.4x which I will bolt on for my next shots, so hopefully will have some more interesting shots for you soon. We are quickly coming out of the winter period and along with it some better lighting conditions, which means more time to practice as well.

Have you guys got any tips on what is best picture settings on my MkIIN ?

Regards,
Barry.

 

[Nill Toulme]

Barry the Sports Basics thread includes recommended settings.

Nill
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www.toulme.net