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sigma 70-300mm lens


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15 replies to this topic

#1
laceymitchell

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I was wondering what the best settings would be to use on my nikon d5100 for sports. I am using a sigma 70-300mm lens which I just purchased. My shots all seem to be dark.

#2
morticiaskeeper

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Post a picture so we can have a look.

What settings are you using?

The Sigma 70-300mm is my goto lens, I use it for most shots.

#3
Opigraphe

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How does the Sigma performs v.s. its equivalence in Nikon?



#4
laceymitchell

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Sorry I do not have a pic bc I try to keep the bad ones deleted. I am very new to photography and I am still learning the basic. Guess I will just have to olay with it until I get the hang of it. I believe I was in auto mode
Play*
Opigraphe I have never used the nikon 70-300. I have a nikon 18-55 and 55-200 an those seem to be good lens. I have heard alot of good reviews on sigma just mostly the complaint that it doesnt have the silent motor which doesnt bother me.
Opigraphe I have never used the nikon 70-300. I have a nikon 18-55 and 55-200 an those seem to be good lens. I have heard alot of good reviews on sigma just mostly the complaint that it doesnt have the silent motor which doesnt bother me.

#5
morticiaskeeper

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Okay, a quick how to that will hopefully get you started, don't forget to post some pictures so we can have a look.

I don't know the D5100, so I'll have to be a bit generic, but I use the Sigma 70-300 weekly.

As you are looking for sports shots, we had better get your shutter speed up, although this will make the pictures darker (a faster shutter will be open for less time, thus less light will get in). A good rule of thumb is to not let the shutter speed number go below your lens focal length, so if the lens is set to 70mm, the wide angle, the shutter speed must not go below 1/70. I think your camera is a DX, so there is a multiplication factor of 1.5. this means that your 70mm lens is effectively 105mm, so don't let the shutter go below 1/100. at the telephoto end of your zoom, the lens is effectively 450mm, so a shutter speed of 1/500 should suffice. This rule of thumb avoids camera shake blurring the picture.

Because we are letting less light in, we need to either open up the lens aperture, a lower number lets in more light, or we need to increase the sensitivity of the "film". Years ago, we just bought a more sensitive film, these days we can set the ISO. Set your ISO to 400. This is done in the menu system. You probably have an option for Auto ISO, I'm not a fan, but it might be a good idea to set yours to a maximum of 800, with a shutter threshold of 1//100. basically, if the camera thinks the shutter speed will get too slow, it increases the sensitivity. Higher ISO is a bit noisy, but you should be ok with 800.

Set the camera to the S mode. this allows you to select a shutter speed and the camera will try to adjust the aperture for correct exposure.

PLAY WITH IT, it's not an exact science. Try something, if it doesn't work, try something else until you understand.

I take a lot of aircraft pictures, I normally use manual exposure, and sometimes manual focus if the lens is struggling with fast subjects. On a sunny day, I will start with ISO 400, 1/500 F8, take a few shots and look at them, changing settings until it looks about right. Other than a quick aperture change if the light noticably changes, or I have to shoot into the sun, my settings don't change much.

Shoot in RAW format, it's a lot more tolerant to exposure errors.

Hope that helps.

#6
scoobymax

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Great advice Morticiaskeeper :)

#7
pjb808

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When i first got my D7000 i had the sigma 70-300. majority of my photography is rugby league. As a lens for sport i found it very good. What i did, when someone told me, was to keep a note book and write down all the settings i was using so i could learn the best for the conditions. I shoot in manual and as a rule i use a 1/800 speed setting, f11 on the camera and ISO around 800. When particularly dull and overcast i generally go to menu and set the ISO on auto at 3200 Max and a minimum shutter speed of 1/500. I never shoot lower than 1/500 and on particularly bright days i may shoot at over 1/1000 with ISO at either 640 or 800. I did like the sigma lens and never had the 70-300 nikon lens but could not come to pay the huge difference between the two. Some will say you get what you pay for and the nikon is far superior, i will not argue that, but i will say you buy according to your budget. The only thing i have with the Sigma is that sometimes it can freeze and does not keep up with the camera. mainly in continuous shooting. i can put up with loosing the odd picture. Fortunately i now have a sigma 70-200 f2.8 lense and a sigma 300 f2.8 lens. It was buy the two or buy one of the nikons, back to what i said earlier.

Main thing is have fun with what you have the D5100 is not much different to the D7000 so the settings will be around the same. All i willsay is please dont use the sport mode for the sport pictures as i always found too much bluring for action shots. Try and play in manual mode, write down what you do and keep practicing it will come. Mainly have fun


PS 

dont forget to keep formatting the memory card each time you take the pictures off it. A stupid thing that makes a huge difference and took me a year too find out.



#8
laceymitchell

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Thanks for the input. I will try these ideas and play with it some. I will post pics when I practice. Thanks again

#9
TBonz

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Just a couple of comments - my opinions, of course, so you may or may not agree...

 

The rule of shutter speed to focal length is a good one, but it is one that started with prime lenses based on the size of the lens and the increase in magnification at higher focal lengths.  It is also related to hand holding vs. using a monopod or tripod.  A zoom lens changes the magnification, but doesn't ever change its size.  Regardless of the rule, you should play around with different settings to see what you can comfortably hand hold. 

 

If you are shooting sports, outside of having your subject framed and in focus, you will want to freeze the action.  With most sports that I've shot, that means you will need to have a shutter speed of 1/500 or faster.  I don't go slower than 1/1000 unless I have no other options. 

 

AutoISO can be your best friend if you are shooting sports in Manual.  If the light changes, the ISO changes and the settings you picked for shutter speed and aperture remain the same.  I usually set my ISO to 100 or 200 and allow it to range up to 6400 for when the light gets low - which is pretty much every high school night game I photograph...

 

I saw recommendations of using Shutter Priority and recommendations for using an aperture of f/11.  Those setting will work OK if you're shooting in daylight and learning.  Shooting sports effectively takes lots of practice and an understanding that you're not going to get all great photos.  Keep in mind that every single pro photographer at a game will shoot thousands of images of that game to get the few you see on the web, newspaper or magazine.

 

Most sports pros that I've talked to shoot in either Manual or Aperture Priority and keep their lenses wide open.  That makes for higher shutter speeds and / or lower ISO and it provides lots of bokeh to help your subject stand out.  I'm still messing with which method I prefer, but recently I've been using manual with AutoISO turned on as identified above. 

 

I added an image below that is in my gallery to show the bokeh as an example...

 

Sample 200-400 - 200mm, 6400, 1/1000, f/4

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#10
laceymitchell

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sportz2pix what camera and what lens were you using in the photo above if you can remember.I really like the pic. All my pics will be done during the day bc my children are just in peewee football and little league baseball.



#11
TBonz

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That was taken with the Nikon 200-400 f/4.0 at 200mm with an ISO of 6400, 1/1000 shutter and aperture at f/4.0.

 

I shot quite a bit of LL baseball back when my kids were that age.  Probably the best range for that would be 24-120 or so since it is a small diamond.  I had a pre-digital 28-135 if I remember correctly that worked great for that diamond.  I did shoot some with the longer lens but mostly shot with the shorter lens.  I had to pull out the longer lens once they moved to the big diamond.  I'll try to remember to grab a couple of those shots and post them - you can see what a difference the bokeh makes...

 

For football, you will probably be OK with the 70-300 if you're shooting in daylight...



#12
laceymitchell

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I am a beginner so I have to ask what do you mean by 24-120? I have never owned nothing but a throw a way camera so I wasnt joking about the beginner.Sorry

#13
Merco_61

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A 24-120 is a zoom lens that starts out at 24 mm wideangle and ends as a 120 mm telephoto.



#14
TBonz

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Sorry if I confused you...As Merco said, the 24-120 is a zoom just like the 70-300 that you have - it starts at 24 wide angle which is frequently used for scenic shots.  It ends at 120 telephoto - just a bit into the range of the 70-300.  In sports, you might use the wide angle end (24-50) of the zoom for team photos or crowd shots.  The higher end (50-120) will allow you to get in close to a batter or pitcher on a Little League field without having to be on the field!  It works basically the same way your 70-300 does in that the 70mm end give you a wider view of the subject than the 300mm end.

 

Hope that helps!



#15
TBonz

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As promised, here are a couple of examples of sports pix with different lenses (and bodies)...

 

DSC 0801
TL Laxtoberfest 2490

 

The pitcher was shot at 150mm f/11 1/4000 ISO 3200 with the Nikon 80-400 (D90)

 

The Lacrosse player was shot at 300mm f/2.8 1/2500 ISO 200 with the Nikon 300 f/2.8 (D600)

 

I was kind of playing around and trying things with both shots...but you can definitely see bokeh in the second shot...

 

Also found a REALLY old shot (11 years ago!) taken on a Little League field.  I was inside the fence standing against the fence and just down the right field line in foul territory behind 1st base...

 

BlockThePlate

 

Taken with a D100, 35-135 lens at 135mm, f/6.3, 1/800 ISO 800!

 

Lastly I found one that I shot with my old 400 f/4.0 at 1/1000 and ISO 1600 using my D100 body...

 

McNairTest


#16
laceymitchell

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Thank you! I have learned alot. I am currently reading nikon for dummies book.