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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
HELP...D2x Basketball AF advice
Ron Calef, Photographer
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Penn Valley | CA | USA | Posted: 7:44 PM on 03.18.07 |
->> HELP Needed:
I've just acquired a D2x which I took to the Stockton Arena to shoot the NorCal HS Finals for basketball.
While a VAST improvement over my retired D1h, I am disappointed with the some of the results, from a focus viewpoint. Many were "tack sharp", some were not - I expected a higher keeper rate. I am sure it's an operator problem...the camera is amazing. The camera only has about 9,000 clicks, so I am hoping it's not needing "adjusting".
I would be very interested in any advice/info you D2x BBall (indoor, low light, action) shooters could offer.
Using an 85mm f1.8, I set Continuous Synchro, Manual Mode, 1/500 @ f2.8 & ISO 800; I alternated between High Speed Crop and full image. My color was great and the exposures were generally right on, so the ambient arena lighting worked.
Here is where I may have had problems in the Custom Menu:
a4 - Lock On = Normal
a3 - Group Dynamic AF = Pattern 1, Center Area
a5 - Shutter/AF = ON
a7-Focus area select = ON Wrap
a8 - Vertical Focus = ON
Other:
Spot Metering, 6mm Centerweight area
Firmware = 2.0
Thanks in advance,
Ron |
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Debra L Rothenberg, Photographer
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New York | NY | USA | Posted: 7:55 PM on 03.18.07 |
->> (OT)
you lucky guy..where did you find a D2X with such low actuations? I was searching and searching with no luck and got the D2Xs instead (but I REALLY wanted another D2X) |
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Samuel Lewis, Photographer
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Miami | FL | USA | Posted: 10:56 PM on 03.18.07 |
->> If you're tracking a subject with a longer lens (200 or longer), you might consider changing the a4 (Lock On) setting to longer. However, I personally found that I'm better off changing the AF settings for basketball.
My recommendations:
Set a4 (lock on) to OFF; set a5 (Shutter/AF-ON) to AF-ON only. Keep the other settings (a3, a7 and a8) at the default settings.
Under this configuration, you focus with the button in the back. When the AF-ON button is pressed, the camera will focus on whatever is in the primary focus sensor. Once focused, released the AF-ON button. That will help avoid the lost shots caused by players that step between you and the subject. The trigger release becomes purely a trigger release.
Hope this helps. |
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Peter Quinn, Photographer
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Pine Bush | NY | USA | Posted: 11:32 PM on 03.18.07 |
->> I second Samuel's recommendation on the AF-ON mode setting. Since making the switch to the dedicated AF button my keeper rate has increased once I got the hang of it (Thanks SS posters).
Also FWIW, I tend to just lock the focusing on the single center point. When dealing with the shallow DOF I want to dictate where the focus is and lot let any of the other points decide. If it happens to pick up the ball instead of the player's face...
Know what I mean? But hey, that's just me....
Good luck! |
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Bryan Mitchell, Photographer
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Northville | MI | US | Posted: 10:15 AM on 03.19.07 |
| ->> Do any of you shoot with the above settings except shooting at 1/250th at f 2.8 with flash? (off camera and 70-200 VR lens at about 105mm) If so what percentage of in focus take are you getting? I know some shooters shoot this way and have the flash so it is 2-3 stops above available to keep the ghosting down. The problem I am having is sharp uniforms or hands and soft faces. I am trying to stay on the faces but I seem to be drifting off or the camera is tracking the body. They are usually close enough for web or newspaper publication but the faces are for sure not sharp. Also this might be something you already know but depth of field seems much lower with digital and the D2X. I know I have to get better at using the focus button on the back and the shutter button for shutter release only. Ron, do you experience any of this? |
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Samuel Lewis, Photographer
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Miami | FL | USA | Posted: 11:45 AM on 03.19.07 |
->> I'm using the above-settings with an 80-200 AFS, exposure of 1/250 at 4.5 at ISO 200 with strobes. I'll have to look at some takes tonight to you an idea of the in focus percentage, but the percentage is generally high.
What sort of uniforms are your subjects wearing? Certain types of uniforms (the ones with a somewhat reflective finish) can confuse AF systems (this problem doesn't seem to be limited to Nikon's AF; I've heard reports from Canon shooters that this is also a problem for them). With the right target, the AF is on. I tend to focus using the middle focus spot, and find that when the jerseys are sharp enough to see the holes in the jersey, the face will be plenty sharp.
If you're not getting sharp results, you may want to investigate the lights you're using and what the effective flash duration is. I wouldn't be surprised if what you think is ghosting is really blur caused by an effective duration that is just too slow. If the flash duration is less than 1/500, then you're likely to see blur that might be misinterpreted for ghosting. Even at 1/500, if the action is fast enough, the flash duration may not be fast enough to stop the action.
You should also consider more than a 2-3 stop differential between strobes and ambient to help keep ghosting to a minimum. The D2x sensor seems to be somewhat more sensitive to light, and even at a 4 stop differential, I'll see ghosting now and again.
Hope this helps. |
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Ron Calef, Photographer
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Penn Valley | CA | USA | Posted: 7:31 PM on 03.19.07 |
->> Thanks for the input - the California State HS BB finals are at Arco Arena this weekend, and I am going to change my settings to use the single center focus point, get focus lock using the back button and shoot. There are a lot of games, so I'll have a lot of practice time.
RE: Flash and ghosting - I have not used the D2x with an on-camera flash or strobes yet. I have a pair of WL 1600's that I have used with wexcellent BBall results w/ the D1h. I shoot 1/250 @ f3.5-4.2; The strobes set @100% and are bounced from a wall or ceiling. They are mounted on 13' stands in corners, out of the way - I only shoot one end.I don't ever recall having a ghosting problem.
I must say I an very impressed w/the D2x. My keeper rate improved greatly from the D1h - and if I get the AF thing right I am gonna be one happy camper.
I shoot a lot of outdoor equestrian events & rodeos in the spring, summer,and am really looking forward to using my new rig.
Ron
Thanks again for the advice; I knew the answer was out there in SS land. |
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Joe Andras, Photographer
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Orange County | CA | USA | Posted: 9:52 AM on 03.20.07 |
->> I mostly shoot football, and don't shoot basketball much. However, I think this setting will likely be helpful to basketball too assuming that you also tend to implicate predictive focusing of moving subjects while shooting in continuous-servo mode.
In my opinion, one of the most important focus settings is a1, aka "AF-C mode priority". The three options for the focus mode are:
FPS rate (default)
FPS rate + AF
Focus
The default is FPS rate, located at one extreme. I don't think the default setting is ideal because the camera will release the shutter as needed, regardless of focus, in order to maintain the expected FPS rate of up to 8 frames/sec.
At the other extreme, there's "Focus". I don't think this setting makes sense either because the shutter will release ONLY when the camera system believes it is in perfect focus. That is probably a bit too hopeful (but if somebody has had good experience with this setting, I'd love to hear about it).
So, in the spirt of compromise, there's the middle setting that's neither "FPS Rate" nor "Focus", namely "FPS Rate + AF."
I found that I got a much higher percentage of keepers by changing the a1 setting to "FPS rate + AF". According to the manual, "frame rate slows for improved focus if subject is dark or low contrast."
Joe. |
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Kenneth Jacobson, Photographer, Assistant
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New York | NY | USA | Posted: 10:36 PM on 03.20.07 |
| ->> I'd love to use the back button for focusing rather than the shutter button but on the vertical grip on my D2H that button is just in too weird a spot. Anyone else have this problem of is everyone else's thumb double jointed? |
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