New to photography..

Discussion in 'Badminton Photography' started by jhirata, Jun 22, 2011.

  1. ctjcad

    ctjcad Regular Member

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    good to finally see some photos and not bad for a start..I guess the gym just has enough lighting esp. with those camera/lens settings..
    what do you think can be improved upon or you think can make the photos better?
    what do you think of the new hobby so far?:cool:
     
  2. jhirata

    jhirata Regular Member

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    I found that at the minimal focal length of 18mm, the images were the brightest. I had to stay rather close to the courts because otherwise, the lighting conditions would have made the images too dark and I would have been forced to use higher ISO or a slower shutter speed.
    Flash? Nope, didn't allow myself :p
    The F number of my lens is rather average at 3.5 being the lowest, so not much bokeh could be achieved at all in the background..

    I tried shooting with my 70-300mm 4~5.6 telephoto lens and it was horrible for badminton. Too dark, blurry, not fast enough.. too zoomed-up, not allowing me to frame the scenes properly. I think it's more suited for stalking or for takings pics of birds.. or for showing off a big lens[hood].

    What do I think of my new hobby so far?
    I think it's expensive :D.. much like badminton and road cycling (my other hobby).. I swear I'm not copying kwun.. I just always had interests in these :p...
     
  3. demolidor

    demolidor Regular Member

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    :cool: I think you can afford to crank up that ISO with your shiny new toy (probably in some review stating you can go up to so much without significant sacrifice, probably in the 1600's already). Daylight sure comes in handy, maybe next time try when it's already dark. I guess you don't have much room behind the court that 70mm is too much already?
     
  4. jhirata

    jhirata Regular Member

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    70 was already too zoomed up.. 55mm was also too much, and it made the image too dark and I would have been forced to use higher iso and a slower shutter speed.

    I find that the glowing-effect around the bright windows is very distracting, in those photos I took. The main focus of the images is supposed to be the badminton in action, but the lights kinda pull my eye off the main thing. I will try shooting at a proper badminton hall another time to see how it goes.
     
  5. ctjcad

    ctjcad Regular Member

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    ..have you tried using higher ISOs, 3200 and/or above? if you have, what are the results (any samples)?..
     
  6. extremenanopowe

    extremenanopowe Regular Member

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  7. jhirata

    jhirata Regular Member

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    Oh man this hall was dim..

    ISO1000, 1/200, F3.5 for the 1st one and ISO3000 for the 2nd. Sorry, these images are compressed again..

    DSC_0191 [800x600].jpg

    I can barely see what's happening :s.. If i moved any further away from the court, the image became soo dark.

    DSC_0220 [800x600].jpg

    2nd one is bad. We can only guess where the shuttle is, and not the whole court is shown..

    Will keep experimenting :)
     
  8. jhirata

    jhirata Regular Member

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    Ah. They look almost like phone cam pics. Bad.
     
  9. demolidor

    demolidor Regular Member

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    :D More ISO! ;)Find out what your toy is capable of, the 3000 looks decent framing issue aside. You'd probably want to sit on the side where the light is coming from as well, near the netpost against the wall ... You're essentially photographing their shadow side here (speaking as a layman as well :eek:).
     
  10. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    This looks like a good hall for badminton (i"m guessing specifically built for badminton) and difficult one for photography. The lights hang between the courts and are a bit dark.

    jhirata, can you go to ISO6400? You'll need it because your lens cannot open up wider. Try ISO6400 for half a session and then ISO3200 later. Compare the difference.

    I agree try sitting near the netpost and use your short lens.
     
  11. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    given that setting the hall isn't that dark. i have shot at way way worse conditions.

    i concur with the suggestion of going to ISO6400. most modern DSLR can handle that without much problem. i never go below ISO3200 when i shoot badminton these days. the little bit of extra noise is not visible since we mostly view pictures at web resolution anyway.
     
  12. ctjcad

    ctjcad Regular Member

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    ..hmm, 1st and 2nd photos are barely different esp. after going up in ISO (i take it it's ISO3200 not 3000)?..is the hall really lacking in lighting?..
     
  13. jhirata

    jhirata Regular Member

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    I suppose that the Varsity club's hall has too much light (sunlight makes it hard to see the shuttle at times), as opposed to the 2nd badminton hall which is pitch black without the court lighting. I suppose that having the walls placed a bit faraway from the courts makes the place look darker as less light is reflected from the surface of the walls?

    I checked again and the 2nd pic was ISO3200 :).. I will try ISO5000 and 6400 next time
     
  14. extremenanopowe

    extremenanopowe Regular Member

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    Is that the Auckland BA hall? Looks familiar. ;)
     
  15. jhirata

    jhirata Regular Member

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    Nope, I'm in Wellington now :) The Auckland/North Harbour halls seems a lot brighter than the Wellington one.
     
  16. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    haha, I would have thought by definition, needing ISO3200 is already lacking in light
     
  17. demolidor

    demolidor Regular Member

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    :D Since you will be reading here anyway I don't think anyone has translated that top-right box yet:

    [​IMG]

    Hors catégorie ...
     
  18. ctjcad

    ctjcad Regular Member

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    ..well, that Wellington hall seems already **more** than lacking in lighting even at 3200; Auckland/North Harbour hall looks bright enough even with ISO400..perhaps the lens' aperture plays into factor??..
     
    #38 ctjcad, Jul 21, 2011
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2011
  19. jhirata

    jhirata Regular Member

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    It says "Light" feeling, "light" in terms of weight.
     
  20. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    f/3.5 is tough.

    TBH, if you are shooting f/3.5 at 18mm, f/4 at 70mm isn't that much difference.

    just crank up the ISO and forget about the noise. noise is really very secondary to shutter speed. ISO6400/12800. just got for it.

    18mm seems a bit wide even with 1.5x/1.6x. i suggest people start with longer focal length, 70mm is ok to start with. try framing closely first, get the feel and timing right and then go wide from there.

    of course, getting a 50mm/1.4 (or 1.8) is a much better choice. my friend just got a 50/1.8G and it works really well.

    the other more economical lens for badminton from Nikon would be the 35/1.8G. around US$200 which is also a bargain.
     

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