Camera Settings for Nighttime HS Football?

[Susant707]

Which setting do you use the most when (successfully) shooting nighttime high school football games?

A) Shutter-Priority
B) Aperature-Priority
C) Manual

I appreciate your input.

Thanks so much,
Susan

[CaptainTom]

So far it's 100 % for manual...

why would you let the camera make the decisions ?

[Matt_G]

why would you let the camera make the decisions ?

good question.

Keep the votes coming. What does everyone use? Very interested to see results

[mdurisseau]

There are times I will use AV if I see there is a substantial (1 stop or more) difference between areas on the field, or from light to shadow...

[KeithnFW]

Manual. . . 2.8 . . . ISO depends on the quality of light but most likely 1600-2000. Hopefully no shutter speed slower than 500.

[mdurisseau]

Mr. Robinson, don't you find that some of your images are underexposed?

[KeithnFW]

No. . not really. But some area stadiums are pretty dark (Azle for one) and I have to crank the ISO above 2000.

[Jim Boyd]

I only shoot six man in Gordon and TCU, so +1 on what Keith said.

[mdurisseau]

I've been shooting accurate exposures, i. e., 1/500 at f/2.8, ISO3200...I'm going to try shooting at about 1/3 stop under this weekend...

[dminton]

Guys I think the problem here is that, from the photos that she posted on the other thread, she's shooting in a place that looks like a bunch of car headlights pointed at the field. Most of what we've been telling her is correct and works...for us...where we shoot.

But she had already done what we ended up suggesting to her.

You are not going to get very good ACTION photos there because it is so dark that even at 3200 ISO at f2.8, you're going to need a shutter speed that is too low to stop the action and prevent blurry movement.

I think unfortunately she's shooting in a place that the only hope for her will be to use a flash. I hate saying that, because I hate how it looks, but I think that might be her only hope. I saw it suggested in the earlier thread to also think about not trying to shoot the action but try to just get shots of your son in-between plays when you can use a slower shutter speed. Or flash.


Good luck!

dminton added 1 Minutes and 32 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

I think that this Sunday I might update the ol' Stadium Lighting Database.

Maybe even add pictures!!

[Matt_G]

I agree that the images she posted look like a hopeless situation without adding light, but she has games coming up in better lit fields.

[SCHMEGGA]

I shoot with aperture priority quite a bit. With auto-ISO and a D300s. Minimum SS of 1/500 and max ISO at 3200.

[Matt_G]

Very interesting, I thought it would be even more one sided.

[RubenZamora]

I'm usually at 1/500, f2.8 and ISO 3200 of H1 and I get great results. And shooting manual.

[90 5.0]

Originally Posted by SCHMEGGA

I shoot with aperture priority quite a bit. With auto-ISO and a D300s. Minimum SS of 1/500 and max ISO at 3200.

Note shoots with Nikon like the op

Originally Posted by Matt_G

Very interesting, I thought it would be even more one sided.

I wonder if we broke it down to who of the ap users were canon/nikon/other and who of the manual only were what brand.

They do work differently, and meter differently.

I would be interested to see if the ratio was the same????