Camera Labs

Hey everybody,

I'm really new at photography, and own a canon 50D with the 18-55mm kit lens and the 55-250mm cheap lens
I bought these so i can figure out what my needs are before spending too much money on a lens i might regret afterward

Last weekend I went to a Karate tournament to test everything out. I know my lenses aren't really perfect for indoor sports photography, but for now, it'll have to do

I would like your comments on the following picture


90mm
1/160
f5.6
iso 1250
This is the small version, bigger version can be found here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50262143@N05/4622484846/sizes/o/


These are my remarks:
-even though shooting in aperture mode, the aperture went up to 5.6 i had it at 4.0 on 55mm, but for some reason after zooming in and back out, it stuck to 5.6 so i couldn't get a better shutter time, but i've been told this is ok so it keeps some movement in the shot
i should've double checked that, but forgot... i'll know better next time
-the background is too crowded with the advertising, but i couldn't go anywhere else as there were other tatami's (mats on which they fight) to the left and right where other fights were going on... and on the other side of the tatami, there were the benches for other fighters/coaches/referees... so the only way i guess i could've lost some of the advertising, would be to get up higher in the stands, but i prefer being lower so i'm not shooting the top of their heads...
(or get a better lens with a bigger aperture so it would be blurrier)
-should i crop the picture so that there is less space to the left of the left fighter and also on top so there is less advertising?


What do you guys think I could do better next time?

thanks,

dieter

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Canon EOS 50D, 18-55mm IS, 55-250mm IS

something I wanted to add, I also posted this problem as a reply in another topic:


http://www.cameralabs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22199&start=15

I tried shooting with AF Servo as I thought this would follow to subject through the different AF points.
So I started using only the middle AF point, pointed it at my subject's face, and then just kept my trigger pushed half the way down, while i would compose so that not only my target would be in the picture, but also his opponent...

The problem is I don't really think it worked, is it because all the fighters were wearing a white outfit and the camera goes from one guy to the next? does the AF lose its target after a while?

The problem was I couldn't just keep my target on the middle AF point, as then I wouldn't have his opponent in the picture, but just his legs or something... and I tried choosing a different AF point (the left/right ones) but I didn't like the way it handled that...
What do you guys think I should do in situations like that?
or is the picture in focus but is it cause of the ISO noise cause it was not ideal light or is it just cause of the bad shutter speed and is it cause of the movement...

the legs look sharp to me, and the red belt's left hand as well (so hand with open palm to us) so i would think it's movement blur...



I changed the sharpness in the software that came with the camera (I pushed the sharpness slider all the way to the right) cause I felt this was better...

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Canon EOS 50D, 18-55mm IS, 55-250mm IS

My comments?
Ouch!
Take that, bitch.
Right in your face.

It is a decent shot and it looks good, dude.
About the space, that's why I'm not a vertical shot enthusiast.
Next time, you should show your camera and try to get down there.
In the audience, it must be difficult to walk around.
This way, you will get better angles and avoid unnintended backgrounds.

Pic looks fine to me snert....

"I'm really new at photography, and own a canon 50D with the 18-55mm kit lens and the 55-250mm cheap lens "

You have alot of questions based on that one outing...
I think trying the same settings in differant and maybe outdoor settings would give you a better outlook on how it will or won't work.
Is this the main type of shooting you are interested in?
If so i suspect a fast prime lens would be your goal.

Dunno about the focus setting on your cam.
IMO or with my cam if I half press and focus (center spot) then shift the cam it stays where it is or was focused.

Trial/error and the delete button are very good educators

It's a great shot IMO.

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Pentax K-5
Pentax 18-55mm,Pentax 50-200mm,Sigma 17-70mm,Sigma 70-300mm, Sigma 50-500mm

It's a good shot. Had a look at the large version-- seems you have some motion blur in the upper half of the frame. A faster shutter speed would fix that, but then, of course, you risk messing up the exposure/making the photo too dark unless you up your ISO. A fast prime or zoom lens may indeed be what you're looking for if you want to do indoor sports photography... or even outdoor, for that matter. If you need length in addition to speed, you might go for a 70-200mm f2.8. If length doesn't matter as much, something like a 24-70mm f2.8 or a 50mm 1.4 would probably serve you well. The wide apertures would allow more light and faster shutter speeds, and would do a much better job blurring out the cluttered background.

You could do a tighter crop on the two fighters, cutting out the guy sitting to the left and some of the advertisement up top. No shame in croppage.

I love the expression on that guy's face.

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Nikon D300 / 35mm f1.8 / 300mm f4 / TC-14E II
Pentax K200D / DA 18-55mm / DA 55-300mm
Flickr

While everybody thinks the blue belt is gonna win, I think this shot shows the blow that will make the red belt a winner.
Oh, wait... I think this kind of kick is not allowed in Martial Arts.
Yeah, he loses.

Keep in mind that the 18-55 and 55-200 are variable aperture lenses, meaning they change the aperture while zooming. at 18mm, your widest aperture is F/3.5, but at 55mm, it is F/5.6.
So technically, you'd be better off with your 55-200 at 55mm, than your 18-55 at the same length (you'd gain about one stop).

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I take pictures so quickly, my highschool was "Continuous High".