Do you shoot sports with your Pentax ?

[zoom3]

Hardly see any sports photos taken by Pentax in this forum. So just wondering is it because Pentaxians here are generally not into sports photography or is it because of the limitation of the Pentax system ??? After all the longest Pentax lens we have is 300mm and we don't have the predictive AF of some top end models.

Anyway, here are some reasonable photos taken with the k-7/300mm combination, so hardware shouldn't be an issue. If I can take them, I am sure other more skillful sifu can do a much better job

More photos here: http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=725198

Would love to see other Pentaxians share their sports photos here too.

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[Reportage]

depends what kind of sports....the current lineup, not easy to shoot S-League but is do-able.

Here are some that i do.

Taekwondo.

S-League.

Silat.

Tennis.

Cycling.

and still plenty more. Still can include the photos that was published in newspaper.

What i need from pentax now is a 400 f/2.8 for field sports.

 

[darrrrrrrrrr]

Sure, why not! However, if I was getting paid to shoot sports and had to get the money shot, I'd probably be shooting with pro Canikon gear. Since I'm only shooting college sports for low-res web display and newsprint and don't have sponsored equipment, my Pentax K20D and Tamron 70-200 combo does the job well enough. Need to make up for the equipment by practicing more and learning how to anticipate and time the action.

Oh did I mention a pro sports photog once thought I had my camera set to single-shot mode but it was actually set to the Continuous-Hi (3 fps) mode.

Track and Field

Basketball

(Deliberate dropped ISO for motion blur effect btw!)

Football

 

[darrrrrrrrrr]

The hardest sport I've shot so far is softball. You never know where the ball might fly so it's so hard to get a shot of an outfield player catching the ball in mid-air, like this

While you may think it's easy to get a shot of the stationary batter hitting the ball, strikes and balls are aplenty but actual hits are uncommon. Also, with the 3fps limit, you either get the ball in the frame or miss it completely. Timing is key. Even then, you can't be sure that the ball is in a good position in the frame. Good connection in the shot below but timing was just a fraction too slow

A bit of knowledge about the game might allow you to predict some action shots such as these below. Whether they actually happen also depends on your luck.

Still got a lot more practice to go with shooting sports, especially softball/baseball!

 

[Gengh]

I've only gone out once specially to shoot sports, my friend jio me to go with him to see rally in Malaysia. Turned out to be a very good exercise in panning. :bsmilie:

 

[istDeS]

I try to take some sports photos if i have the time or chance. Hardly post photos up now, but here's some recent shots in May. For equipment, make up by practicing more like Daren mentioned and some knowlege and observation of players and teams does help to predict the actions shots. Anyway, I still got a long way to go...

 

[adel08]

Shooting sports with pentax is a little bit harder compared to the more popular sports cameras but is very doable. A decent technique is all you need. A faster lens will surely help specially if you're shooting fast sports and challenging lighting condition.

http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/home?#section=ARTIST&subSection=3800111&subSubSection=4185406&language=EN

The photo in the above link is one of my keepers when I watched the first F1 grand prix here in Singapore. Lighting on the track is quite tricky and the cars are racing at insane speed. Focusing on the cars with the 300mm lens is a challenge.

 

[CorneliusK]

I tried my hand at shooting sports recently. Just sharing my limited experience.

Some shots can be found in this post I made

I shot with a variety of lenses, a Tokina 80-200 f2.8, the DA 70 and the DA* 50-135. Shooting with the DA 70 was by far the easiest, given its rapid focusing speed, and the Tokina was pretty good also. But shooting with the DA* was a nightmare, as its focusing speed is noticeably slower and it tends to hunt. The pictures are fantastic when they are in focus though. SDM as well as the autofocus algorithm seems like the main limitations at the moment.

Experience definitely helps out a lot. My success rate slowly goes up as I shoot a match, after I figure out when and where the action is going to take place.

 

[zoom3]

Wow ! Thanks guys for all the great sport pics :thumbsup: I counted 17 different sports already. Great to see something different in the Pentax sub forum. Adel08 - great shot of the Red Bull racer. Here's one of mine from 2009 F1. Also taken with the DA*300.

Fellow Pentaxian - Please keep them coming

 

[peterpen]

Photos of the YOG SIN Handball Team in training.

1. Girls team - Leia shooting

2. Leftback Vinoth On a rampage

3. Winger Wilmer putting it into the net

4. Captain Sethi and Pivot JingLi jostling for position

Sometimes I find it quite hard to get fast and sharp pics with the pentax 50-200mm lens. Either that or I need to upgrade my shooting skills.

More to come when YOG is here. Can't wait!

 

[seefei]

#1 on the bola!!

#2 ballerina

pentax sure can do sport.... :bsmilie:

k20D + f*300 shot in burst mode

 

[KickStart]

talking about panning shots...
do u use single shots or continous?
wat's the shutter speed used?
i tried using 1/80 to get the blurry wheels and i shoot on a bright day...
so i used about F8 so it dont get over exposed...

 

[fengwei]

talking about panning shots...
do u use single shots or continous?
wat's the shutter speed used?
i tried using 1/80 to get the blurry wheels and i shoot on a bright day...
so i used about F8 so it dont get over exposed...

For panning shots, it's about try and error, and practice is the key. Set the ISO/Av/Tv values based on the light condition and the speed of the moving subject, use manual focus to prefocus, then fire away. Smaller aperture (bigger Av number) would help to keep the subject in focus, so better don't use too wide aperture. Since most time the light condition won't change much when you do panning shots, can try to meter in M mode.

I only tried this thing twice, once at F1 2009, the other time was after the model shot in Feb this year:

And these were from F1, all taken behind fence:

 

[darrrrrrrrrr]

talking about panning shots...
do u use single shots or continous?
wat's the shutter speed used?
i tried using 1/80 to get the blurry wheels and i shoot on a bright day...
so i used about F8 so it dont get over exposed...

Mine is always set to continuous shutter. AF mode I prefer AF-S but that depends on you. Depending on the light conditions I'll either shoot Tv or M. If the car's paintjob color affects the exposure metering then M mode keeps the exposure more consistent. But if the track is unevenly lit then you're better off in Tv mode.

The slower the shutter speed you use, the better the effect but the lower your success rate. Best to experiment and find what shutter speed works best for you. With more practice you can probably manage to drag the shutter longer.

I can only manage 1/80s with a decent success rate

 

[ronald09]

managed to take this shot over the weekend.

 

[zoom3]

Photos of the YOG SIN Handball Team in training.


Sometimes I find it quite hard to get fast and sharp pics with the pentax 50-200mm lens. Either that or I need to upgrade my shooting skills.

More to come when YOG is here. Can't wait!

In about 4 weeks you will have plenty of opportunity to practice. Look forward to your YOG photos here