moving objects

[chem]

newbie in photography, just wondering, how should i go about taking moving objects? not fast moving objects like racing cars, i mean ppl on stage performing....should i set the shutter speed? or aperture? most of my pics turn out blur and how do i focus, since the performer keeps moving?

 

[Del_CtrlnoAlt]

if on stage, most likely the lighting is kinda dim.

2 things you will need to have, fast lens (aperture 2.8 or better) and high ISO.

ISO help to improve on the background exposure without long shutter to expose it... the bigger aperture lens help you to focus faster.

just my 1 cent... somebody got 5 cents can add... hehe, i not good with stage...

 

[satan_18349]

If you are using Nikon, use AF-C + dynamic AF... of course with a fast lens (f/2.8 and below), the results will be much better...

 

[MDZ2]

If allowed, you should use flash (set to rear curtain sync or slow shutter to still capture the ambient light). Of course it will have to be a very powerful flash if you are sitting right at the back.
If you do use the external flash and are using a very long lens (more than 80mm, since most external flash cover up to that range) you can always put a piece of fresnel lens in front of the flash to increase the range like a zoom lens. I have used this setup to capture dancers in a ballroom from almost 30m away with my 400mm lens at F5.6 and my GN36 Nikon flash, so I actually more than doubled the flash range.

BTW you can get a piece of lens (about 5R size) for about $5 at most bookshops or stationary shops. They are actually meant for map reading.

 

[snowspeeder]

Try a combinations of shutter speeds to freeze the subjects on stage, and to get some with slight motion blur. High ISO and good optical lens quality comes into play here.

 

[chem]

thanks for the info..actually can i take a photo in p mode and then adjust the setting from there? like take that as a guideline since i dont really have a idea..will this be accurate? so i should try to predict the actors direction of movement and focus the predicted position? thanks heaps

 

[MDZ2]

Better if you use aperture priority and set the aperture to the widest setting so the camera will use the fastest possible shutterspeed. In P mode, the camera tends compromise between the two settings.

 

[chem]

i tried using f2.8, shutter speed came out to be 1/4, but my subject still come out blur. so i set f2.8 and shutter speed 1/25 or less, but then the photo is underexposed. :cry: what should i do? this is taken in the house w/o flash, ie with lighting from the lights. thanks.

 

[snowspeeder]

i tried using f2.8, shutter speed came out to be 1/4, but my subject still come out blur. so i set f2.8 and shutter speed 1/25 or less, but then the photo is underexposed. :cry: what should i do? this is taken in the house w/o flash, ie with lighting from the lights. thanks.

Ever thought of pushing up the ISO settings? :think:

 

[jonlou]

i tried using f2.8, shutter speed came out to be 1/4, but my subject still come out blur. so i set f2.8 and shutter speed 1/25 or less, but then the photo is underexposed. :cry: what should i do? this is taken in the house w/o flash, ie with lighting from the lights. thanks.

maybe u wanna consider fitting the flash in?

 

[Del_CtrlnoAlt]

Your light is constant... so if your metering is accurate, giving you f2.8 1/4sec to give u optimum exposure, you reduce the time to 1/25, mean confirm underexpose...

like snowspeeder & jonlou said, use a flash or bump ISO, if your object is stationary, use a tripod. unless your hands are rock steady. but if you have moving objects, you need to calculate the speed of the object to get shutter speed... then set aperture. thats y there is also a Shutter priority mode as well.

 

[yanyewkay]

Shutter priority might not work really well because the max aperture might not enough. Example would be above, if he sets to 1/25 but his lens can only open up to f2.8.. then he'll still get an underexposed pic.

 

[chem]

Thanks for the comments. the iso setting was 80. i find that when i use flash indoors, the photo comes out harsh (flash + house lighting). is it becoz the subject is too near? so shld i soften the flash using a tissue paper? i also find that it gets quite noisy with higher iso. any suggestions?