Calling all cricket photographers

[nigpd]

Just a quick question...........

What minimum shutter speed will I need, to ensure a nice sharp capture of the cricket ball as it's being whacked by the batsman?

Thanks in advance for your help

 

[Tugster]

Do you really need a crisp sharp ball Nigel.. Ive just put some in the Sports section....Speed varied from 1/400th to 1/3200...for me it was important to get the background out of focus and try and ensure no vivid colours in the background to distract... I shot mainly at ISO 400 but down to ISO 200 when the sun was bright...

 

[nigpd]

Thanks for the quick reply Tug. I see what you mean after looking at your posts in Sports.

Maybe crisp balls aren't the be all and end all after all

It's my first go at cricket so I'll try not to get too fixated about v high shutter speeds

 

[Tugster]

I have shots that the ball is as crisp as a crisp thing but but they are not always the the best ones ....The good thing about cricket is that it is a very repeatable sport which is great for experimenting with your own settings....Good luck and don't forget to post some of your own

 

[KIPAX]

To answer your question.. it rather depends how hard he hits it... seriously

 

[Little John]

The other thing that matters is where the ball is going, if its going 90 degrees to you so sideways it will have more blur than if its going diagonally, if it comes right at you then the amount of movement will be very little.
I always try to keep about 1/1000 some times its sharp others are not.