Camera setup for Rugby

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welshnutteruk

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chris
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Hi all I been asked to do some rugby shots tomorrow (weather permitting)
I will be using a sony alpha 290a with a 75-300 lens I want to shot in manual mode so what setting should I use as a guide and also should I use AF or MF
regards chris
 
What exactly do you mean when you say "Rugby shots" ?

match action, player portraits, set-up action, GV of the ground ? and at what level - kids, town level, premiership ? because what you are actually trying to shoot, and at what time of the day will make a massive difference to the answer..
 
Why shoot in manual; you're better off shooting in Av or Tv unless you have auto ISO

Auto focus all the time, on continuous rather than single shot.

You want the camera to take care of the technical details so you can concentrate on framing and catching the important moments
 
Hi it will be a team photo first (il use my 55 lens) then some action shots, it will be a sebior side and most likely be overcast or light rain
regards chris
 
cheers
 
Well there are plenty of cracking rugby photographers (or ex-rugby photographers) on here.

Personally I'd be shooting it in aperture priority (wide open in your case as you'll be at f5.6 I suspect with that lens), use the ISO to keep your shutter speed above 1/500 for frozen action. I wouldn't use MF, stick with your AF on continuous focus for action - although I have never used a Sony so I couldn't advise on the buttons, or if you have a choice of continuous AF modes.

You could shoot in manual exposure - just keep an eye on falling light levels, differences in brightness in areas of the pitch and if they switch on floodlights then a rise in light levels.

As for the team shot - single point AF f5-5.6 if one row, f/8 if two with a blip of light fill flash should do it.
 
I reckon I'd shoot in shutter priority. Vary the speed and let the camera take care of the rest.
Try some slower shutter speeds to get a sense of movement. I'd be wary about going too low though.
A tripod would be useful in this case.
The weather is meant to be variable so keep an eye on your ISO.

And take a plastic bag- useful for keeping your camera dry or for kneeling on if the ground is wet.
 
Shoot Av (Aperture Priority) Wide open if sharp wide open, then adjust ISO to get a sufficiently fast enough shutter to freeze the action.

As it gets darker, wind the ISO up.
 
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on my canon I would shoot shutter priority, make sure that you freeze the action.
then let the camera balance ISO and aperture on auto.
focus tracking is essential I think too.
otherwise set the aperture to something fairly wide but not wide open if you can afford to on a f2.8 lens. f4 or something then wide, set your shutter , 1/100 maybe? then let the auto ISO balance the metering.

also a huge brolly attached to your hat!

oh yeah, I've used a portable stool to help me out shooting low and stable on a rugby field before...sank right into the mub!. bah
 
As has been said above AV mode with lens as wide open as your lens allows. Speed should be 500 or higher. Keep upping the ISO when it gets darker.Take photos at low height level, kneeling. Centre focus point.
 
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DizMatt said:
on my canon I would shoot shutter priority, make sure that you freeze the action.
then let the camera balance ISO and aperture on auto.
focus tracking is essential I think too.
otherwise set the aperture to something fairly wide but not wide open if you can afford to on a f2.8 lens. f4 or something then wide, set your shutter , 1/100 maybe? then let the auto ISO balance the metering.

also a huge brolly attached to your hat!

oh yeah, I've used a portable stool to help me out shooting low and stable on a rugby field before...sank right into the mub!. bah
Click to expand...


If you shoot shutter priority with poor/distractive backgrounds you images could suffer as a result of larger DoF. I would always prefer to limit Dof by selecting the widest aperture. Shooting wide open will limit the depth of field and negate any poor backgrounds.
I agree the the shutter speed should be sufficient to freeze the action and 1/500 sec will not always do this. I would suggest a minimum of 1/800 sec and let the Auto ISO sort the exposure issues.

If your body does not handle noise very well, you will have to balance the Shutter and ISO to maximise the image quality. You may also have to shoot manual with auto ISO selected.
 
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fair enough, I presume that you're shooting with insufficient light so aperture will always be quite wide. If you're on a bright sunny day, then everything is easier!
 
DizMatt said:
fair enough, I presume that you're shooting with insufficient light so aperture will always be quite wide. If you're on a bright sunny day, then everything is easier!
Click to expand...

It isn't about having to deal with insufficient light at all. It is about achieving a distinctive, consistent, and in many cases "saleable" image.

Assuming you can achieve a sharp image then the depth of field is critical to defining the look of the image, particularly with sports photography and especially in a stadium/arena/sports hall where you need to minimise the distracting elements in the background and make the subject of the image pop. That is why we are shooting wide open (f2.8/f/4) or just under and want to be in complete control of the aperture we are using.

f/11 or f/16 in any football or rugby ground in the country is going to give you too much detail in the crowd, empty seats, hoardings, or trees/buildings to be able to separate the subject from the background no matter what your lens to subject distance or focal length is and in bright sunlight on shutter priority set to 1/500 or 1/1000 and and ISO of 200 you could achieve that. That is why I, Tug, and others are suggesting that you shoot in AV/AP mode and not TV/SP and that you manage your shutter speed with ISO to ensure a sharp image. The only exception to that from my point of view is when I'm panning, predominately motorsport, because I need a fixed shutter speed to get the panning effect I'm after and the background is negated is the most part by that and the movement of the background relative to the subject - and where I'll again control aperture this time with ISO to decrease it or increase it depending on the leniency I need to get the right DOF on the subject.
 
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