Settings for flyball

Flash Flyball Gem

Flash Flyball Gem

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Gem
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Hi guys, can someone walk me through settings please? I'm having a tough time focusing, and I'm shooting high speed dogs over jumps. I'm really struggling as I'm just getting used to using it off auto. My dogs are either out of focus or my action isn't captured well.
 
Not 100% sure what you are asking. However, how about focussing on the point where you expect to capture the shot then release the shutter as the dogs appear.
 
If you can't track the target in advance of the shot in AI-Servo (or whatever your camera makes equivalent,I just about understand fly-ball but haven't a clue what camera/lens combination you're using - useful bordering on essential information for this type of question) you'll need to pre-focus and anticipate when the dog will enter the frame and be at the focus point. The advice is not much different to that for showjumping, and there's a tutorial on that somewhere.
 
Wide open, as high an ISO as you think you can get away with as far as noise goes at final use and that'll give you the highest shutter speed available. However, you will probably want a bit more DoF than wide open will allow, so you may have to drop the shutter speed a bit to gain a stop or 2 of aperture. IIRC, the ball's trajectory is fairly constant so you should be able to pre focus on it's plane of flight, then it's a matter of timing the release to catch the dogs in the right attitude or stage of catch. As Alastair said, knowing your kit could help us advise - little point saying f/2.8, ISO 3200, 1/750 if you're using a kit lens on n older body!
 
Depends on the light, your camera and exactly where you're positioned really.
 
I use a shutter speed of at least 1/800 more if possible, and adjust the ISO to give a reasonable depth of field. If possible crouch down next to the box so the dogs are running almost straight at you, and pre-focus just in front of the closest jump. Take a burst starting on the dog's last stride before the jump. Try to photograph spaniels - their ears are spectacular when jumping!
 
Bassets move slower!
 
Gem, I photographed my first Flyball tournament just before Christmas. First couple of hundred shots just weren't sharp even though I was cranking up the shutter speed. They only sharpened up at 1/500th+. I will be doing more, as our spaniel (Millie - left) is really loving it, so happy to swap notes.
 
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