Shutter speed (nikon d60)

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suze23

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suze
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I hope someone can help as im struggling!

Ok so - i have a nikon D60, 18-55mm lens and a 70-300mm (and let me tell you without a tripod my dodgy back went!) :lol:

Ive been asked to photograph a dog show (its agility) which is dogs moving at speed. I practised a few weeks ago and i struggled megabadly as everything was blurry....

Photographers worst nightmare.... indoor arena with rubbish lights!

Sports mode didnt work well...i cannot use a flash! - I need a quick shutter speed and im still learning how to use my camera :lol: (talk about chucking myself in at the deep end)!

Oh and lastly - this is UNPAID but it dosent make it any less important - to me im a perfectionist!... so any help very welcome :)

The next show is in an indoor and with fast moving dogs again - no flash allowed; sounds stupid but which setting on my camera do i use!?

thanks :)
 
Not familiar with the D60 so this may not be possible.
Manual exposure
Max lens aperture
1/500 sec shutter speed
Auto ISO with max upper limit allowed.

If the shutter will not fire there is not enough light so lower shutter speed.
 
Basically you're going to have to up the ISO, sadly on the D60 I'd only go to ISO800 and even then it'll be grainy.

Also, shoot at as short a length as possible as this will allow for a wider aperture.

edit: also, shoot in RAW as you'll be able to recover shots better if they're underexposed.
 
As a D60 owner myself you are really going to struggle indoors without some fast glass ie 70-200 2.8. You can bump up the ISO but you will need some very good noise reduction software(Noiseware community is free and very good). I enjoy shooting my dogs so as above 1/500 is a good start for shutter speed, you will have to shoot wide open and adgust ISO to match which means manual is the best way to go if you know how to use your camera meter.
 
You need light, and there's no escaping that fact, to get your shutter speed up to a usable level. You can increase the ISO which is obviously good, and software can help minimise the noise. And get a low f/number lens - but that's a lot of money.

The only other thing I can think of is panning - tracking the dogs smoothly. You will still get blurred legs and feet, but the body and head of the dogs should be sharp. If your 70-300 lens has VR, you should be able to get usable results shooting at 1/125sec, maybe 1/60sec if you're lucky, but expect a high failure rate even when you've got the technique nailed. Get a big card and shoot on continuous - you'll be surprised at how one frame can he hopeless but the next is good, it's just how the coincidence of different movements comes together.

PS Check your white balance!
 
omg this is like another language :lol: :lol: :lol:

ok so, set it on 'm' (camera not in frount of me is that right)

increase the shutter speed to max?

set iso at what exactly??

going to see if i can go down next week and have a ptactise before i go the show

bought a monopod but tbh i dont think i can use that as i need to move about!! :(
 
Have you got chance to shoot a moving dog for practice, it will give you a rough idea for shutter speed.
 
suze23 said:
omg this is like another language :lol: :lol: :lol:

ok so, set it on 'm' (camera not in frount of me is that right)

increase the shutter speed to max?

set iso at what exactly??

going to see if i can go down next week and have a ptactise before i go the show

bought a monopod but tbh i dont think i can use that as i need to move about!! :(
Click to expand...


Sorry to say the but RTFM :p

It really is a useful thing to do and will teach you loads and loads.
 
foggy4ever said:
Have you got chance to shoot a moving dog for practice, it will give you a rough idea for shutter speed.
Click to expand...

i have 2


and they come out really well!!

even agility

but its indoors im struggling on!!!

give me agility outdoors anyday and i can work it no problem....

put me indoors and i want to cry lol!!!
 
Ok, well I have shot a couple of events at school, in the badly lit hall and I have an upcoming "Gym Festival" which is very dark and a lot of fast movement. I have an EOS 40D, so its a bit different, but my advice to you is:

Manual Mode
Shutter Speed: 1/250th
Aperture: Widest you can go
ISO: 1600 (use noise reduction software afterwards)
File format: RAW (much better to rescue shots, even if under exposed)

Other than that, try to pan a lot and you will get sharper images.

I wish you luck with your event!
 
Well your own experience will give you the shutter speed you require, in manual the thumb wheel controls shutter speed, press the exposure +/- butter (next to your shutter release button) and thumb wheel to change aperture and I have set the function button for ISO adjustment with thumb wheel. Have a play in manual.
 
bartoszwozniak said:
Ok, well I have shot a couple of events at school, in the badly lit hall and I have an upcoming "Gym Festival" which is very dark and a lot of fast movement. I have an EOS 40D, so its a bit different, but my advice to you is:

Manual Mode
Shutter Speed: 1/250th
Aperture: Widest you can go
ISO: 1600 (use noise reduction software afterwards)
File format: RAW (much better to rescue shots, even if under exposed)

Other than that, try to pan a lot and you will get sharper images.

I wish you luck with your event!
Click to expand...


thank you :D


foggy4ever said:
Well your own experience will give you the shutter speed you require, in manual the thumb wheel controls shutter speed, press the exposure +/- butter (next to your shutter release button) and thumb wheel to change aperture and I have set the function button for ISO adjustment with thumb wheel. Have a play in manual.
Click to expand...

thanks :D

foggy4ever said:
Well thats really helpful :razz:
Click to expand...

ano i thought so too

i have read the manual but nothing like real experience tips from others./
 
Well if you're struggling with things like shutter speed and ISO then where better to start? :thinking:
 
Nawty said:
Well if you're struggling with things like shutter speed and ISO then where better to start? :thinking:
Click to expand...

well so would you in an indoor....

as would most others as per comments above

ima beginner - id love experience of others - that a crime?
 
Nawty said:
Well if you're struggling with things like shutter speed and ISO then where better to start? :thinking:
Click to expand...

Don't take this the wrong way but if you are not here to help bog off!
 
Of course it's not...

However, when you say things like (to quote) "im still learning how to use my camera" and "set iso at what exactly??" it gives the impression that you have no idea how to operate your camera so reading the manual is an obvious place to start n'est pas?

No one on this forum is going to know the exact conditions in which you'll be shooting so won't be able to tell you exact settings to use.

If I (who also owns a D60) were to recommend settings for someone with limited experience I would say:

Switch on Auto ISO with maximum level at 1600 and maximum shutter speed as fast as you can (can't remember what that is off the top of my head). However, you'll have to be prepared to accept noisy images, which whilst not ideal is better than blurry/no pics.

Have the camera in Shutter priority mode, set at 1/250ish (experiment a little)

Shoot in RAW

Get as close as possible (ideally a couple of meters tops) and use the 70-300 at 70mm

Ultimately you have to understand the limits of your kit and then use it within those limits to achieve images that are acceptable to YOU - there's no point in expecting amazing telephoto images from a slow lens with a noisy camera in low light.

edit: BTW, WTF is wrong with people - did no one see the use of the :p smiley?
 
:thumbs: It is called talk photography for a reason. We all have different ways of taking in info, manuals can be too technical for complete newbies and having a chat on here can go a long way to helping. The basic forum was created for this type of question so new members would feel safe posting the basic of questions without getting the dreaded RTFM and scaring them off.

I used a smilie
 
foggy4ever said:
:thumbs: It is called talk photography for a reason. We all have different ways of taking in info, manuals can be too technical for complete newbies and having a chat on here can go a long way to helping. The basic forum was created for this type of question so new members would feel safe posting the basic of questions without getting the dreaded RTFM and scaring them off.

I used a smilie
Click to expand...

thank you :)

it does help - its a confidene thing too imo - trial and error!

I almost have insurance now too so shall be out next week hopefully :) (practise before the show)!
 
not sure what the frames per second are on the D60, but defo shoot lots of pics .even the pro,s surggest some of them will be OK. hth mike oh and as many memory cards as you,ve got ;) (you,ll need them :thumbs:
 
dinorock said:
not sure what the frames per second are on the D60, but defo shoot lots of pics .even the pro,s surggest some of them will be OK. hth mike oh and as many memory cards as you,ve got ;) (you,ll need them :thumbs:
Click to expand...

3 :'(
 
3 is fine back in the day (ha ha ) we used to have to wind on by hand :lol:
 
dinorock said:
3 is fine back in the day (ha ha ) we used to have to wind on by hand :lol:
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Well sitting next to you at the TP conference and everybody else at the table seemed to have a D300 I now have more than 3fps :D
 
lol have i caused a riot on my first day here haha :D
 
oh god no.... lol!!

*suze hides*

:lol:

well actually - one day..... :lol:
 
This is a scenario nearly on a par with shooting a wedding, you get one chance and one chance only, i had a D60 and it's not too noisy (quite acceptable) on ISO 1600, as people said Wide Open in Aperture priority but the shutter speed isn't going to be fast enough for what you want or need to capture, if you know someone who has a D300 or even better a D700/D3 you're going to struggle without flash i'm afraid.
 
thats my problem

now if i were outside - i would have no problems :(
 
This is what im talking about

**note - the agility pic is not good it was again a test so no critique on that pls** :)


THIS;

DSC_0411.jpg


IN THERE;


agility039-1.jpg


dosent look too bad but trust me - it is!

go figure without feeling stressed abou that :(
 
The first shot captures the action quite well at 1/160 iso 800 and the light seem pretty poor, I usually shoot my german shepherd and westie playing at around 1/400 to 1/640.

The indoor shot was at 1/2 iso 400, even if you bump iso up full I don't think you will achieve a fast enough shutter speed.
 
The problem with the second shot is camera shake. If that's half a second exposure time, it must be almost dark in there. Anything moving will be hopelessly blurred.

If it's that dark, there is no way you will get the shutter speed up to usable levels with the camera and lens you have - you're about five stops adrift. That's the difference between ISO400 and ISO12800.

Basically, unless you can get the light level up, only a top end pro camera, with an f/2.8 lens, plus immaculate technique, will even get you close.
 
Hire a faster lens?

Not sure how much that costs but it might help your piece of mind.
 
Unfortunately, the performance of the 70 - 300 lens is good for beginners, but it just can't hack action shots in anything other than the best light conditions. At 300mm, it's an f/5.6 lens, and at best an f/4. It might seem only a small incremental difference, but it was circumstances like this that made me upgrade to Nikon's 80 - 200mm f/2.8. That being said, there is quite a price difference - £100 for the 70 - 300 is more like £800 for the 80 - 200.

As already said, that indoor shot - if that's 1/2 a second at ISO 400, it seems very unlikely that anything other than a D3 (with it's crazy ISO settings) would be able to shoot in there and freeze-frame the action. I'm not sure the lens alone would be enough, if there's no other way of getting more light in there.
 
Yeah, even if you got the 50mm for the D60 you'll struggle. At 1.8 wide open you'll probably only get good exposure at about 1/40 if using 1600 iso. Although you could probably push the shutter to about 1/60 or even 1/100 but you'd have to bring back the exposure in photoshop. Problem there is you introduce more noise if you underexpose and then try to fix it in photoshop. And I'll be honest, the D60 at 1600 is very noisy to start with :(. It's a great camera, but ISO performance is unfortunately not one of it's strong points.

If you knew someone with a D90 or D300 that would lend it to you they would be able to handle it better. I've seen fairly acceptable shots at ISO 3200 on those and that would give you much higher shutter speeds. Outside of that it's difficult to advise.
 
bartoszwozniak said:
Ok, well I have shot a couple of events at school, in the badly lit hall and I have an upcoming "Gym Festival" which is very dark and a lot of fast movement. I have an EOS 40D, so its a bit different, but my advice to you is:

Manual Mode
Shutter Speed: 1/250th
Aperture: Widest you can go
ISO: 1600 (use noise reduction software afterwards)
File format: RAW (much better to rescue shots, even if under exposed)

Other than that, try to pan a lot and you will get sharper images.

I wish you luck with your event!
Click to expand...

You won't be able to do anything to help the noise on a D60 at 1600, it's awful!!:thumbsdown:
 
so basically shooting an indoor i have no chance??

what about horse shows??? still quick but not as quick as dogs....?

I can wait and shoot outdoors.... i just cant afford/jusify £800 on a lens just yet and no - no-one else i know has a better camera/lens......

so i should just give up now? :(
 
bump...

the failure of a lens(lol) btw is;;;

Nikon 70-300mm F4-5.6G Telephoto Autofocus Zoom Lens - -

if that helps any further in my quest to succeed....?
 
Horse shows, like dog shows, can be a bit of a lottery. I have shot at indoor arenas where the light is good enough to get 1/500th shutter speed at ISO400 an f4 and others where ISO3200 and f2.8 only achieved 1/125th! Unfortunately, whereas people would normally say it's the photographer and not the kit, sometimes you still need the tools to do the job. With indoor shows, more often than not, you will need fast lenses and a camera which performs well at higher ISOs.
 
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