Settings for a quick moving grandchild

DianeDiane
edited June 2012 Posted in » Nikon D5100 Forum
I just brought home a Nikon D5100 with a Sigma DC 18-250mm lens. Right now, I want to shoot pictures of my grandchild and I want quickness. My old digital camera took a few seconds and I lost most of the good shots (babies move quickly).

I want to be able to capture her movements quickly. I was told this camera would do the trick, but the more I read the more confused I get. Can you tell me what I need to set the camera to (and the lens) for quick pictures?

Any help would be appreciated, thank you! Once I get used to pictures with the baby, then I'm sure I will venture out. I just love taking pictures. - Diane

Comments

  • MooseMoose
    Howdy @Diane - I'd be glad to get you pointed in the right direction. Are you shooting mostly outdoors (bright light) or indoors (low light)? Do you have an external flash (speedlight)? Let me know. :)
  • ohyeaharohyeahar
    If you just shoot in Auto-mode, you should get reasonably nice shots.
    Personally, when shooting my kids, I shoot in P-mode. Set ISO to Auto. Min shutter speed at 1/60 sec. Works very well for me.
    Sometimes, I use my SB-400 speedlight to bounce the flash off the ceiling. The shots look very nice with it but I like shooting in burst mode and the speedlight just can't keep up. Besides, the ISO performance of the D5100 is impressive enough to shoot with just ambient lighting even indoors.
  • minhchanhminhchanh
    edited August 2012
    Diane,

    In order to take picture of a quickly moving child, you should turn the knock dial to S (speed) and then turn the command wheel (right under the thumb holder) to adjust the speed up to 150 or 200. With those speeds you can catch the moving child. If you can not set the speed that high, you need to set the ISO to a higher number (maybe 200 or 400, or even 800).

    Have fun.
    Charlie Tran
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