Basketball Pictures with Prime Lens

10neis198810neis1988
edited February 2013 Posted in » Nikon D3100 Forum
I have been taking pictures of my daugthers basketball games with the kit lens in the sport mode. After looking at them with the ViewNX software it looks to me that the shutter speed is too slow as the pictures are not as sharp as they should be. Most of the pictures are taken with the zoom around the 35mm range. Would I be better off purchasing a 35mm prime lens which has a lower f stop than the kit lens?

Comments

  • kravattisolmukravattisolmu
    edited February 2013
    A prime would definitely be better for that. Also you can keep the 35mm as general walkaround lens. Kit lens sharpness is great, but it chokes with speed. Are u allowed to use flash there?
  • MooseMoose
    edited March 2013
    Howdy @10neis1988 - Yep, the 35mm f/1.8 or 50mm f/1.8 would be your best bet if you're not looking to spend more than $600 on a true sports lens...like a 70-200mm f/2.8.

    The bright f/1.8 aperture will allow more light into the D3100, which means faster shutter speeds and sharper subjects in low light.

    The disadvantage to prime lenses, is that you will have to physically move around in order to compose a shot rather than simply zooming in or out.

    Happy shooting!
  • 10neis198810neis1988
    edited February 2013
    Yes I can use a flash. I am able to stand on the endline of the court which puts me pretty close to the action so I don't think not having a zoom lens would be an issue. What are good recommendations for the ISO? Will the pictures get too grainy if it gets too high? Right now I am not in a position to spend $600 or more on a sports lens. Thanks for the information.
  • MooseMoose
    @10neis1988 - For indoor sports, I would leave the ISO set to Auto. Make sure the max ISO is set to 3200.

    Yes, noise will get heavier as the ISO increases. The key for sports (fast action) is to keep your shutter speed high enough to freeze subject movement. For most indoor sports, you'll need to stay at 1/500 or higher.

    In order to get a shutter speed that high in low light, it's necessary to use higher ISO sensitivities. Happy shooting!
  • 10neis198810neis1988
    edited February 2013
    The team starts tournament this week and when they lose they are done for the year. For the remaining games I am going to experiment with shooting in the S mode to see if I can improve my pictures. I should mention the 18-55mm lens I am using is not a VR version. Would a VR version make much difference? I will post next week how the shooting in S mode works out.Thanks again for the great tips.
  • MooseMoose
    @10neis1988 - When it comes to fast action, VR won't do anything to freeze subject movement. However, VR can be helpful when composing your shot when shooting with longer telephoto zoom lenses, where your hand movements are exaggerated.

    Not to discourage you, but your 18-55mm kit lens is going to struggle. It's simply not bright enough for shooting fast action indoors (low light).

    Your D3100 will be forced to use very high ISO's, which will introduce heavy amounts of noise. As you're well aware, noise will strip away color, sharpness and clarity.

    You might consider renting a 35mm prime lens for the game, that way you can compare the difference between it and your kit lens. Just my 2 cents. Happy shooting!
  • 10neis198810neis1988
    edited March 2013
    @Moose - I attempted to shoot with the camera set to shutter priority at 1/500 and the ISO to a max of 3200, but the shots were a little dark. I raised the ISO up to 1EV and shots were much clearer, although any larger than 8x10 and it starts to get pretty noisy.

    I think when summer basketball starts I will rent some prime lenses to see which works best. Thanks again for the tips.
  • AdelphosAdelphos
    edited March 2013
    If looking for a prime lens only, I usually like the 35mm for its wider field of view, but for this application I have to say I would recommend the 50mm f/1.8G. Across a big gym you typically have more ability to back up than you do to walk forward (and onto the court). Happy shooting.
  • MooseMoose
    @10neis1988 - Yep, unfortunately the 18-55mm is just not a good low-light action lens. It's simply not bright enough to allow for increased shutter speeds at lower ISO's in low light. The prime lenses I mentioned above will let much more light into the camera, giving you much better results when shooting indoor basketball. Happy shooting! :)
  • 10neis198810neis1988
    edited May 2013
    Summer basketball is fast approaching and I am getting ready to try taking indoor action shots again. I have been doing some research on lenses and was wondering if a lens with an f/2.8 aperture would be large enough to let in enough light to speed up the shutter speed to freeze the action? I am looking at a Tamron 24-70mm with an f/2.8.
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