You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.
Go to Page...
Thank you for crosschecking our sponsors!
About This Page: This is a discussion on Computers/Tech/Photo within the LetsGoKings.com forums, at Los Angeles Kings Hockey Fan Forum. My son is just now starting to play ice hockey, well, he just started doing clinics at the local rink. I tried taking some pictures with my Sony cyber-shot on
My son is just now starting to play ice hockey, well, he just started doing clinics at the local rink. I tried taking some pictures with my Sony cyber-shot on auto setting and the pictures came out horrible. I'm going to get the manual out and read about the manual settings and how to play with them. Anyone have any quick tips on where to start as far as messing with the settings? Or do I need to upgrade to a full blown SLR to have any chances of getting some descent pictures. The first couple I took, the flash went off, so i turned that off and I pressed the button (how's that for hi-tech talk?) and it took a couple of seconds for the camera to take the picture and they came out blurry as heck. I gave up shortly thereafter and put the camera away. I really want to figure this out so I can get some good shots of him to hang in his room.
I use a point-and-shoot and have achieved some okay results in the past, but it's a really tough sport to capture. My recommendations:
-no flash, ever
-fastest shutter speed possible given the lighting conditions
-track the players with your camera before, during, and after you depress the button
-when all else fails, take pictures of stationary objects/situations (goalies, face-offs, between plays, etc)
Also it helps a lot to have Photoshop or some other image editing software to adjust levels afterwards. My hockey shots always need severe balancing (the ice always looks pink or orange) and a bump up in contrast.
There are several extremely good photographers on this site who will hopefully chime in as well, but that's my 2-cents worth
Last edited by Watti; August 28th, 2008 at 02:52 PM.
The trick with hockey is to have as high of an ISO setting as possible if you are in a dark rink. The more light you can get in that lens, the better. Also, check the lighting and set your camera accordingly, for instance Toyota Training Center is all flourescent lighting so your photos will come out green if you don't adjust for the lights.
Get a kickass lens (more expensive than camera body) and lower the ISO. Otherwise, your pictures will look like horse radish when blown up to anything abobe 640x800.
With a Point-And-Shoot, you're going to have a difficult time no matter what you do unless the rink is abnormally well-lit or your subjects are stationary.
Even with a good DSLR, shooting in light typical of hockey rinks is going to be a tough prospect. Unless you're lucky enough to get a strobe or two hung above the ice to trigger remotely, a fast lens (f/2.8) is almost a must. You will HAVE to run at least 2000 ISO (higher with a consumer-level lens) with a typical consumer-level DSLR, so you might want to get familiar with the noise-reduction filters in Photoshop.
__________________ VOTE Tarquin Fin-tim-lim-bim-lim-bin-bim-bin-bim Bus Stop F'tang F'tang Olé Biscuitbarrel IN 2008!!
The descriptor "good" has a different definition with everyone, but yeah. You're sort of asking for a way to get usable images in a very challenging lighting environment.
If you decide you want to get into things a little deeper in order to get the shots you're after, here's a starting point:
Nikon D80 camera body (will give you adequate ISO performance and the ability to shoot continuously at a rate of 3 frames per second...adequate for amateur sports).
Pair that camera with a 50mm f/1.4 lens. This would be adequate, though not ideal (ideal would be something with a bit more reach or maybe a wide-angle/telephoto zoom). You'd have to be in good position for action shots, and you'd be pretty limited in terms of distance, and I wouldn't open it up any wider than f/2.8...but it could be a very cost-effective lens to start with.
Those two items will probably set you back about $1000 if you find the right place to buy them.
__________________ VOTE Tarquin Fin-tim-lim-bim-lim-bin-bim-bin-bim Bus Stop F'tang F'tang Olé Biscuitbarrel IN 2008!!
The descriptor \\\\\"good\\\\\" has a different definition with everyone, but yeah. You're sort of asking for a way to get usable images in a very challenging lighting environment.
If you decide you want to get into things a little deeper in order to get the shots you're after, here's a starting point:
Nikon D80 camera body (will give you adequate ISO performance and the ability to shoot continuously at a rate of 3 frames per second...adequate for amateur sports).
Pair that camera with a 50mm f/1.4 lens. This would be adequate, though not ideal (ideal would be something with a bit more reach or maybe a wide-angle/telephoto zoom). You'd have to be in good position for action shots, and you'd be pretty limited in terms of distance, and I wouldn't open it up any wider than f/2.8...but it could be a very cost-effective lens to start with.
Those two items will probably set you back about $1000 if you find the right place to buy them.
You can get both for $988.73 FedEx Ground via One Call.
Only drag for me, if I were getting into photography, the XSi, and the D80, don't use Compact Flash cards. They use SD and SDHC cards. Most (mid to pro)DSLRs use CF. Though prices continually drop on memory cards, it would be a drag to want to upgrade in a year and have to buy new cards.
But, for entry level DSLRs, both cameras are going to produce results, and flexibility, beyond want you're getting from point and shoots.
Peep the images on Flickr from both cameras. The images can be pretty inspirational, as well educational of what you're (potential) camera can do.
Well, it appears that next time I buy a camera, I should do some of that, what's it called............Oh Yeah, research! Apparently my cameras ISO only goes to 1000. Ran into a guy at the rink who gave me some pointers, not sure if it made any difference.
Hockey Photography 101 
Watti
