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Resolved Question

settings for sports in low light w/ Canon Rebel xs?

Nov 16, 2011 11:01PM PST

I'm taking the pictures for a high school soccer team and the games are usually after the sun is down. Typically the fields are not well-lit. I'm new to photography, so any suggestions on ISO, AV, shutter speed, etc. settings? I have a Canon Rebel xs with a 55-250 mm lens. Thanks!

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Best Answer

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What the pros use
Nov 17, 2011 12:12AM PST

Here is what the professional photographers use:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v159/randol9p9/MinoltaZ2/GreenBay.jpg

Shooting action in low light all depends upon how low is the light.

Lots of things to think about.

How bright is your brightest lens?
F2.8 is about as bright as it gets for a zoom lens.
Most zoom lenses will lose brightness as you zoom toward your target.
The ones that don't, are very expensive.

Trial and error is your only way to find out if your equipment is adequate:

Set the camera for aperture priority, set aperture to brightest for that lens, set ISO to the maximum, then take a sample shot.
View the resulting photo.
Is it bright enough?
If not, you are in trouble.
If brightness is OK, view the settings for that photo.
That will let you know if you have extra margins for adjusting ISO and/or Shutter Speed.

..

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Answer
Maximum Everything
Nov 16, 2011 11:55PM PST

You will need to capture as much light as possible. That means the widest aperture available, a high shutter speed to freeze the action, and a very high ISO. Your lens is not very bright, so you'll probably have to go to the top of the camera's ISO range. That will make for some rather noisy photos, but they might be acceptable to you as long as they are viewed as small prints. Depending on how much light is available, even with everything maxed out, you still might not be able to get a good capture. That is what makes sports difficult to shoot, and why manufacturers make those $2000+ lenses.