D5000: Need advice on night-time sports photography

[labontejunkie]

I have the Nikon D5000 camera with the 55-300mm lens. My son started playing on a lacrosse team that plays under the lights every game. I was so used to be able to get awesome action shots during the day by just setting my camera lens to sports setting and getting great pictures.

I now find myself sitting on bleachers at a stadium. My camera will zoom in far enough...but I need advice to how to get great pictures at night. I have never adjusted any settings on my camera and don't want my pictures to be blurry or dark.

I welcome any advice or suggestions. Thanks in advance for your help.

Connie

 

[analog.universe]

Moving subjects in low light are one of the most difficult things for a camera to capture. Sports photographers will often shoot with a $7k body and $12k lens in order to get acceptable images under these circumstances.

The best you can do with your own equipment will probably be to shoot in aperture priority mode. Open the aperture up as far as it will go (lowest number), crank the ISO all the way up, and the camera will decide on a shutter speed. If it's coming up with something slower than like 1/500ish , you're probably going to get blurry shots. Chances are the sports mode you're talking about makes these same adjustments though...

Upgrading the lens will probably be the most bang for buck improvement that you'll see, but long fast lenses still aren't cheap.

 

[Mach0]

You will need to ditch that lens. It isn't good in low light. Not if you are shooting sports and need a faster ss.

 

[imagemaker46]

If you're stuck in the stands you're options are limited as to what you can shoot, is there no way that you can work your way down to the field. There is always more going on during sports events than just the action. You have said that you getting great pictures in good light, there is nothing stopping you from getting getting great pictures in poor light, it will just take more work. Camera settings of course will change, you will have to set them manually, no more auto settings. Read your manual and figure out how to change the three things you need, ISO, f-stop and shutter speed. I assume the lens is the 4.5-5.6 not really fast enough, to be shooting over 250th second, although you may be able to get away with slightly more, you'll lose quality once you go past the 1600iso, but if need be you can go to 3200iso for more shutter speed, It is expandable to 6400 but that would be only if you really need the photos, as I'm guessing the quality won't be that good. Just play around with things and see what happens, you may surprise yourself.

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

As mentioned, this is about the most demanding thing you can ask of a camera. You need to let enough light into your camera to get a good exposure, but everything is stacked against you. First, you need to maintain a fast shutter speed to freeze the action...so no help there. Secondly, the maximum aperture of your lens will be a limitation. As mentioned, getting a lens with a larger maximum aperture (F2.8) will help, but a lens like that, that will allow you to shoot from the stands or even the sidelines, will cost many thousands of dollars. You can increase the ISO setting your camera, which will help, but you will reach a limit...either your camera will reach it's limit, or you will reach your limit of how much digital noise you can tolerate in the images. You're likely to need ISO 3200 or 6400, which is pushing it for your camera.

Getting a faster lens and a camera that performs better at high ISO, is the best option...but as mentioned, it might cost as much as a good used car.

Maybe the best thing to do, would be to just watch and enjoy the night games and save the photography for times when you have better light.

 

[spacefuzz]

An upgrade which would help a lot, and not cost as much as a car....sell your D5000 and upgrade to a D7000. Its low light performance is phenominal.

 

[jake337]

An upgrade which would help a lot, and not cost as much as a car....sell your D5000 and upgrade to a D7000. Its low light performance is phenominal.

His lens will still be holding him back. I wouldn't call it's low light performance phenomenal though, that word should be left for the top nikon/canon pro bodies. But it would be more than enough of an improvement for a hobbyist.

 

[toddbuckles]

How does the D7000 stack up against the D5100 in low light conditions. I shoot a lot of Friday Night Football, under the lights of course. I am looking at the D5100 and the D7000. The D700 is just too far out of my price range right now. I have heard the D7000 is better in lower light situations, but with the same sensor, I am not sure that is the case. I have seen it compared on these forums to the D3200, and it seems better, but also has a better sensor.

I am thinking about getting the Nikkor listed AF Zoom-NIKKOR 80-200mm f/2.8D ED from Nikon here to go with it. Maybe an older one, but definetely a 2.8, and at least 200 mm. I would like to go 300mm, but can't find a buyer for my kids and wife.

Any help is appreciated.

Tb

 

[jaomul]

If its a case of go with what I have and hope for the best I recommend going manual setting ap to widest possible and a shutter speed of approx 1/250-1/400. Set ISO to auto with your extension ISO if available enabled with your af in servo and your camera also set to its highest fps. You may get a lot of poor shots but if you shoot in short bursts you might get lucky

 

[Designer]

I'm just a newbie, but it seems as if there might be two more options here.

1. Get thee out of the stands and find a place along the sidelines.

2. Get thee a speedlight.

 

[geraldsdad76]

I'm just a newbie, but it seems as if there might be two more options here.

1. Get thee out of the stands and find a place along the sidelines.

2. Get thee a speedlight.

I am a newbie as well but I am not sure what good a speedlight would do from the stands? Unless you are saying move to the sidelines and use the speedlight.

 

[Designer]

I'm just a newbie, but it seems as if there might be two more options here.

1. Get thee out of the stands and find a place along the sidelines.

2. Get thee a speedlight.

I am a newbie as well but I am not sure what good a speedlight would do from the stands? Unless you are saying move to the sidelines and use the speedlight.

If the OP can't move to the sidelines, more power is needed.

 

[brian_f2.8]

As mentioned you need a f2.8 lens. The old 80-200 is a nice start or even if you can get a sigma for a decent price. Id go with the D7000 because it shoots much faster than the D5100. I have used the D5100 for night time, not bad. I shot f2.8 / 1/640 / 3200-4000ISO and the images were good. The 4fps wasnt. I can only say that you get what you pay for. Down the road you can get a 1.4tc which would put you at 280mm f3.2.

 

[ZapoTeX]

If you don't want to buy additional equipment, I agree with:

I recommend going manual setting ap to widest possible and a shutter speed of approx 1/250-1/400. Set ISO to auto with your extension ISO if available enabled with your af in servo and your camera also set to its highest fps. You may get a lot of poor shots but if you shoot in short bursts you might get lucky

Only one thing I would do different: given that high ISO noise disappears when you downsize the photo and/or apply noise reduction and motion blur DOES NOT disappear, I would suggest 1/500 to 1/800. (unless this time gives you underexposed photos even at 6400)

 

[Solarflare]

Your best bet would probably getting a 85mm F/1.8 DX prime because its still very affordable and, as a still relatively wide lens, it collects relatively much light. The disadvantage is of course than you'll have to try to be as close as any possible to the action, because 85mm is quite wide.

Its also a great portrait lens, though, if you only want to capture the face.