BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: Traditional Film Photography

Sports Pictures too Dark and Grainy

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February 25, 2006

As far as the issue of proper exposure goes, you need to understand that a properly exposed image is the result of these four factors:

1) Film (or chip) sensitivity to light is measured with the ISO number - one advantage to a digital camera is that you can change ISO from one shot to the next. A higher ISO indicates more sensitivity - 200 ISO is twice as sensitive as 100, meaning that it will take half as much light to hit the film with 200 to properly expose the shot than it would the chip set to 100. 400ISO is twice as sensitive as 200, and so on.

2) Unless you add a flash, whatever light is in the stadium or field or arena is what it is.

3) Lens "speed" is a measure of how much light that hits the front of the lens gets through to the chip. Lenses you can put on your camera have variable f-stops - there's a diaphragm inside that can close down to allow less light if desired. When you see a description of a lens, though, the manufacturer refers to the widest, or fastest, opening. So, and 85MM f1.8 lens, for example, has a widest setting of f1.8, but can be set to f4 or f16 or other smaller openings. Most zoom lenses have variable maximal f-stops - your 100-300 zoom likely has a maximum opening of f5.6.

   The f-stop number range seems alien, but just know that it runs in "halves and doubles" - f1.4 is twice as fast as f2 - meaning at f1.4 a lens will allow twice the light through it than it will set to f2. F2.8 is half of f2, f4 half of 2.8, f5.6 half of 4 etc. There are other things to know about f-stop, but let's leave it at this right now. The important thing is this "halves and doubles" concept.

4) Shutter speed is a little more intuitive. Standard shutter speeds are also set to halves and doubles - 1/125th is twice as long as 1/250th, which is twice 1/500th, right? Now the thing about shutter speed is that too slow a setting will allow blur to occur either a)if you are moving yourself or b)the subject is in motion.

Okay, ready now?

If you're at an indoor rink, there will be some amount of light from the ceiling fixtures. Whatever amount that is, the camera will try to set the f-stop and shutter speed such that the chip will be properly exposed, given the ISO it's set to.

So, first, you buy film that is more sensitive - like the 800 you have. You can even find ISO 1600 that can be pushed to 3200 (meaning that at 3200 speed the film requires 1/4 the light that the 800 speed film does). The downside here is that high ISO can lead to grain on a film camera.

Now, you can set the Maxxum to aperture-preferred mode - meaning that it will allow you to set the f-stop and it will set the shutter speed accordingly. Go ahead, try this right now! You see?

So, if you set the aperture to the maximum opening (i.e. - the smallest number) the camera will set the fastest shutter speed it can given the light involved.

If the shutter speed the camera sets is still too slow, you will get motion blur (even if you ount the camera on a tripod - since the kids are moving they will streak). If you've maxed out the ISO setting (1600? 3200?) then you're pretty much stuck, unless you get a faster lens.

Fast lenses, like a 70-200 f2.8, get more light to the chip. But, they are bigger, heavier, and more costly.

Be warned, even with the faster lens, you might not have enough light. When you see those fabulous shots in Sports Illustrated and ask "why can't I do dat?" the answer is because those guys have huge remote controlled  flash units clamped above the house lights in the rafters. Those flashes flick for aonly an instant, but people don't notice them because they're just too quick and they're above the house lights.

Did that make sense?

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February 25, 2006

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February 26, 2006

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February 26, 2006