Nikon D2x question

[spring valley]

I do indoor studio work with my D2x all day. Most of the time I have a point and shoot on the boat, so my outdoor shots are just easy snaps.

Have an opportunity to shoot a stadium ATV Motocross under the lights this evening. Never did that before! I'm thinking aperture priority in the range of 200-400 ISO to limit hand shake. Anybody have any recipes for success they would like to share?

Steve

[pyro]

ISO 200 won't likely cut it.

If you want sharp stop-action shots "under the lights", be prepared to shoot in 800 or 1600. Try to keep your shutter speed at double or triple the zoom MM or better if your lens can keep up.

Sacrifice fine image quality with ISO boost and grain before you sacrifice stop-action motion crispness with too slow of shutter speed. I always say that a grainy, sharp image beats the hell out of a softened, blurred action subject. You don't always get a second chance to get the shot. :)

[spring valley]

OK Pyro, I'll start with ISO 680 and move upwards with a 18-55mm lens. Am I on the right track with Aperture Priority and a large f number, or should I let the camera do the work and concentrate on not getting flattened!

[pyro]

Set it to Ap priority, one stop away from wide open. Watch the shutter speed, make sure it stays above 1/500, ideally 1/1000 or higher for decent stop action. Zoom in deeply on the review screen and look for signs of motion blur along contrasty edges. Shoot however fast you need to get the desired level of action freeze.

You'll likely find that you'll need ISO in settings in the 1000-1600 range to achieve this under the artificial lights with that lens. You may get better results by under-exposing everything by 2/3 stop or so, and brightening up in Photoshop later. You'll be shooting faster and you can recover the brightness somewhat afterward.

If they have some really kick-ass stadium lights, it will definitely work to your benefit. A 2.8 zoom lens really shines in situations like this... ;)

-Chad

[spring valley]

Chad
Thanks for the advise.
I'll let you know how it all turns out.
Steve

[spring valley]

Chad
What a hoot! For a guy who spends his time inside taking pictures of models (model trains!) this was really an eye opener. I managed to figure out what worked and what didn't. Your comment about a 2.8 was spot on. I'm going to start looking for a better strobe, and a lens to suit. Action at night is a real challenge, not to mention cold!
Steve

[hsbob]

if i remember right the d2x will go to 1600 before noise starts to show. you can use 3200 if you shoot in raw and process with biblelabs SW. bibble includes noise ninga[sp].

[spring valley]

I asked the lady who does all our Photoshop work to look into Bibble software and she acted like it was something she was allready interested in. Guess she never figgered I was such a smart bastid'.

Some of the work I bring in is done in Camera Raw, most in tiff. I'm still looking for a Nikon 2.8 lens as the tele I have is too stopped too high for action at night.

Thanks for the info; if I get a date out of this, I'll owe ya bud!

Steve

[Scream And Fly]

if i remember right the d2x will go to 1600 before noise starts to show. you can use 3200 if you shoot in raw and process with biblelabs SW. bibble includes noise ninga[sp].

Not correct - the D2x will start to produce noticeable noise at ISO 400, and I would avoid ISO 800 and beyond with that camera unless absolutely necessary. The D2x was never known to have good high-ISO performance.

[spring valley]

Huh.....
I use the thing too much to buy the 400 number, 1600 or greater maybe, but thanks for mentioning.

Steve