Re: Photographing matches
 

Not to detract from what you are saying, but when you take as many photos as I do, you really have to do it right the first time.

Re: Photographing matches
 

For the Kettering regional I shot with a canon 70-300 mm IS lens at 1/60th shutter speeds. ISO 1600. I had some problems with depth of field and not blur. The trackballs are so big that my camera tended to focus on them and not the robot. It was a little annoying.

I use a canon Xti and it worked fine.

As for a tripod, I wouldn't use it unless you have to because you shake too much. I know I was moving the camera the entire time. A monopod might work better because you won't be locked in a position.

Also, the blur can be a nice thing, follow your subject which will keep them nice and sharp but the background will blur, this conveys motion really well. Also it looks kinda cool. Don't forget that depth of field could be causing blur in your shots as well.

Just my thoughts.

Re: Photographing matches
 

Here is one more shot that is rather fun to do as well. This shot was taken with a Canon 30D, ISO 100, f/ 22, 17 mm for 13 seconds. It was on a tripod. When I took this shot, the Pits were full of people. As you can see, the motion of the people caused most of them to be blurred out and the stationary people and object remain.

Key points (both technical, and personal)
 

For technical aspects, the key is two-fold:

1) Use a large enough aperture to let enough light in. In my experience, this is usually f/2.8 or larger, unless your field has very bright lighting.
2) Use a camera that has a relatively noise-free sensor at ISO 800-1600. This inherently rules out virtually all point-and shoot cameras and a good number of digital SLRs.

I've had good success with Canon EOS 20D and 40D bodies, and with the f/2.8L zooms.

To capture interesting photos, there are three important points to remember, but they are vastly different from the former two:

1) Ensure your shot is a verb, not a noun. Don't photograph a robot. Photograph a robot doing something. Don't photograph a person. Photograph a person doing something. And, try to show that action in your shot. Sometimes blur is effective for doing so, but it's not always necessary.
2) Try to get as close to the field of view of the human eye as possible, without a) compromising your composition and b) being too far away from your subject. Getting closer with a telephoto lens is no substitute for using a wide angle lens and physically getting closer to the action. That's what makes a viewer feel like they are "there", when viewing a photo.
3) Capture a vantage point that is atypical to the average bystander. Usually this means having your camera higher than 6 feet or lower than 2 feet, when shooting. You'll be amazed at how much interest this can generate, just because we are unaccustomed to this perspective. This is especially true when photographing small people (like children) or animals -- do so from their eye level.

The human eye has a field of view close to 180 degrees, when including peripheral vision. A telephoto lens will have a field of view in double or single digit degrees. That's only a fraction of what you would see if you were at an event in person, so it ends up looking like you're watching the event through a window.

On a Canon EOS 20D/30D/40D, your best option is the EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM or EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM. On a Canon EOS 5D/1Ds/1D, your best option is the EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, because of the flexibility of a zoom, or the EF 24mm f/1.4L USM, because of the much wider aperture.

Yes, those are expensive lenses, but the only way you can get around that is by introducing more light. That usually means flash. Bouncing isn't an option in an open arena, IMO, so that leaves a diffuser. However, even with a diffuser, you are now changing the actual scene and the background will almost always be darker than it would without the flash.

If you can't afford a new, fast lens, try a used one. Even the original Digital Rebel (6.3 Megapixel) body with an f/1.4 lens will yield better results than the 1D Mark III with a slow lens.

My most recent examples are here: http://robotphotos.org/v/first/fingerlakes/2008

The absolutely cheapest setup I can recommend that will yield better options than your point-and-shoot is the original Digital Rebel with the EF 50mm f/1.8 II. However, you should be aware that the 50mm focal length on the Digital Rebel will have a field of view similar to an 80mm lens, which is considered telephoto. So, it's not going to have a wide field of view. The EF 35mm f/2 would be wider, and slightly more expensive, and a little bit slower. The EF 24mm f/1.4 would be wider yet, and much faster, but not as wide as the EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM (or the II version).

The EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM is just not an option, because at f/3.5 it's marginally too slow, and at f/4.5 it's way too slow.

Re: Photographing matches
 

Nikon D80
55-200mm lens
ISO 1600
f/4
1/400th shutter speed
no flash

here is several that i took today at the Waterloo Regional, I wasn't in a very good spot. Personally I think they are too dark.

Karthik going all-out ninja

Re: Photographing matches
 

Honestly, those two seem alright by me. The field is more or less properly exposed, perhaps a hair under (1/3 stop or so) in the second picture. Given the lighting, you're not going to be able to get both the crowd and the field properly exposed in most arenas--it's going to be one or the other. Color me envious that ISO 1600 looks so good on your camera--the point-and-shoot I have pegs out at 400, and it's a left turn down Noise Avenue.

Keep shooting!

Re: Photographing matches
 

Well, don't be too envious. This is an inherent difference between point and shoot digital cameras and digital SLRs. It's because the sensor size in point-and-shoots are so small. Some digital SLRs are even better in low light. For instance, the Canon EOS 1D Mark III has a relatively noise-free ISO 6400.

Re: Photographing matches
 

Nice shot of us! :D

Anyway.
I use a Canon Rebel XTi, either a 18-55mm or a 75-300mm lens, 1600ISO, Manual mode with no flash, and I adjust the shutter for the best exposure.
you can look at some of my pictures of the Silicon Valley Regional here: http://picasaweb.google.com/little.john.team100

I know that some of my pics are horrible but i take alot and don't filter them out when i upload them.I just have to say that I hate the lighting at regionals. The pit lighting is the worst, but the field is ok. I know that an ISO of 1600 makes you pics really grainy but i take them Large (3888x2592) so most of the time I shrink them down and at that size most people wouldn't notice it too much. Message me if you have any questions or comments.

Re: Photographing matches
 

At Manchester I was able to get good quality pictures from the stands about 70 feet away from the field.

Nikon D80
f/3.5-5.6 18-135mm
ISO @ 400
SpeedLite SB500

http://phoenixrobotics.net/gallery/m...?g2_itemId=197



/brian

Re: Photographing matches
 

Just wanted to say "THANKS!" to all of you out there giving advice. I love taking photos, and I know I always have more to learn. I'm going to be trying some of these suggestions!

Re: Photographing matches
 

Cameras used: Canon 20 and 30D DSLR

Lenses used: Canon 24-70, 2.8 and Canon 70-200, 2.8 with IS

Film Speed: 800

Aperture setting: 3.5

Shutter Speed: 80-100

Flash: Yes, 430 and 580. Setting: -1/3 to + 1/3, usually set at 0, however.

Camera mode: manual.

Strategy: changes every direction in these arenas. Take plenty of test shots before you shoot, re-test in critical situations, adjust shutter speed when needed and leave the aperture and flash settings alone. Look at the histograms to confirm what the display is saying on the back of the camera. Too dark is better than too light. Use any version of Photoshop to do final cropping and cleanup.

Re: Photographing matches
 

As one of those people right next to the field at VCU, all I had to do was ask the media desk. :) (edit: in Atlanta, this is obviously not possible. However I believe that each team there gets a media pass in their welcome packet)

I primarily used my Canon 30D + 70-200F/4 L when shooting the game itself. I usually pushed the ISO to 1600 and got my shutter speed up to 1/250, which is about maxing out my f/4. (Oh I envy you people with a 70-200 2.8) This was at VCU, which did not have the greatest lighting. I'm sure I could get much better results in the Georgia Dome.

When in the pits, I used either my 50 f1.8 or the (crappy) 18-55mm kit lens along with a 430EX flash.

http://www.chantillyrobotics.com/pho...g2_itemId=6184 everything with an "overdrive###.jpg" name is mine.

Re: Photographing matches
 

I was actually able to get decent photos of matches at VCU with a Sony CyberShot DSC-S650 point-and-shoot camera set to -0.3 to -0.7 exposure value and 200 to 400 ISO (mostly 200), with flash turned off. 100-200 ISO was fine whenever I used flash. I had to resort to using 320 ISO for some of the matches due to the poor lighting, though, although they weren't as grainy as some other photos I have that were taken at 320 ISO.

Next year I will hopefully have a Fujifilm S700, so I can take some better-looking photos (as well as videos that aren't horrendously loud and clipped).