D70 AF-S 18-70mm Lens Settings for Sports Photos

[cerkb]

I've got a Nikon D70 with an AF-S 18-70mm lens. Unfortunately, this lens is the only one I have available right now. The problem trying to use this combination for indoor/outdoor sports photography (basketball, soccer, etc.) under artificial light situations. I get as close to the action as I can, but still don't get quality shots, especially for night situations outside (e.g., soccer, football). I've tried using the Sports setting as well as bumping up the ISO to 400, 800. I'm still not able to stop action with clear shots even using sequenced shots and panning motion in sync with the moving player (i.e., I get a lot of blurred images).

Could anyone offer me some tips that might improve the quality of my shots with this equipment and under these situations. Thanks.

[edneeves]

I would suggest shooting in Shutter Priority mode (S). This will allow you to choose a suitable shutter speed and the camera will select the appropriate aperture.

If this doesn't work then it would appear that you will have to put up with some noise in your pictures and going even further with the ISO.

How does that sound?

[Antsl]

Hi Cerkb,

The only real answer to getting good action images is a combination of getting plenty of information into the frame as well as getting the timing right on the image. Advice would be to get a longer lens when you can afford to do so... best bet would be a Nikon 80-200 2.8 as this would be fast enough for your indoor sprt and night photography. Shoot at 1600 ISO at f2.8 and determine the shutterspeed from there (this ISO and aperture combination will get you the fastest shutterspped for freezing the action).

Shorter lenses including the 20-70 can be good for shooting such sports as basketball if you can get reasonably close to a corner of the court... for soccer though you really do need to have a longer lens, otherwise the action is going to appear too small in the frame.

Hope this is a help... Ants

[cerkb]

Thanks for the tips.

What shutter speed should I attempt to use under these lighting conditions using Shutter Priority:

1. Indoor gym for basketball
2. Outdoor stadium for night soccer or football

Are there any other settings on the camera that I should also attempt to manually control (e.g., exposure increase, ISO setting, etc.)?

Also, what's the best way to set white balance under these lighting situations?

Re: using 1600 ISO with a 2.8 lens, wouldn't this give a pretty noisy shot?

Are there other things I can do back at the computer to enhance the images (e.g., noise reduction, white balance, exposure compensation, etc.)? What's the best workflow/tools/settings to do this (e.g., What's the best way to use the Unsharp Mask filter settings?)

Thanks.

[gstark]

Hi, and welcome.

Your use of the term "ASA" suggests an old time filmaholic.

Using the sports mode, you're really relying upon Nikon engineers to try to determine, in a software lab, the best field conditions for you to use. As you might be able to surmise, that's probably unlikely to work too well.

Is there a chance you might be able to pick up a primr lens or two? If so, you'll be able to get quite a bit of extra optical speed, which you may find very useful. A 50mm 1.8 is very inexpensive, for instance, and will gain you quite a bit of extra light.

Otherwise, bump your ISO, switch to A mode, and open your aperture to its max, letting the camera handle the shutter speeds for you.

Also, be sure to check your focus mode setting - the default will be closest object, but you really want to use dynamic area for this type of shooting, and then use your thumb control on the camera back to selst the focus point you're going to be wanting to use.

Try those ideas for starters, and please don't be afraid to ask questions: if we don't know what you don't think you understand, we can't answer you.

[cerkb]

Thanks gstark. Re: the sports mode, I've heard that this may not be too wise a choice under these situations. I also tried the Program mode with an increase in exposure and ISO, but that didn't seem to help.

What do you mean by a "primr" lens? I do have a 50mm 1.8 but haven't tried to use it for these types of situations thinking that I'd lose the zoom flexibility of my 18-70mm. I'll give it a try.

Re: switching to A mode and bumping the ISO, this seems contrary to what edneeves suggested. Which is the better approach for these low light, fast movement conditions? Are there certain advantages/disadvantages for each approach that might warrant each under different scenarios?

I'm not too familiar with "dynamic area" focus mode. What is this and how do I set it? Also, what "focus point" should I then attempt to set and how do I do this?

Thanks again.

[meicw]

What I do when I take photos at our local basketball comp is to use a 'standard' zoom (I have a 24-85). I set the camera to manual, and usually shoot wide open with a shutter speed of around 1/160. Because the light in our hall is lousy for photography, I use flash. I am lucky enough to be able to patrol the sidelines. The refs do try and keep out of my way
I find, that by using flash, the flash itself is controlling the exposure and is fast enough to stop the action. I set the ISO to 800. I find that, even with the D200, anything higher does tend to be noisy.
The focus is set to continous and the WB to auto.
I have tried using the 85mm lens, but I find that its reach is too long for shots from the sidelines.
Hope this helps you.

Regards
meicw

[shakey]

High ISO will cause more noise which is particularly noticeable in dark objects, but sometimes necessary to get the shutter speed up. Noise reduction software is pretty good in reducing this. I use Noise Ninja but there are others. I'll go up to the highest (1600) if needed.

If you have a powerful flash, and are allowed to use it, it will certainly freeze action (as per meicw). The main indoor stuff I do is showjumping, so flash is a no no as far as I'm concerned..might spook a horse.

If flash not an option then..high ISO, wide open, AP as per Gary is the way I shoot. Still at 4.5 on the long side the shutter speed may still be too low. If that is the case try shooting RAW in manual mode. Set the aperture to 3.5 (at 18 mm) and the shutter speed to whatever you think will freeze the action. (You can see what shutter speeds are causing problems in the EXIF data on your previous photos.) Even in manual mode the aperture will change as the zoom length changes, but it will stay at the widest it can. Your shots may be underexposed by this approach (because of the faster shutter speed) BUT you can "push" the exposure a couple of stops in Post Processing if you have a RAW converter..Photoshop, Photoshop elements, Nikon Capture, NX have them...along some other third party converters I'm not familiar with... I use the exposure control in Photoshop ACR to try and rescue my badly exposed shots...(ie ..most of my shots. ).

Faster glass is probably the best solution but apart from the 50/1.8 (as Gary suggested) it does cost..

[edneeves]

Otherwise, bump your ISO, switch to A mode, and open your aperture to its max, letting the camera handle the shutter speeds for you.

Gary is bang on with this one. A schoolboy error on my part!

edit:

The dynamic focus is accessed via the CSM Menu via (AF_Area Mode).

[shakey]

What do you mean by a "primr" lens?

A prime lens is one with a fixed focal length...like your 50/1.8..as opposed to a zoom like your 18 - 70

I do have a 50mm 1.8 but haven't tried to use it for these types of situations thinking that I'd lose the zoom flexibility of my 18-70mm. I'll give it a try.

You'll lose the zoom but you will gain light, a lot of light...and that light will let you shoot at faster shutter speeds. The non zoom tradeoff may limit the number of shots you can take but by shooting at a faster speed the quality will improve (for action sports that is)

Re: switching to A mode and bumping the ISO, this seems contrary to what edneeves suggested. Which is the better approach for these low light, fast movement conditions? Are there certain advantages/disadvantages for each approach that might warrant each under different scenarios?

I used to be a "shutter priority" for sports type person but lately I've realised that aperture priority does have a lot of advantages...the main one being setting the depth of field to isolate the subject from the background...and if you set it wide open then the shutter speed will be as fast as possible for correct exposure.. I think shutter priority is useful when you want to keep part of a subject sharp, and the rest a bit blurred to help convey the sense of action/movement ...for example keeping a cyclists head sharp and his legs a bit blurred at a velodrome while doing a pan type shot, where that blurring of the legs is related to a slowish shutter speed and not DOF.

I'm not too familiar with "dynamic area" focus mode. What is this and how do I set it? Also, what "focus point" should I then attempt to set and how do I do this?

CSM 2 to choose eithe AF- C or AF - S, and the CSM 3 to choose area mode. Page 68 in the manual.

I use AF-C and Dynamic area for sports on the D70. Shots which are out of focus are permitted. I'm really not sure how fast the 18-70 focuses as I don't use it for sport...shouldn't be to bad as it is AF-S..I believe the D200 has a AF-C mode which will not release unless something is in focus.

An example...low light indoor Equestrian arena nighttime...

ISO 1600, focal length 110 mm, shutter speed 125, aperture 2.8, Aperture priority

[cerkb]

Thanks to all for some great suggestions and education. I'm somewhat a neophyte on non-auto settings on my D70 as you can see. At one point in the past, I knew a little more thru reading, etc. but time, only occasional use of my camera, etc. have "unsharpened" my current abilities.

shakey wrote:

High ISO will cause more noise which is particularly noticeable in dark objects, but sometimes necessary to get the shutter speed up. Noise reduction software is pretty good in reducing this. I use Noise Ninja but there are others. I'll go up to the highest (1600) if needed.

Re: Noise Ninja (or other noise reduction tools/software, e.g., Unsharp Mask, Despeckle, etc.), what is the best way to do this? What tool/settings do you use?

Re: ISO setting, how do you determine how high you should go on this when you're in the field? Do you examine your shots in the monitor after each one? The image in the monitor is so small that its hard to see the actual clarity or degree of noise. How do you best do this?

If flash not an option then..high ISO, wide open, AP as per Gary is the way I shoot. Still at 4.5 on the long side the shutter speed may still be too low. If that is the case try shooting RAW in manual mode. Set the aperture to 3.5 (at 18 mm) and the shutter speed to whatever you think will freeze the action. (You can see what shutter speeds are causing problems in the EXIF data on your previous photos.) Even in manual mode the aperture will change as the zoom length changes, but it will stay at the widest it can. Your shots may be underexposed by this approach (because of the faster shutter speed) BUT you can "push" the exposure a couple of stops in Post Processing if you have a RAW converter..Photoshop, Photoshop elements, Nikon Capture, NX have them...along some other third party converters I'm not familiar with... I use the exposure control in Photoshop ACR to try and rescue my badly exposed shots...(ie ..most of my shots. ).

Re: Shooting at "wide open, AP", does this mean F3.5 or the widest aperature or opening for my lens?

Re: Shooting RAW in manual mode 3.5 aperature, how can I tell "in the field" when the shutter speed is too high or better yet just right? Again, the image in the LCD monitor is so small, its hard to see the clarity, fuzziness, etc. Also, how "dark" can that image be to still allow "pushing" it with exposure control? Can or should I attempt to increase the exposure on my D70 before shooting these shots?

shakey wrote:

(Aperature Priority mode)...and if you set it wide open then the shutter speed will be as fast as possible for correct exposure..

Not sure I understand what you're getting at here. Does this mean you shouldn't try to increase shutter speed under Aperature Priority mode, just take the setting it first gives you under the max aperature setting? I notice if I do increase the shutter speed, I get a darker exposure with each increase. Can you do this and then attempt to correct the exposure later on or is this not a good approach?

Really liked your equestrian shot shakey. It's a beautiful picture. What lens did you shoot this with? I'm assuming this was a high quality zoom (e.g., 70-200 F2.8 ). If you shot the same picture with my lens, what settings would you use to maximize the quality of your shot (assuming you were closer)? Did you do any editing on the photo (e.g., noise reduction, exposure, etc.)? If so, what is your workflow and suggested tools after a shot like this?

Would still also like to hear from others re: further suggestions for workflow, tools, noise reduction procedure, use of unsharp mask, etc. for enhancing quality of images after the shot.

Thanks.

[Aussie Dave]

Cerkb,
I think the best thing for you to do is get out there and take some photos. Experiment with the suggestions that have been offered and you will soon see what does and doesn't work (for you). Many situations are different and whilst photography is somewhat a science, it can also be fluid as your interpretation on what's "too much" noise in high ISO, or the exposure of a shot is bound to be different from mine, or someone else's.

Perhaps once you've had a play around with your camera & settings, you can pose some more questions. No point trying to learn everything all at once....even though I know we all try to

[gstark]

Thanks gstark. Re: the sports mode, I've heard that this may not be too wise a choice under these situations. I also tried the Program mode with an increase in exposure and ISO, but that didn't seem to help.

All of the shooting modes are, at best, compromises. They're designed to be used by those who wish to just set-and-forget, rather than those who wish to actually make good images.

Putting these modes into a DSLR almost seems wrong, but when you also consider that there's a number of people who buy DSLRs because they think that having a better camera (than a PHD) will make them a better photographer, you can begin to understand that the sole purpose of this is more a marketing thing than anything to do with making photos.

It seems that others have address your questions, but let me explore them a little further anyway.

What do you mean by a "primr" lens? I do have a 50mm 1.8 but haven't tried to use it for these types of situations thinking that I'd lose the zoom flexibility of my 18-70mm. I'll give it a try.

Please excuse my lousy typing. That should be "prime" lens.

And your 50mm f/ 1.8 is an excellent starting point.

Yes, you will loose some flexibility in terms of the loss of the zoom range, but you will gain heaps of flexibility in terms of the extra light that this lens will let into your camera.

Photography is always a matter of applying a set of compromises, and it's a matter of you determining what the best set of compromises needs to be for any given situation.

If you use the 50 for some of the sports that you describe, you may find that it might be unsatisfactory in a number of ways.

The loss of your zoom facility, for instance, might mean that you seem to be too far away from the action, or perhaps that you're too close to the action. With your zoom, you can simple adjust to compensate. With a prime, you may need to take a few steps closer (if possible) or perhaps a few steps back.

Or perhaps, you buy a couple of extra primes, to add some extra flexibility to your arsenal. The spending never stops, btw.

Countering the need to move a few steps closer to the action though, you will find the difference in optical speed (f/1.8 vs f/5.6) quite substantial. The extra light that your camera now has available to work with can really make quite a difference to your shooting capabilities.

Understand that a zoom lens will, as a general rule, be slower (optically) than any of its comparable primes. Two or three primes might be a better option than a zoom, but they may be heavier and less convenient to cart around all day and night.

Getting back to the flexibility of the zoom, a couple of things that you need to seriously think about are your framing, and your technique.

With regard to your framing, (and this will help you to better understand the types of other lenses you might need to be looking at) think about where, within the zoom range, are you using this lens? Are you constantly using it at the wider end of its range? If so, you might need to think about getting a wide angle prime.

If, though, you find that you're always at maximum reach, and perhaps even wanting more, then perhaps a longer lens might be in order.

Technique ....

How are you holding the camera? This is most important, and I too often see many people who don't know how to hold their camera. Place the camera into the palm of your left hand, so that the body sits comfortably just a bit behind your palm, and the lens extends forward so that your fingers may comfortably wrap around it. Your left hand should now be able to fully and comfortably support the whole weight of the camera.

Bring the camera up to your eye. Your right hand can now operate the controls on the RH side.

Elbows should be tucked in, feet about 12-18" apart, one slightly in front of the other.

When making an image, do not press the shutter button. Just squeeze it gently. Breathe in or out, and then hold your breath before squeezing the shutter release. Exhale after the shutter has closed.


One other idea that many people don't consider is - and this is especially useful for sports photography - keeping both eyes open while framing, focussing ans shooting. Takes a while to get used to, but lets you see what's happening beyond your viewfinder, and then you caqn better anticipate your shots.

Re: switching to A mode and bumping the ISO, this seems contrary to what edneeves suggested. Which is the better approach for these low light, fast movement conditions? Are there certain advantages/disadvantages for each approach that might warrant each under different scenarios?

Ed has recanted his earlier statement, but that by no means suggest that his approach is incorrect. Each approach does have advantages and disavantages, and what you're shooting, and the situations within which you are shooting, will dictate to you the best approach.

For motor racing - F1 for instance - the cars move quite quickly. Up to 200mph quickly . There's not too many soccer games that move at that sort of pace. To capture fast action, sometimes a faster shutter speed is in order, and thus you may need to set that as your prime criteria.

But often that will be of a lesser concern, and you can use your aperture to a greater extent (as has already been described) and let the camera handle the shutter for you.

Experience is your guide here, and it takes time, and practice, to learn. Play with both modes: shoot one half of a game one way, and the second half in another. Then examine your images, and the attached EXIF, and see what's working, and what is not. Then repeat what's working for you, but post images here for those that are not. We can then use those images as a springboard for you, and offer suggestions to you to help you make those images (and perhaps that technique) work as well.

I'm not too familiar with "dynamic area" focus mode. What is this and how do I set it? Also, what "focus point" should I then attempt to set and how do I do this?

Others have described to you how you set this. The correct setting is the one that works best for you. During any shooting assignment, I will probably use each of them, switching as I'm composing. For sports photography, this is not usually an option, so KISS and select the centre one for starters.

If you find the action tends towards one side or another in your viewfinder, then make the apprpriate adjustments. Just use the thumb control to change this setting, once it's enabled.

[gstark]

shakey wrote:

High ISO will cause more noise which is particularly noticeable in dark objects, but sometimes necessary to get the shutter speed up. Noise reduction software is pretty good in reducing this. I use Noise Ninja but there are others. I'll go up to the highest (1600) if needed.

Re: Noise Ninja (or other noise reduction tools/software, e.g., Unsharp Mask, Despeckle, etc.), what is the best way to do this? What tool/settings do you use?

I rarely use anything to remove noise. If it's a matter of getting an image with noise, or no image at all, then there's really no choice. Sometimes noise is something you may need to live with. I find the noise reduuction tools soften the images far too much for my liking. Why bother using sharp glass?

Unsharp mask is something to be used carefully; it's all too easy to oversharpen an image, which will introduce other undesirable artefacts. And on a noisy image, USM will make the noise look even worse.

One think that I've noticed is that often noise is something seen in an underexposed image. Therefore, if you can nail your exposure, noise becomes less of an issue to deal with.

Re: ISO setting, how do you determine how high you should go on this when you're in the field? Do you examine your shots in the monitor after each one? The image in the monitor is so small that its hard to see the actual clarity or degree of noise. How do you best do this?

I turn my monitor down to its lowest brightness. I find that having it too bright can lead to misreading the image displayed. On the D70, and just looking at the image, it's not really a good indicator of exposure, nor of focus.

But learn to read the histogram, and try to get the curve somewhere towards the middle. Look at the scene you're portraying. Lots of dark areas in the image will mean that the curve will tend towards the left, but it still should be a curve. Try to get it towards the middle, but again, consider the image you're portraying.

If flash not an option then..high ISO, wide open, AP as per Gary is the way I shoot. Still at 4.5 on the long side the shutter speed may still be too low. If that is the case try shooting RAW in manual mode. Set the aperture to 3.5 (at 18 mm) and the shutter speed to whatever you think will freeze the action. (You can see what shutter speeds are causing problems in the EXIF data on your previous photos.) Even in manual mode the aperture will change as the zoom length changes, but it will stay at the widest it can. Your shots may be underexposed by this approach (because of the faster shutter speed) BUT you can "push" the exposure a couple of stops in Post Processing if you have a RAW converter..Photoshop, Photoshop elements, Nikon Capture, NX have them...along some other third party converters I'm not familiar with... I use the exposure control in Photoshop ACR to try and rescue my badly exposed shots...(ie ..most of my shots. ).

Re: Shooting at "wide open, AP", does this mean F3.5 or the widest aperature or opening for my lens?

AP means A mode - aperture priority. Wide open means maximum light available through the aperture. Widest aperture, lowest number (4, 3.5, 2.8, etc)

So, A mode, 3.5, and let the camera select the shutter speed.

Re: Shooting RAW in manual mode 3.5 aperature, how can I tell "in the field" when the shutter speed is too high or better yet just right? Again, the image in the LCD monitor is so small, its hard to see the clarity, fuzziness, etc. Also, how "dark" can that image be to still allow "pushing" it with exposure control? Can or should I attempt to increase the exposure on my D70 before shooting these shots?

Whatever works for you

Learn to read the histogram. It's your friend, and it's here to help you.

If you're shooting in A mode, it is unlikely that your shutter speed will be too high.

shakey wrote:

(Aperature Priority mode)...and if you set it wide open then the shutter speed will be as fast as possible for correct exposure..

Not sure I understand what you're getting at here. Does this mean you shouldn't try to increase shutter speed under Aperature Priority mode, just take the setting it first gives you under the max aperature setting? I notice if I do increase the shutter speed, I get a darker exposure with each increase. Can you do this and then attempt to correct the exposure later on or is this not a good approach?

If you're shooting in A mode, you won't need to - you won't be able to - set the shutter speed. Not directly. If your images seem too dark, if your histogram is falling off the left of the frame, then start to bump your ISO.

If they seem too bright, or the histogram is falling of the RH edge of the frame, pull the ISO, or bump the aperture.

[shakey]

Really liked your equestrian shot shakey. It's a beautiful picture. What lens did you shoot this with? I'm assuming this was a high quality zoom (e.g., 70-200 F2.8 ). If you shot the same picture with my lens, what settings would you use to maximize the quality of your shot (assuming you were closer)? Did you do any editing on the photo (e.g., noise reduction, exposure, etc.)? If so, what is your workflow and suggested tools after a shot like this?

It's not that great a shot really..I just posted it to show the extremes you have to go to to get something sometimes.

1. ISO...this is at 1600. No noise reduction. Still, if it had been a black horse I might of used it. If you use it, use it before any sharpening steps. In Noise Ninja you can paint noise back into the image and avoid (or at least minimise) the softness that may occur. Flesh can look "plasticy" after noise reduction so be prepared to put a bit of noise back in. The rest of the PP was limited to a cropping about 25% of the image and a very minor exposure adjustment

2. Aperture...2.8..Yes this was with the 70-200 VR..I chose aperture priority mode because the light was so poor that I knew that I was going to have to shoot as wide open as I could to get anything. As it is, the fastest shutter speed that my camera could achieve for correct exposure with the highest ISO, and the widest aperture, is 1/125. That is at 110 mm. VR is turned off.

3. Same shot for you if you could get closer?...Use the 50/1.8, aperture priority at 1.8 aperture and you would get a better picture than me because you would be able to use a faster shutter speed (to make the subject sharper) and blur the background more..

Actually the points Gary makes about holding a camera are very important when you have to handhold at a lowish shutter speed.

All the best

[cerkb]

Thanks again Dave, Gary, and shakey. Some great tips and info. I realize that I need to go out and test some of these suggestions on my own to get a better feel for how the tips affect my shots as well as a better understanding of my camera. This dialog is really helping my understanding of these suggestions and tools.

Unsharp mask is something to be used carefully; it's all too easy to oversharpen an image, which will introduce other undesirable artefacts. And on a noisy image, USM will make the noise look even worse.

Interesting. I've thought I read some time ago in various message forums (possibly including this one) that most D70 shots with the kit lens with default settings can benefit from some additional sharpening. This seems like a pretty generalized statement, but it seems like I'm not getting a lot of sharpness in a lot of my sports shots. This is probably due to low light conditions and my limitations on glass as several of you have pointed out. But can I improve my shots in these situations by using some post processing for sharpness? If so, what is the best way to sharpen an image that appears to need it? Should I use Unsharp Mask or the Sharpen tool? What's the difference between these? What settings should I use on these and what should I look for to determine if I've gone too far?

Learn to read the histogram. It's your friend, and it's here to help you.

If I understand correctly, having a "balanced, centered" histogram will indicate good exposure but does it also give indications of clarity? How can I tell from the histogram if the shot is "sharp" or "clear"?

If you're shooting in A mode, you won't need to - you won't be able to - set the shutter speed. Not directly. If your images seem too dark, if your histogram is falling off the left of the frame, then start to bump your ISO.

If they seem too bright, or the histogram is falling of the RH edge of the frame, pull the ISO, or bump the aperture.

It appears I can adjust the shutter speed while in AP mode with the front thumb wheel. Should I not attempt to do this and rather adjust the ISO instead as you suggest?

By the way, I've been shooting "Jpeg Fine Large" as my normal setting. Before doing any post processing, I normally create a Tiff version to do edit work on, and then may save as a jpeg depending on what my final goal is (e.g., printing, slideshows, archives, etc.). Several people have suggested shooting RAW. Would this introduce significant advantages to the quality of my shots or further post processing?

Thanks again Gary for your patience and my further questions.

[cerkb]

Thanks shakey.

It's not that great a shot really..I just posted it to show the extremes you have to go to to get something sometimes.

Relative to some of my latest sports shots, its a Michaelangelo.

Aperture...2.8..Yes this was with the 70-200 VR..I chose aperture priority mode because the light was so poor that I knew that I was going to have to shoot as wide open as I could to get anything. As it is, the fastest shutter speed that my camera could achieve for correct exposure with the highest ISO, and the widest aperture, is 1/125. That is at 110 mm. VR is turned off.

How do you determine what the "fastest shutter speed that my camera could achieve for correct exposure ..."? What told you that if going to a further bump in shutter speed, it would be too much?

Thanks.

[rooboy]

How do you determine what the "fastest shutter speed that my camera could achieve for correct exposure ..."? What told you that if going to a further bump in shutter speed, it would be too much?

Thanks.

I presume that Shakey relied on the camera's metering to determine the exposure.

I haven't ever shot basketball, but I have shot a fair bit of European Handball, and for a photographer it's pretty similar. FWIW, the settings I prefer (and why) are:

ISO to 1600 - better a noisy sharp photo than a clean blurry one. In my opinion noise is an overrated problem, as it tends to disappear whenever you a) shrink a photo for web viewing, or b) print something.

Aperture priority, with the lens wide open - the reason for this is I'm aiming to get as much light into the lens as possible, so that the shutter is as fast as it can be (which stops motion blur). For handball I've used f1.4, 1.8 & 2.8 lenses, and 2.8 is the slowest lens I'd consider using for an indoor sport. It largely depends on the lighting, but at the events I've done the exposure was ISO1600, f2, ~1/500. Aim to get a shutter speed of around 1/500 if you want to freeze action.

Centre focusing point - on a D70 it's much more sensitive than the other points, and will let you focus faster & more accurately. Not such a problem for cameras with better AF.

Don't get hung up on frozen images, panning can be very effective too.

[shakey]

How do you determine what the "fastest shutter speed that my camera could achieve for correct exposure ..."? What told you that if going to a further bump in shutter speed, it would be too much?

Thanks.

OK..In aperture priority the "unknown" variable is the shutter speed. The camera sets the shutter speed, not the operator. But the camera's inbuilt exposure meter is pretty smart. If you lock in the aperture and the ISO then the camera is going to automatically adjust the shutter speed to the speed that the exposure meter deems the shot to be well exposed.

I'm going to ignore flash lighting at this stage. There are three inputs into exposure...ISO, aperture and shutter speed.

ISO determines how sensitive the CCD is to light. The lower the ISO the less sensitive it is to light. High ISO more sensitive to light. The trade off with high ISO is "noise". A very vague analogy is the volume control on a radio set. If the broadcast is from a nearby transmitter then you can hear the broadcast well with the volume control turned down (low ISO). However if the transmitter is far away then you will have to have to turn the volume control up to hear the station. There will be increased static ("noise") which degrades the quality of the transmission but at least you can hear what's going on. I could stretch the analogy by saying that noise reduction software is like a "squelch" control ...but I won't.

Aperture. Aperture determines the quantity of light which reaches the sensor per unit of time. Think of it like a hose. A wide bore firehose (wide aperture) is going to dump more water on a fire than a garden hose (narrow aperture). An significant benefit of the aperture is that it not only controls how much light is dumped on the CCD, it also controls the depth of field. Depth of field determines how much of the foreground and how much of the background is in focus in relation to the subject. Wide apertures narrow the depth of field (less foreground/background in focus). In a low light situation a wide aperture will dump more light on the sensor than a narrow aperture.

Shutter speed. Determines the sharpness of a well focussed subject. Assuming there is some subject and photographer movement then the faster the shutter speed, the sharper the image. Can you have too high a shutter speed? Yes (but not usually in low light sports). Helicopters look strange when they are flying with static rotor blades

My little summary of the modes for low light sports. Just remember that the camera exposure meter trys to adjust a setting to achieve correct exposure in every mode apart from manual exposure.

Aperture Priority:
Operator chooses Aperture and ISO
Camera chooses Shutter speed

Benefits...Operator controls depth of field and "noise"
Cons....Unless max ISO and widest aperture chosen the shutter speed will be less than is possible. If the shutter speed is too slow then motion will be blurred

Shutter Priority
Operator chooses Shutter speed and ISO
Camera chooses aperture

Benefits...Operator decides which speed to use...freeze the action, allow motion blur etc...and, through the ISO setting "noise"
Cons...If the speed chosen is too fast then you hit an exposure barrier at the widest aperture and the shot will be under exposed

Manual
Benefits: Operator chooses aperture, shutter speed and ISO
Cons: The camera's exposure meter will give visual feedback by the histogram but will not override any of your settings to compensate for under or over exposure.

I won't mention autoISO..as an exposure adjuster, but since I'm prepared to go max ISO I use it now and then

So worse low light situation...choose aperture priority...set ISO as high as possible, set aperture as low (wide) as possible and let the camera choose the shutter speed.



Bit of a long winded reply...

[cerkb]

Thanks rooboy. Very helpful.

How do you determine what the "fastest shutter speed that my camera could achieve for correct exposure ..."? What told you that if going to a further bump in shutter speed, it would be too much?

Thanks.

Aperture priority, with the lens wide open - the reason for this is I'm aiming to get as much light into the lens as possible, so that the shutter is as fast as it can be (which stops motion blur). For handball I've used f1.4, 1.8 & 2.8 lenses, and 2.8 is the slowest lens I'd consider using for an indoor sport. It largely depends on the lighting, but at the events I've done the exposure was ISO1600, f2, ~1/500. Aim to get a shutter speed of around 1/500 if you want to freeze action.

I'm still a little unclear with setting the proper shutter speed. If I understand correctly, choosing AP, wide open aperature, and ISO determines the best shutter speed automatically, and I should not try to manually adjust it from that setting. Further, I should choose an ISO that gives me a shutter speed of around 1/500, and I should minimize the ISO setting within these constraints to minimize noise in the shot. Is that correct? Are there any other information sources on the camera I can use to determine if I have the right settings of ISO and shutter speed for the situation? For example, will the histogram give me any pertinent info to make this decision? Also, I'm assuming that if the exposure in the viewfinder seems dark or indicates a "LO" value, I should increase the ISO. Is this correct?

Other than the 50mm 1.8 lens I have, what would you recommend for my next lens choice for these types of shots considering that my budget is pretty limited right now? Also, any recommendations you might have on where to look for a lens of this nature to get the best price would be helpful. Would you advise looking for a used lens? If so, best source?

Centre focusing point - on a D70 it's much more sensitive than the other points, and will let you focus faster & more accurately.

Is this the AF-Area Mode setting you're referring to? Others have suggested the Dynamic Area setting for this instead of the Single Area one. Why do you suggest this instead? Are you still suggesting using the AF-C Autofocus setting in addition?

Thanks.

[cerkb]

Great explanation shakey. Terrific use of radio station analogy. Thanks.

How do you determine what the "fastest shutter speed that my camera could achieve for correct exposure ..."? What told you that if going to a further bump in shutter speed, it would be too much?

Thanks.

My little summary of the modes for low light sports. Just remember that the camera exposure meter trys to adjust a setting to achieve correct exposure in every mode apart from manual exposure.

Aperture Priority:
Operator chooses Aperture and ISO
Camera chooses Shutter speed

Benefits...Operator controls depth of field and "noise"
Cons....Unless max ISO and widest aperture chosen the shutter speed will be less than is possible. If the shutter speed is too slow then motion will be blurred

I'm still struggling a little with choosing the appropriate ISO setting under this (AP) mode since I'm assuming I should not try to manually change the shutter speed setting that is determined. For a given scenario, how do I determine what the proper ISO setting should be in AP mode? Do I look at the histogram? Exposure value? Shutter speed value? The image in the LCD? Other? I'm assuming that I want to minimize this value to reduce noise, but how do I determine the optimum value for the scenario? What decision criteria determine this?

Also, under this mode (AP, wide aperature), should I ever attempt to increase the exposure compensation in addition to attempt to eliminate an underexposed shot? Or will this just introduce more noise?

Shutter Priority
Operator chooses Shutter speed and ISO
Camera chooses aperture

Benefits...Operator decides which speed to use...freeze the action, allow motion blur etc...and, through the ISO setting "noise"
Cons...If the speed chosen is too fast then you hit an exposure barrier at the widest aperture and the shot will be under exposed

How do you notice this specifically? Are you looking at the viewfinder values (e.g., LO exposure value)? Histogram? LCD image? What is "too dark" an image to work with considering that you still want to maximize shutter speed to freeze the action with the lens you're working with?

I won't mention autoISO..as an exposure adjuster, but since I'm prepared to go max ISO I use it now and then

I'm not familiar with this mode/setting. Are manual settings for ISO overridden when this is set? What does this do? What are the advantages of using it? When should it be used?

Thanks.

[rooboy]

To be honest, I think you're over-thinking and over-analysing what you're doing. Don't stress too much about ISO noise and motion blur. Next time you're shooting set the ISO to max so you don't have to think about it, use aperture priority mode with the lens wide open, and let the camera select the shutter speed.

At the end of the session you'll be able to see the effects of different shutter speeds. If all of your shots are perfectly frozen then next time consider dropping the ISO to minimize noise. But really, all of this will make more sense when you're out there shooting rather than academically analysing it all

As for lens recommendations, have a play with the 50/1.8 and that will give you an idea what you want. I'm guessing something longer would be useful, perhaps the 85/1.8? As for where to buy, it depends on your location. Does MN = Minnesota? If so then probably one of the big US camera stores, like Adorama or B&H. If you're in Australia, post some photos and hang around here a while (it's well worth it ) and you'll have access to the bargains section.

Re: focus mode, definitely use AF-C for moving subjects. Use Dynamic area, but keep the centre point highlighted so that your best AF sensor is being used.

Perhaps post some of your shots in the C&C section so we can have a look at what problems you're having? Again though, don't fret the settings, have a play around next time you're shooting and it will make a lot more sense

[gstark]

Unsharp mask is something to be used carefully; it's all too easy to oversharpen an image, which will introduce other undesirable artefacts. And on a noisy image, USM will make the noise look even worse.

Interesting. I've thought I read some time ago in various message forums (possibly including this one) that most D70 shots with the kit lens with default settings can benefit from some additional sharpening. This seems like a pretty generalized statement, but it seems like I'm not getting a lot of sharpness in a lot of my sports shots.

OK ...

We're talking about a few different, but similar, and certainly related, things here.

First of all, you state "most D70 shots with the kit lens with default settings can benefit from some additional sharpening".

Let's add to that a little. Not just the D70. Not just the kit lens. Not just the default settings.

So now we have the statement that most digital camera shots can benefit from some addittional sharpening. That is true. Yes, it's a generalisation, but it's still true.

There are various ways to impose some sharpness into an image - camera settings is one such way, USM in PP is a second, and there are others, and they all will help.

But you need to be careful to not go overboard in this. I don't think I've seen an instance of in-camera sharpening going too far (over-sharpening) but I've seen lots of cases - including my own images - where it's been overdone in PP.

That's what I was talking about in the quoted section above, and it's an acquired art - knowing just what id the "right" amount of sharpening, and knowing when to stop.

There's no correct answer to this question either: it varies for every image you shoot, and it's only your experience and viewing of the image than can guide you as to when enough is enough.


The final point you raised in the section above relates to the sharpness you see in your sports shots. Without seeing some examples from you, it's really difficult to say of this is a result of insufficient in-camera sharpening, insufficient PP sharpening, or perhaps a problem whilst shooting.

But based upon your earlier comments in this thread, my guess is that it's the latter, so we need to concentrate on shooting technique and exposure variables first, and thus get those elements under control.

When we have exposure nailed, and we're consistantly getting some usable images to work with, we can then move on to making them look as good as they can with PP.

This is probably due to low light conditions and my limitations on glass as several of you have pointed out. But can I improve my shots in these situations by using some post processing for sharpness?

Possibly, but don't rely on it.

Your goal should be to get the best possible image you can in the camera. That gives you the best quality raw materials to work with. PP can often make a good image great, but it's a much harder task to make a lousy image even barely good.

If so, what is the best way to sharpen an image that appears to need it? Should I use Unsharp Mask or the Sharpen tool? What's the difference between these? What settings should I use on these and what should I look for to determine if I've gone too far?

The best way is whatever works for you. Try a few different methods, and compare results. See what you like.

To determine if you've gne too far, carefully examine the sharper edges that are rendered within the image. Perhaps a leg, or a forearm. Look along the edges for any signs of haloing. Difficult to describe, but you'll know it when you see it.

Learn to read the histogram. It's your friend, and it's here to help you.

If I understand correctly, having a "balanced, centered" histogram will indicate good exposure but does it also give indications of clarity? How can I tell from the histogram if the shot is "sharp" or "clear"?

No. The histogram is only a guide as to expoosure. It's just a graph of the pixels' brightness, in the range of 0-255. More darker pixels will tend towards 0 (left), while more brighter ones will tend towards 255 (right).

If your subject is wearing dark clothes, or is in a darker area, you should expect correct exposure to tend towards the left. That will be fine, given the circumstances of the subject.

But there is no indication of sharpeness within the histogram.

If you're shooting in A mode, you won't need to - you won't be able to - set the shutter speed. Not directly. If your images seem too dark, if your histogram is falling off the left of the frame, then start to bump your ISO.

If they seem too bright, or the histogram is falling of the RH edge of the frame, pull the ISO, or bump the aperture.

It appears I can adjust the shutter speed while in AP mode with the front thumb wheel. Should I not attempt to do this and rather adjust the ISO instead as you suggest?

With the default settings on the D70, the front command dial will adjust the aperture. The rear command dial adjusts the shutter speed. This behaviour can be altered through the menus,

If you're in A mode and you adjust the aperture (as described above), this will have an effect on the other exposure variables you have set, and thus the shutter speed may also change as a result.

Similarly, if you're in S mode, changing the shutter speed will have a run-on effect and alter the aperture that the camera's exposure system calculates as correct for the given conditions.

The only modes I use on the camera are A, S, and M, and I'm not really qualified to speak to the other modes, but I've yet to run into limitations of the hardare within those three modes - the greatest limitation is the idiot driving the camera.

By the way, I've been shooting "Jpeg Fine Large" as my normal setting. Before doing any post processing, I normally create a Tiff version to do edit work on, and then may save as a jpeg depending on what my final goal is (e.g., printing, slideshows, archives, etc.). Several people have suggested shooting RAW. Would this introduce significant advantages to the quality of my shots or further post processing?

What you're doing is fine, but it does present you with some limitations.

JPG is an inherently lossy format. The first time that you save an image, you have lost data. While you're saving in tiff you are temporarily seeming to overcome this issue, the point is that, right from the very get-go, what you've started with has missing information. All of your in-camera settings (wb, sharpening, etc) have been applied, but the underlying (untouched) data has been discarded.

Were you to shoot in raw, you would have saved the untouched data, along with the in-camera settings, but those setting would have been saved as parameters rather than as a fait accomplis. Working in raw you can change those paramaters, and perhaps correct some shooting errors committed at the source.

For instance, last Saturday I was shooting a concert, and switching between available light (ISO 1600, incandescant wb) and SB800 (ISO 200-400, flash wb) throughout the evening. a few times I would switch from one mode to the other, but forget to change my wb.

Working in raw it was a trivial exercise to open those affected images and reset the wb to the one more appropriate to how I shot the image. Then I could (will) go back to my normal (minimal) workflow and see what else needs to be done to those images, but as you can see, I was able to easily correct a fundamental error with no loss of any quality.

Had I shot in jpg, the error correction would not have been as trivial a task, and any act of saving the data may have resulted in a further loss of data and/or image quality.

Thanks again Gary for your patience and my further questions.

My pleasure.

[Yi-P]

This is overwhelmed with tasteful information

Geez, all have been said, what else I need to say...

Maybe one thing, how can you not love this forum with such brilliant and generous sharing photographers around??

[cerkb]

I will echo Yi-P's comments. This board and its contributors like Gary, shakey, and rooboy are a terrific resource! Thanks again to all for the great information and advice. This is really helpful for rookies like myself.

I'm sorry to drag this out further, but I'm still unclear on a couple of things that are specifically addressed in my last post, basically:

1. When to use the Exposure Compensation adjustment in AP or other modes?

2. How to determine when I have the right ISO setting? (Is the best way to look at the histogram as Gary suggested in his last post? Examine the "darkness" of the image in the LCD? Or other?)

3. In Shutter Priority or Manual mode, "while in the field" how do you determine when you've gone too high in your shutter speed setting (e.g., image in LCD too dark)?

Also, in response to rooboy and his suggestion to "work out some of things on my own thru trial and error, experience in the field, etc.", I know this is a great suggestion, and I will definitely do and benefit from this in the future. However, I'm the type that also learns from understanding and asking questions to those more experienced than myself. Hopefully, this interchange and dialog will be helpful to many others also who may have the same questions.

Thanks.

[gstark]

1. When to use the Exposure Compensation adjustment in AP or other modes?

The exposure compensation adjustment is mostly to be used when you think that the metgering system is likely to be "fooled" by the shooting conditions you're currently experiencing.

For instance, you're in the snow (in MN, starting to become a high probability) or at the beach (not too likely in MN). You're subject is predominately very bright, and white, but your metering system is calibrated towards an "average" scene, which would be grey.

Thus your meter is going to misread what it's "seeing" and the result will be a poorly exposed image.

Similarly, a strongly backlit scene can confuse the metering system, with similar results.

For the moment, don't worry too much about this control: as you gain more experience with your camera, and different shooting conditions, you will learn where to use this: you're still some way from that level of experience, so just leave this set to 0.

2. How to determine when I have the right ISO setting? (Is the best way to look at the histogram as Gary suggested in his last post? Examine the "darkness" of the image in the LCD? Or other?)

The correct ISO is whatever works for you. Last Saturday I was shooting available light at 1600, while Leigh was shooting at 800. He was using faster glass than I was, which helped him pull the ISO back.

But the primary dertiminand here is "whatever it takes" to get correct exposure. Lower ISO will yield better quality images, if you're of the opinion that lower noise equals better quality.

Examining the darkness (or brightness) of the image in the lcd does little to tell you of correct exposure, because the viewing conditons in which you're seeing the lcd can vary. Is the lcd set to bright, or dim? Are you in a darker environment, which will make the displayed image appear to be brighter?

3. In Shutter Priority or Manual mode, "while in the field" how do you determine when you've gone too high in your shutter speed setting (e.g., image in LCD too dark)?

Again, there's really no such thing as too high a shutter speed. What you need to get the results you're after is what really matters.

If you're wanting to truly freeze the action - say a basketballer in the air rebounding - then a faster shutter speed is what is needed. If you want your image to impart some feel of action - a racng car moving across you with a blurred background - then perhaps you need to use a slower shutter speed to permit some movement blur to be included in the image.

The bottom line is the reult you're wanting to achieve. That determines the basic sort of feel that you want your mages to have, and whether you need a faster or slower shutter speed, or perhaps a wider or narrower aperture setting.

You then set that as your primary goal, and set the rest of your settings appropriate to attain that goal, using minimum ISO for your sensitivity, and then EV can be determined based upon the ambient conditions. If the results are not to your liking, determine what's unsatisfactory, and make the appropriate adjustments.

I usually start from a guesstimate based upon my experience and goals, and within three or four test images, I'm at the point where I can begin shooting, safe in the knowledge that I'll get the results I'll be happy with.

Also, in response to rooboy and his suggestion to "work out some of things on my own thru trial and error, experience in the field, etc.", I know this is a great suggestion, and I will definitely do and benefit from this in the future. However, I'm the type that also learns from understanding and asking questions to those more experienced than myself. Hopefully, this interchange and dialog will be helpful to many others also who may have the same questions.

Yes it will, but what Patrick has suggested will help you far more than just the discussion. Go out tonight and shoot something. Anything.

Shoot, examine the results - in the field - and adjust them to make them better. When you get home, move the images to your computer, and then examine the EXIF of the images you have made.

Then relate those images to the discussions we're having.

Let's look at those images, and see what's wrong (and right) with them, and then we can see - at a very practical level - what we're talking about.

[Yi-P]

1. When to use the Exposure Compensation adjustment in AP or other modes?

The D70 has a tendancy to underexpose by a little bit, you may be safe to keep the EV Comp to +0.3 for normal times.

Deciding whether to underexpose or overexpose is all depending on the shot you want to achieve.
Say, you are photographing a dark/black subject under bright light, matrix meter will try to expose the bright light over the black subject, making it washed out. This time, you dail down the exp comp.

Similarly, white subject reflects more light than others around, this can fool the meter as it records "Ahh, I see this is bright, I shall use a faster shutter". In this case, dail up the exp comp.

It is matter of practice and knowing your camera in order to know when exactly and how much exp comp to dail in. Best is to check histogram, tells you what to do about the exposure.

2. How to determine when I have the right ISO setting? (Is the best way to look at the histogram as Gary suggested in his last post? Examine the "darkness" of the image in the LCD? Or other?)

ISO is the 3rd exposure variable in digital cameras (apart from shutter and aperture). When do I need more/less ISO? Well, this is hard to answer. Do you want a faster shutter speed, a lower noise cleaner image, or want to get the shot you want without blurr? As you know, lower ISO gives out best sharp and clean images, at sacrifice of speed.

In a case like you are under a shade area, light is quite dim and you have opened up your aperture to your lens max, say f/4.5. You still read underexposed scene from the viewfinder meter as you dail in shutter of 1/60 (Im using manual mode example). Similarly, your A/P mode suggest you a shutter of 1/10 for a correct exposure. But, "wait a second, my lens is set at 70mm, at 1/10 I cannot hold it that steady!" So, I just press down the ISO button, turn it up by few stops, up to ISO 800, good, now my "A" mode suggest a shutter of 1/60 on correct exposure, fire off, and bingo!

3. In Shutter Priority or Manual mode, "while in the field" how do you determine when you've gone too high in your shutter speed setting (e.g., image in LCD too dark)?

When you look into the viewfinder, under the centre area, lower part of the info screen, you will see a bar with + and - signs to the left and right, respectively. When the 'bars' lights up to the + signs, means that you are exposing bit more over what the meter detects a 'correct exposure', simiarly to the - sign, which indicates underexposure. If the bar hits the limit, it will blink, meaning that you are way over the limit. Time to adjust whatever it is needed.

Refer back into your manual about this meter reading on the viewfinder. You must learn how to read this before trying anything else in getting a correct exposure. Ofcourse, additional doubts or questions are welcomed.

Also, in response to rooboy and his suggestion to "work out some of things on my own thru trial and error, experience in the field, etc.", I know this is a great suggestion, and I will definitely do and benefit from this in the future. However, I'm the type that also learns from understanding and asking questions to those more experienced than myself. Hopefully, this interchange and dialog will be helpful to many others also who may have the same questions.

I agree to the trial and error learning curve, specially from a DSLR, which from shot to shot cost you virtually nothing. Comparing back in the days of the old films, each shot cost you couple ten cents, its way better to learn with digital nowadays.

What I suggest in the learning is write down a list of things you want to learn and discover/understand. Say like differences between matrix, center-weighted and spot meter, the use of A/P/M exposure modes, and shutter vs aperture assignment. And stick to ONE assignment at a time. Do not wander off and start shooting randomly, this can bring the trial and error way, but it wont help you understand much of the concepts.

Have fun and go out and shoot some. We wont be able to help you but yourself in taking more pics and show us what your troubles/questions are with pic samples!!

[cerkb]

Thanks again Gary.

The correct ISO is whatever works for you.

But the primary dertiminand here is "whatever it takes" to get correct exposure. Lower ISO will yield better quality images, if you're of the opinion that lower noise equals better quality.

My main concern here is how do I tell this "in the field"? The image in the LCD is so small (even when magnified), its difficult to see if the clarity is there, if there is an acceptable noise level, etc. Is there anything I can look for to make this easier or is this really only done back at the computer? If it is the latter, then this presents a problem when there is a shoot where I need to get good pics, I need some way of insuring the photos I'm taking will be good. From what I'm interpreting from your remarks, it appears the best way to do this is by trial and error -- take shots, examine in pc, decide what worked and what didn't, change approach the next time. Is this the procedure?

3. In Shutter Priority or Manual mode, "while in the field" how do you determine when you've gone too high in your shutter speed setting (e.g., image in LCD too dark)?

Again, there's really no such thing as too high a shutter speed. What you need to get the results you're after is what really matters.

Again, my concern is how do I best determine this while "in the field"? (My main goal, I should mention, when asking this is to stop action and get a clear shot of the players in motion.)

I will (and have already) attempt to try these suggestions by taking numerous shots and examining the results. However, I'm not going to be able to do this in an actual sporting event scenario for a few days. I will at that point post some shots for you to look at. By the way, can I embed the images in these postings? How do I best do that?

Thanks.

[cerkb]

Thanks YiP. Your answers were right on for those questions.

I will review the Exposure Meter section again in my manual. But just a quick question re: this. Does the value that shows on the meter when you're looking at a scene indicate that the scene is either underexposed, overexposed, or just right (i.e., 0) based on what the camera is interpreting as the ideal exposure? And if this is the case and you agree with the interpretation, then does that mean that you should change the ISO, shutter speed, exposure compensation, or some combination to get closer to the "0 point" value?

It was a good suggestion for how to best learn about certain features/settings of the camera. I'll give it a try.

[Yi-P]

Does the value that shows on the meter when you're looking at a scene indicate that the scene is either underexposed, overexposed, or just right (i.e., 0) based on what the camera is interpreting as the ideal exposure? And if this is the case and you agree with the interpretation, then does that mean that you should change the ISO, shutter speed, exposure compensation, or some combination to get closer to the "0 point" value?

What you have suggested about changing the 3 exposure variables are to be used under Manual mode. As you cannot change all 3 values at same time whilst in any other modes (A/S/P).
When you're in the A/S/P modes, your camera will adjust whatever is needed in order to get you a correct exposure (ISO apart if not set to 'auto ISO').
Say, you are under shutter priority, you dail in 1/250, and your camera suggest an aperture of f/3.5 and then it still reads underexposure, then you can boost up the ISO yourself until you see the bar start to center-off.
Aperture priority mode is less affected as shutter is way more flexible in lower light, it can go as low as 30 seconds, but that is way too low to handle without a tripod. Again, boost up ISO in order to boost up the shutter speed, tho your metered value should remain aproximately same position.

In manual mode, which is the most flexible and creative mode. You get to control everything. So centering the bar is one way to go in getting correct exposure, sliding it off to the + or - sides depending on what situation you are in and what you want the shot to look like.

Be careful when in M mode: if you dailed in exp comp from the camera, the '0' is actually your compensated EV. Set exp comp back to 0.0 when you using M mode.

[cerkb]

Thanks YiP. Very helpful.

[Aussie Dave]

In manual mode, which is the most flexible and creative mode. You get to control everything. So centering the bar is one way to go in getting correct exposure, sliding it off to the + or - sides depending on what situation you are in and what you want the shot to look like.

In addition to this, if the situation permits you to take your time, you can also use "spot-metering" and work out correct exposure for both your brightest & darkest parts of the scene, individually. From this you can work out how many stops difference there is between them and you can then guesstimate what settings to use.

As a hypothetical example, say you had a scene with a nice blue sky and mountains & trees in the foreground. The sky, which in this example is the brightest part of the scene, may be exposed correctly at 1/500 @ f8 and the shadows of the tree, being the darkest in the scene, may be exposed correctly at 1/60 @ f8 (it is helpful to keep either your shutter of aperture constant for both readings, so you can guage the difference of the other variable - in this instance I obviously kept the Aperture constant, at f8).

Using this example, we can see that the difference is about 3 stops. We may then decide that we really want to make sure we get enough detail in the shadow areas, but if we shoot at 1/60 the sky will be very much overexposed. To compromise, we might try shooting at 1/125 which will favour the darker areas more but will not blow the sky out "as much". Playing this balancing act will hopefully get you a photo that gets you what you want - whilst you are staying in full control.

Varying factors such as subject movement, required DOF and distance from subject will also need to be factored in and equated to the settings you finally choose. If you'd had a V8 supercar in the scene moving at 200 km/h, using a shutter speed at 1/60 and zoomed in at 300mm, this would not be practical (unless you were great at panning)

[Yi-P]

So quick into the lesson in spot metering and averaging exposure... I thought that should be left for tha advanced lessons...

cerkb, I hope you are digesting all these... it seems so much to digest in short little while... makes up a brain cramp at sometimes...

[cerkb]

Thanks to all. A great dialog! Not at all bothered by the additional info on spot metering. This was a good way to end this topic. You've all addressed my immediate mysteries of shooting in the various modes, the use of ISO and exposure metering, the differences in aperature and shutter speed settings and their effects, and how to make decisions in the field re: the shots you wish to take. Finally, tying in the next lesson re: spot metering, depth of field, and interpolation takes this full circle to indicate the decision process for great shots involves many different criteria. It gives me an appreciation of what makes a great photographer.