Suggested settings for sports photography

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I'm a newbie to digital photography. I have a Kodak DX6490. It has a
10x optical zoom and is 4MP.

Can anyone share some good settings to use for shootings sports photos.
The scene would be outdoor w/ full sunlight. What ISO setting is
best? etc...

Thanks.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

"Mike" <texas_michael@yahoo.com> writes:

> I'm a newbie to digital photography. I have a Kodak DX6490. It has a
> 10x optical zoom and is 4MP.
>
> Can anyone share some good settings to use for shootings sports photos.
> The scene would be outdoor w/ full sunlight. What ISO setting is
> best? etc...

With full sun, choose the lowest ISO that gives you acceptable shutter
speeds to stop action. Depending on your lens, ISO 100 might even
work for ya. 200 should be as high as you'll have to go in full sun
unless that lens is incredibly slow (i.e. has a small maximum aperture
like f/8.0 or higher)

Your camera may have a "sport" mode which would do some of these
things depending on how flexible it is:

bias the exposure towards faster shutterspeeds and larger
apertures (i.e. lower f/ numbers)

set the camera to follow focus rather than one shot focus.

set the transport to continuous rather than one shot


Aperture priority mode on the lens' maximum aperture, or one stop
smaller would be another way to go.

If that camera isn't an SLR prepare to be disappointed with shutter
lag. Shooting sports with a non SLR camera is an exercise in hope and
frustration.

Best Regards,
--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Once you have become comfortable with "freezing" the action, try a few
shots with longer-time exposures. Some of the least appealing sports
photography, my view, is static and lifeless, marionettes suspended in
time and space. If you can catch a crisp image of an intent face on a
motion-blurred body, it may say more about the activity than otherwise.

Don't be discouraged if you crank out a string of off-center,
out-of-focus pictures. This is one area where practice really works
wonders. You'll be pleased to see your improvement as the "shoot" goes
on and you catch the rhythm and let your muscle sense and eye do what it
is learning.

--
Frank ess