Ice Hockey Photography - 2013/2014 Season

two and a half years no ice hockey.. then I do a game and to my suprise.. got a ikle pic on front page of local regiopnal :)

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amaFotho said:
My first attempt, Sundays game at Basingstoke: Bisons v MK Lightning.
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Your shutter is way too slow and as such these suffer from slight blur as well as being very under exposed... ISO 1600 simply isnt enough.. I would ahve thought a 7d could go a heck of a lot higher...

remember the golden rule... a noisy picture can be saved.. a blurred one can't

up the iso.. get some more shutter speed and also better exposure :)
 
KIPAX said:
Your shutter is way too slow and as such these suffer from slight blur as well as being very under exposed... ISO 1600 simply isnt enough.. I would ahve thought a 7d could go a heck of a lot higher...

remember the golden rule... a noisy picture can be saved.. a blurred one can't

up the iso.. get some more shutter speed and also better exposure :)
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Cheers, I had assumed max 1600 would be enough but as you say it is not. My 70D can do up to ISO 12800 so will try higher to see what shutter speeds I can get. I am guessing I need at around 1/500th to prevent the blur....
 
Duncan,
Managed to take some of the Steeldogs the night before against Swindon !
The light at the Link Centre is fantastic compared to what Im used to at Cardiff!
Some ice captures,youre certainly getting to grips with your settings.I would not however recommend dropping your shutter speed much more,as you will be OK with the portrait style shoots,but limiting yourself for the faster action shoots.
Ive posted a couple from Saturday,hope you dont mind !

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Nice shots Marcus. I especially like the face shot of Payette in 3.
 
drounding said:
Nice shots Marcus. I especially like the face shot of Payette in 3.
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Had me confused there till I realised you were talking to a different Marcus :LOL:

Payette used to be our enforcer at the Coventry Blaze before moving onto Newcastle.. nice to see he's still doing his job (y)
 
XFile2708 said:
Had me confused there till I realised you were talking to a different Marcus :LOL:

Payette used to be our enforcer at the Coventry Blaze before moving onto Newcastle.. nice to see he's still doing his job (y)
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Yes,a bit bigger,and a lot slower,but still doing the same old things !!!
 
Heres some from your Tigers away game at Swindon !

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I found this thread and was amazed at the quality of the photos. I have been taking photos at my sons club for the last couple of seasons but struggle with lighting and speed. I'm running a canon 400D with a 75-300mm zoom. I run on manual, iso 1600, f5 and speed of 1/400 taking mainly a mix of jpeg/raw, the jpeg so that I can get them up on web sight.
I would love to take crystal clear sharp shots that i have seen here but think my kit is not up to it, any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks
Duncan
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I'd love to have a go at shooting an ice hockey match. My local rink would be Riverside in Essex and I know they have a team there. I seem to remember there being high, plastic fences round the whole rink that are very scratched - I assume you guys aren't shooting through that kind of thing, where are the vantage points for photographers?
 
kiwimack said:
I would love to take crystal clear sharp shots that i have seen here but think my kit is not up to it, any suggestions would be appreciated.
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I am afraid it really is that simple.. cheap lens thats not up to this type of photography...
 
kiwimack said:
I found this thread and was amazed at the quality of the photos. I have been taking photos at my sons club for the last couple of seasons but struggle with lighting and speed. I'm running a canon 400D with a 75-300mm zoom. I run on manual, iso 1600, f5 and speed of 1/400 taking mainly a mix of jpeg/raw, the jpeg so that I can get them up on web sight.
I would love to take crystal clear sharp shots that i have seen here but think my kit is not up to it, any suggestions would be appreciated.
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Its difficult to really judge your pictures as they're very low resolution. I'm happy to offer a better opinion if you could link to some higher resolution versions maybe on Flickr? Generally though (as KIPAX mentions) I'm afraid you're always going to struggle with bright, sharp images with the lens you're using. I used to have an entry level Nikon D3100 and a 55-200mm when I first started dabbling and I never really got anything worth keeping. I saved up and upgraded the lens initially and the difference was astounding, even connected to the entry level body. Fast glass is a must in sport, especially indoor sport.
 
CharlotteM said:
I'd love to have a go at shooting an ice hockey match. My local rink would be Riverside in Essex and I know they have a team there. I seem to remember there being high, plastic fences round the whole rink that are very scratched - I assume you guys aren't shooting through that kind of thing, where are the vantage points for photographers?
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I shoot from the concourse in the Arena and from the players bench. Not sure if there's any kind of concourse or raised area in the Essex rink though. You'd need permission from the club to shoot from the bench.
 
i sit in seats and shoot over the plexi .. suprisingly good effect.. not too overhead.. you lose a third of the rink right under you.. but theres not much going to happen there that doesnt happen in the other two thirds... unless your unlucky and they fight under yer nose :)
 
KIPAX said:
I am afraid it really is that simple.. cheap lens thats not up to this type of photography...
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I started shooting with a 400D and a cheap 55-250 lens. I managed to get some shots after hacking the firmware to get higher iso and a lot of pp but unfortunately it just wasn't up to the job.

I now use a 70D and a 70-200mm f2.8 lens, and with an iso of 4000 in my rinks low lighting I can just get well exposed shots.

With a lot of help from others on the forum I have learnt a lot and my keeper rate is pretty good compared to what it used to be.

My top advice (passed on to me by the pros on here) is to use a camera with good low noise, high iso ability, an f2.8 lens, use back button focusing, set up and shoot in manual - aperture at f2.8, shutter speed as fast as you need to capture the action (I use 1/800th or 1/640th) and set the iso to get the best exposure - even adding an extra stop worth to cater for the white ice if need be. Also use AI Servo focusing to track the action.

It also takes a lot of experience in being able to keep aware of the game play and to anticipate what may happen. I've still a heck of a lot to learn but that advice has helped me tremendously.

If you're up for a challenge then shooting ice hockey is it.
 
KIPAX said:
I am afraid it really is that simple.. cheap lens thats not up to this type of photography...
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Thanks for the reply KIPAX, Dean will take yours and Duncan's suggestions and start saving my pennies. Any particular lens and supplier that you think that would go well with the 400D and that I could use in the future with a better body? I enjoy taking action shots but getting the facial one's is difficult with a full cage that my son uses.
Thanks again
Duncan
 
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a 70-200 would be the lens of choice....
 
Here's a few from The Bracknell Bees vs Telford Tigers last weekend. They're not as sharp as I would've liked - I was trying out adding a 1.4 converter and although it added reach it made the shots a little softer - better without it. The loss of a stop from f2.8 down to f4 was noticeable. ISO was high at 4000 or 5000.


IMG_5274-49 by DRounding, on Flickr


IMG_5287-57 by DRounding, on Flickr


IMG_5295-60 by DRounding, on Flickr


IMG_5228-25 by DRounding, on Flickr

Thompson's hat trick knocking the water bottle for six.

IMG_5322-71 by DRounding, on Flickr

The rest of the set is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/duncanrounding/sets/72157637561615483/
 
I've a new lens on order. I've been using the Canon 18-135mmm but have ordered a Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 [/quote said:
How did you get on with the Sigma lens Duncan? Seems a good buy from the reviews I've read, where did you order it from and if you don't mind how much did you pay for it. I have a very limited budget and am looking for the best price I can get.
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steelerdean said:
Its difficult to really judge your pictures as they're very low resolution. I'm happy to offer a better opinion if you could link to some higher resolution versions maybe on Flickr? Generally though (as KIPAX mentions) I'm afraid you're always going to struggle with bright, sharp images with the lens you're using. I used to have an entry level Nikon D3100 and a 55-200mm when I first started dabbling and I never really got anything worth keeping. I saved up and upgraded the lens initially and the difference was astounding, even connected to the entry level body. Fast glass is a must in sport, especially indoor sport.
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Thanks steelerdean for your comments, looking into new glass if there is anything you can recommend for the 400d it would be most helpful. Whats the standard resolution for uploading photos here as on other forums I have used I have had to keep them low.
 
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kiwimack said:
How did you get on with the Sigma lens Duncan? Seems a good buy from the reviews I've read, where did you order it from and if you don't mind how much did you pay for it. I have a very limited budget and am looking for the best price I can get.
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A vast improvement, very impressed with it. It's quite big and quite heavy, but that extra stop makes the world of a difference.

Yo're still going to have a challenge with your 400D, it battles in low light. You can install the high ISO hack that will push it theoretically higher (to 4800) which may help a little. You will need to reduce noise in post with lightroom or PS or whatever you use though. Obviously therefore shooting in RAW is better.
My advice is to shoot as close as you can to fill the frame with the action, that way you won't need to crop as much and makes the most of the 12Mp.

Around the net you will see the price of the Sigma 70-200 f2.8 varies from about £650 (grey import) to around £800 or so locally. I also have the 1.4x and 2x teleconverters for it which are great for extra reach outdoors in better light. I tried the 1.4x on at the rink but found it better without it, f4 just wasn't enough light for the shutter speed I needed.

The link Kipax posted looks like it may be something for you to consider. It's the older non IS macro version but you won't need IS for sports in most cases and the price is obviously lower being second hand.
 
kiwimack said:
Sorry KIPAX didn't spot this post. been looking into this lens but unable to open that link keeps coming up with this "You do not have permission to view this page or perform this action". will look through sight to get to it.
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its the buy/sell section on these forums... you must not fulfill the criteria for looking or soemthing?
 
Thanks Duncan for your advice, Would love to get the Sigma as its a lot cheeper than the canon alternative. With Xmas coming up and two gaming and graphic artist boys my funds are in short supply. Have been looking at some second hand ones that are going for £350 - £430, will keep an eye out for a bargin.

KIPAX unable to get into that section at the moment probably not enough posts or time on here as of yet. Will keep looking or contact one of the admin to see why.
thanks
 
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Ok this is one of my shots taken last weekend. You get a good laugh off the boys. Very grainy and will need some PS work.
 
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