Beginner first time with camera

Compositions and timing look pretty fine but sorry to say that they are all blurry.

Normally you'd say that in these situations the shutter speed was too slow but for some strange reason they all just look a bit out of focus. What settings were you using?
 
Nawty said:
Compositions and timing look pretty fine but sorry to say that they are all blurry.

Normally you'd say that in these situations the shutter speed was too slow but for some strange reason they all just look a bit out of focus. What settings were you using?
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Yup. Well done on that. You obviously have the eye and I'm sure that the rest will come with improved technique and practice.
 
I'm guessing the OP selected sports (scene) mode 'manually' rather than relying on Auto?
 
Hi

Can you confirm what shutter speed you were using?

Great photos but they are out of focus, which could be too slow a shutter speed.

Next time it would be worth using shutter priority mode and let the camera work out the aperture for you.

As these are moving targets, the shutter speed needs to be higher than if you were just shooting static targets.

Thanks
 
to be honest i do not know what the shutter speed was as this is the first time i have used this camera & i am a complete novice :oops: :$
 
Fortunately for you, all digital photographs contain something called 'exif data' which includes all the camera settings. If you don't have a clever image editing program you can download a free 'exif viewer' from the web, and you'll be able to see all the settings you used.
 
Some of these look like quite heavy crops, which won't help image quality. Can we see the whole frame?
 
stevegixer said:
ille dig them out when i get a bit of time ;)
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Presumably then, they are big crops, in which case you're just throwing away image quality. Always fill the frame as tight as you can - which with bike racing, and depending how close you can get at different circuits (spectator positions are often too distant) means a long lens and a well-honed technique.

It could just be that, plus a rather soft lens. The best 70-300s for Canon are either the Tamron 70-300 VC or Canon 70-300L, so if it's not either of those (ie the cheaper Tamron 70-300, or either of the two Sigma 70-300s, or the Canon 70-300 IS) then they're all a bit soft at the 300mm end. Add a heavy crop to them and that's what you get. It doesn't look like missed focus or camera-shake, which are the only other two possibilities.

Edit: do you have a protective filter on there? They often degrade sharpness with longer focal lengths that magnify any optical deficiencies - quite common with cheaper ones. All those factors together would explain poor image quality.
 
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motorsport photography needs a good AF camera with high burst rate or you have to be really good at focusing. Being said that not bad for first timer. P.S. that s1000 rr though, love to get hands on them.
 
nerv said:
motorsport photography needs a good AF camera with high burst rate or you have to be really good at focusing. Being said that not bad for first timer. P.S. that s1000 rr though, love to get hands on them.
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cracking bike aint they, hoping to go to another round this year,
it nwas my first time & i surprised myself to be honest, i know they aint great pics but we all have to start somewhere, ( i think i have the photography bug now lol)
 
Just a matter of practice Steve, i've just started and it's only by playing about with the settings,trying different shutter speeds, etc, it starts to make sense.
It's birds i seem to have centered on and they are a pain to capture but slowly,slowly getting a good capture now and then.
 
All I thought was. If that's the 1st time you've picked up a camera & took those, well bloody fair play to you! Yes, they may not be as sharp as they could be, but to me they look good compositionally (the main thing I struggle with), so at least you have a good eye! Get to grip with what the settings mean & keep shooting. Remember what you did well (composition) & change what wasn't (shutter speed), in my humble opinion!
 
I'd recommend weaning yourself off the "scene modes" and start using aperture-priority and shutter-priority (or the 'P' mode) as soon as you can.
The camera will normally do a pretty good job of static subjects, but this is one of those occasions where human knowledge>computer guessing. Setting the shutter speed yourself and letting the camera do the rest (aperture, ISO, WB etc) will get you a lot closer to where you want to be. At the moment, you are controlling the artistic side (subject and composition) - and doing a good job, I'd say - but leaving all the technical details to the camera. Sometimes it needs a little nudge in the right direction ;)

If you have no idea what I'm wittling on about, don't worry. Familiarise yourself with the basics of the so-called 'exposure triangle' (aperture - shutter speed - ISO) and all will become clear. It's the first step to taking control and is rewarding when you get it. It's not as daunting as it might seem, I promise!
 
UOTE="Llamaman, post: 6892069, member: 31383"]I'd recommend weaning yourself off the "scene modes" and start using aperture-priority and shutter-priority (or the 'P' mode) as soon as you can.
The camera will normally do a pretty good job of static subjects, but this is one of those occasions where human knowledge>computer guessing. Setting the shutter speed yourself and letting the camera do the rest (aperture, ISO, WB etc) will get you a lot closer to where you want to be. At the moment, you are controlling the artistic side (subject and composition) - and doing a good job, I'd say - but leaving all the technical details to the camera. Sometimes it needs a little nudge in the right direction ;)

If you have no idea what I'm wittling on about, don't worry. Familiarise yourself with the basics of the so-called 'exposure triangle' (aperture - shutter speed - ISO) and all will become clear. It's the first step to taking control and is rewarding when you get it. It's not as daunting as it might seem, I promise![/QUOTE]

Thanks mate I know what you mean,I am heading that way,
 
Nice framing! Once you have your shutter speed set right you should be sorted. Make sure your shutter speed is at least the focal length you are shooting at- so for a 100mm lens, shoot at at least 1/100 (for static objects) etc. Shooting motorbikes probably needs something nearer 1/300+ -But i do not shoot that much fast paced stuff, so i couldn't be exact as to the shutter speeds required.
 
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