Hockey photos - what ISO and F stop is best?

[carson123]

Hi
I was hoping you wouldn't mind a question about taking hockey photos. I am wanting to get a camera/lens that will let me take good photos of my kids playing hockey. I was looking at the Rebel XTi with a Sigma f2.8 zoom lens - but had heard that the Rebel's max ISO of 1600 paired with the f2.8 may not work well in poorly lit rinks. They suggested getting a camera with higer ISO or faster lens? I was wanting a zoom lens but??
What do you think?
Thank you very much for your time.
Carson

[geoff_c]

Hi Carson

I'm not a great fan of excessively high ISO settings on digital cameras. I find that the high levels of noise that they create causes a problem and spoils the detail in your shot. Personally, I would not shoot higher than ISO 400-800 (maximum).

This leaves you with needing a fast lens. I shoot with an Olympus f2.8 50-200mm zoom. Generally I under expose by a stop (later corrected in PS), and try to use a monopod where possible.

Alot depends on how far away from the action you will be, but whatever your choose, I would stay well away from high ISO settings

Regards

Geoff

[bclaypole]

If you shoot kids hockey you will have to shoot at the highest ISO you can, with the fastest lens you can afford. I shoot 1600ISO at f2,8 in manual mode - 1/320 at f2.8 in RAW. Also adjust your white balance for flouresent lighting and your exposure to area elevative, ie no dot in the middle of () on the top screen. ALWAYS shot RAW, I 'think' the XTI does it, to allow you to play with the white balance afterwards.
It will be grainy and noisy but they will smooth out when converting to a Jpeg. canons software also has a chormatic (spl) noise filter which is best set to 'mid' and applies itself in the Jpeg conversion.
1/320 is just fast enough to stop the body but will show lots of stick/puck movement. Above Peewee I'd go to 1/500.
I've shot 1000's of images in these dark arenas this year and still learning little tricks - like, shoot the warn-up for portrait shots as the kids aren't moving so fast, and, learn the game and when to duck!!
Good luck

[cyclona]

Why do hockey fans get so mad when you say something bad about the sport? I'm just wondering. Is it that hockey fans are more passionate about the game than other fans are about the sports they enjoy? Or is it something else?

[sean_mcr]

bclaypol is right

You'll be lucky to get anywhere near ISO 400-800 in that kind of light at 2.8. Well you could, but your shutter speed will be too slow. You'll have no option but to up the ISO, it's a necessary evil for the conditions you're shooting in. A 135mm prime is often used at events like this. It's F/2.0 and it's a fine lens and one I own. I don't shoot sports but I do shoot in tough light and use primes. Would not be a bad idea to have a fast zoom and a prime that will give you an extra stop when needed. The 135 is not cheap you'd want to consider how often you'll be shooting these sports and if the cost for you is justified

[don_empey_photography]

your best bet is to shoot at the highest ISO you can and shoot in RAW mode. This way you can adjust the color balance in post processing. I once shot at an arena that had about 20 ceiling lights in it and everyone of them were different. ( ie: halogen, tungsten and even fluorescent) I used a 70-200 F2.8 and they came out fine. You can also get a smaller lens and get your face up against the glass

[velvin_photography]

John Velvin Elite sports photography New Zealand.Some of my photos can be seen on john velvin @ pbase
I dont shoot hockey but i do shoot basketball, I use a nikon d700 with a 70-200 f 2.8 nikon lens.The settings that i use are
without flash iso 4000 (no problems with noise) f2-8 @ 1-800th sec. or iso 3200 @ f2.8 1-640th sec.
If you are allowed to use flash I use iso 3200 f 5.6 @ 1000sec.I shoot in JPEG as I need to get photos away asap after games for news outlets.
If you have time to post process then by all means shoot in raw but remember you need plenty of space on you card.
If you do have noise problems try using noise ninja in post processing.

[puyallupslp]

I've been shooting kids hockey for a few years now. High ISO and RAW are key if you want to catch fast action sports in less-than-ideal lighting situations. It is more the rule than the exception that the lighting will be challenging in ice arenas. I also prefer images that are on the same level as the game so will often have to shoot through the dull, smudgy plexiglass. Photoshopping can repair most of lighting/plexiglass issues. I also use a noise reduction software in my processing to help reduce the grainy-ness. I use Neat Image (http://www.neatimage.com/) but know that there are other options out there.