hlyon wrote:
I appreciate the post. I was wondering if you had any issues with eye detection while shooting basketball. I found it jumped around from player to player potentially in the picture. I ended up turning eye detection off for sports with multiple participants. No doubt eye detection works well otherwise.
If you use Wide Area S or L, the camera will only look for eyes on the player that you have the box on - the box can be on their chest or whatever, and it will still grab the eye outside of the box provided some portion of the box AF box is on the specific player you want to track (the whole box doesn't have to be touching the player, even just part of it is fine). If you turn off subject detection in either Wide Area mode, I've found it mostly behaves like the old Group AF, which is a closest subject priority mode.
I haven't shot any Basketball specifically, but I have shot groups of people as well as some of my Nieces soccer games, and using Wide Area as described above or 3D tracking, the camera stays on the correct person's eye in my experience so far. Currently what I like to do is put Wide Area AF on the shutter release, and 3D on the AF-ON button, so when the camera grabs the eye I can just hit the AF-ON button and turn that eye into a 3D tracking point.
I still use a D5 but was discussing the eye AF issue at a NHL game the other night with a colleague who uses a Z9. He was also struggling with eye AF jumping between players. I think with fast paced sports in close quarters this may be asking a bit much of the system. That’s why I have a fn button on each body I use dedicated to single point AF that I can access intuitively on the fly to ensure I’m on the player I want in focus in a crowd.
Spectro wrote:
I still use a D5 but was discussing the eye AF issue at a NHL game the other night with a colleague who uses a Z9. He was also struggling with eye AF jumping between players. I think with fast paced sports in close quarters this may be asking a bit much of the system. That’s why I have a fn button on each body I use dedicated to single point AF that I can access intuitively on the fly to ensure I’m on the player I want in focus in a crowd.
Ive never shot with a D5 or any other single digit pro body. I have used a D500 and a D850 in football, basketball and baseball. Of course I don't have the 300 f2.8 or 400 f2.8 but i have shot with 70-200 f2.8 G, E and S lenses. I have also used both the Z9 and the Z6II adapted and native.
The Z9 works great for me. I have used it in dynamic area modes, Wide S and Wide L and 3d in baseball, football and basketball. I find the eye focus outstanding. Its sticky and very fast. Initial acquisition is very fast and when used in conjunction with a function button set to 3d it can be amazing. I saw where people were trying it with birds. Acquiring the bird with Wide L and then using the function button to go to 3d. Also, I find the 70-200 S glass is better than my 70-200 f2.8 G lens.
Dbltfarmer wrote:
I saw where people were trying it with birds. Acquiring the bird with Wide L and then using the function button to go to 3d. Also, I find the 70-200 S glass is better than my 70-200 f2.8 G lens.
If I may ask
Why a function key?
I sow people set the camera on 3d ( autofocus and shooting with the shutter) , and program the af-on button to wide area-L
Isn't that easier, unless someone is used to disabling the AF functionality from the shutter button.
I sow people set the camera on 3d ( autofocus and shooting with the shutter) , and program the af-on button to wide area-L
Isn't that easier, unless someone is used to disabling the AF functionality from the shutter button.
Perhaps an example will explain it better. If I’m shooting a hockey game from a corner photo hole in an arena I will set
the camera up manually for the lighting, WB, ISO, shutter and aperture as well as AF mode ( I like AFC, D9 on my D5 or D850 for hockey). If I’m using the shutter for AF (seldom) or the AF-ON (majority) I don’t want to have to think about which AF mode it is using.
Now think of a player skating fast up the far side with the puck with two players defending him. I know I want the player with the puck in focus. While focussing with the Af-ON I use my third finger to depress the fn key on the front of the camera that is programmed for spot AF and I can be sure that as long as I follow the player with the puck focus won’t jump to another player. As soon as that play is out of my range I can release the fn button and have my normal AF setup back.
Spectro wrote:
Perhaps an example will explain it better. If I’m shooting a hockey game from a corner photo hole in an arena I will set
the camera up manually for the lighting, WB, ISO, shutter and aperture as well as AF mode ( I like AFC, D9 on my D5 or D850 for hockey). If I’m using the shutter for AF (seldom) or the AF-ON (majority) I don’t want to have to think about which AF mode it is using.
Now think of a player skating fast up the far side with the puck with two players defending him. I know I want the player with the puck in focus. While focussing with the Af-ON I use my third finger to depress the fn key on the front of the camera that is programmed for spot AF and I can be sure that as long as I follow the player with the puck focus won’t jump to another player. As soon as that play is out of my range I can release the fn button and have my normal AF setup back. ...Show more →
I sow people set the camera on 3d ( autofocus and shooting with the shutter) , and program the af-on button to wide area-L
Isn't that easier, unless someone is used to disabling the AF functionality from the shutter button.
I’m using th three function buttons on the front of the camera in conjunction with my BBAF. I don’t do anything with shutter button except shoot. I’m so use to this method that I’m afraid I would screw up action pics. Fn 1 is set to single point AF with lock on. Fn 2 is set to small dynamic AF and fn3 is set to 3 D. I have these down well and easy to move quickly.
I do both sports an wildlife and these settings fit both very well.
Just a quick update, A friend let me use his 400 f2.8 adapted on my Z9 while he tried out my 100-400 during a baseball game. Wow that 400 is really fast. If the 400f2.8 is any faster with AF it will be crazy good. It is a big and impressive lens but too rich for my blood.
The Z9 is still working just fine for my sports photography business.
Shot team photos at ISO 64 under strobes for several days and then this indoor ice racing event Saturday night which would stress any camera designed for sports.
leewoolery wrote:
The Z9 is still working just fine for my sports photography business.
Shot team photos at ISO 64 under strobes for several days and then this indoor ice racing event Saturday night which would stress any camera designed for sports.
It was one wild, action-packed, 3 hour sporting event.
Only breaks were from the 2 Zamboni's smoothing out the ice.
I've photographed all forms of motor sports and I have to say ice racing is the most difficult due to the shortness of the course and the incredible acceleration of the bikes and quads running in the 2 pro classes for this series.
Races were 4 to 6 laps and over in 30-40 seconds.
I am glad I brought the 400 f/2.8 because the 2 best corners were off-limits for media due to possible rider crashes into the barriers so I had to shoot them from the other end.
Track meet with Z9...full use of differing AF modes.
Other media photographers were in attendance but typically they disappear when the sun went down and stadium lights were turned on and missed half of the best action.
