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Youth Soccer

bmimages
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Youth Soccer

Long time lurker, first time poster. As my kids have gotten older, I've been shooting almost exclusively their teams games. All images below shot on a Rebel T7i with a 70-200 2.8.

1

IMG_3215
ƒ/3.5 200.0 mm 1/640 ISO 400

2

IMG_4695
ƒ/3.5 200.0 mm 1/800 ISO 400

3

IMG_1126
ƒ/4.5 125.0 mm 1/640 ISO200

4

IMG_3281
ƒ/4.0 115.0 mm 1/640 ISO400

Sep 10, 2023 at 08:24 PM

crteach
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Youth Soccer

Thanks for posting and sharing! I think I like #4 the best. You've done a good job to get all the elements of a penalty kick for #2 - ball, kicker, defense, etc.

Please continue to post - we all learn by seeing each other's work. I'm certainly no expert ... but I appreciate folks who share and comment.

Sep 10, 2023 at 08:34 PM

bmimages
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Youth Soccer

Also the autofocus and frame rate on the T7i have been hindering me lately, so currently pondering purchasing either a used
A) 1d x mark i & a range extender
or B) 7d mark ii

Sep 10, 2023 at 08:34 PM

schlotz
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Youth Soccer

Good effort. Let's get you armed with a bit more to improve your shooting.

1. Generally you need faster shutter speeds. Soccer IMO should be 1/1000 or higher. Daytime, I'm usually at 1600 to 5000 depending on light. Lowest should at least be 800 but that is marginal, better at 1000-1250.

2. Looks like you are standing. Sit on your butt, or on a very small stool.

3. #2 & 3 look to be over exposed. If your camera supports it, put it in manual, shutter at 1000 or more, Ap set to ƒ4 (if the light allows it) and turn on AutoISO. Why ƒ4, until you get comfortable at being able to keep a single focal point on the intended target this provides a bit of leeway in the DoF.

4. Regarding composition and cropping. Ref #3, the frame has action heading to the left but is already past center which makes the capture look uncomfortable. The viewers eye makes the brain say what's not showing on the left. A better crop is to have them right of center thus providing room for the play to continue.

5. Yes, the Rebel is a limiting factor when it comes to soccer. Between the two there is no question, the 1DX Mk1 is vastly superior.

Keep shooting, it gets better

Sep 11, 2023 at 06:45 AM

bmimages
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Youth Soccer

schlotz wrote:
3. #2 & 3 look to be over exposed. If your camera supports it, put it in manual, shutter at 1000 or more, Ap set to ƒ4 (if the light allows it) and turn on AutoISO. Why ƒ4, until you get comfortable at being able to keep a single focal point on the intended target this provides a bit of leeway in the DoF.

Yes, my technique had been to use single point AF and try to target enter of mass at the jersey. Unfortunately, my daughter just switched clubs to a club that wears black jerseys or white jerseys which makes exposure a nightmare. So generally I set the exposure to -1/3 to -2/3 shoot in Tv then correct in post if needed but those original shots definitely clipped on the bright end. Also she just moved up several competition levels (which is why she needed to switch clubs) and now my shutter speeds are not fast enough anymore vs. last year so I'm still dialing in the ISO vs shutter. Will try 1/1000 and jack up the ISO and deal with noise but I'm just using RawTherapee (free) for my post production and haven't played with noise reduction yet.

schlotz wrote:
5. Yes, the Rebel is a limiting factor when it comes to soccer. Between the two there is no question, the 1DX Mk1 is vastly superior.

Keep shooting, it gets better

Yeah, I'm going to sell off all my old portrait stuff that I used to use (original 5d and 50mm 85mm primes) to fund a dedicated sports set up. That seems to be the only time I break out a camera... and it helps from getting away from loud parents and prevents me from yelling at the ref.

Original 1dx seems like the best bet, but I do wonder how much bang for the buck I could get staying with a crop sensor to keep using the extra reach.

Sep 11, 2023 at 08:34 AM

schlotz
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Youth Soccer

Having shot soccer for more than 20 years I can tell you the 7D II is not a good choice especially in low light. Add cropping and it gets worse. Regarding white or black jerseys, my advise is to change the metering mode to spot and hopefully the body also allows you to tie the metering spot to the focal point. Make sure to set it to AutoISO.

FYI: way back when my daughter payed, even in U11-U12 groups there were girls who's speed was so good that a 1000 shutter didn't cut it. Better get use to higher shutter. Also, get away from Tv and go full manual. The less the camera is allowed to make decisions the better when it comes to sports action shooting. You want consistent performance regarding Ap and shutter settings. The only thing I let mine do is the ISO.

Regarding reach, the 70-200 ƒ2.8 is a good start but you will quickly discover the reach it provides for covering soccer is not its strong suit. It is however, an excellent 2nd body lens to switch to when the play gets near. If you are going to stay with soccer, better get the wallet warmed up for fast long reach glass. In the mean time pick up a 1.4 TC.

The learning curve for soccer takes significant time and requires loads of practice. Hopefully these few points will quickly get you further down the road.

Sep 11, 2023 at 07:31 PM

bmimages
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Youth Soccer

Was able to successfully switch the metering on the rebel to spot focal point on the back button combined with AF.

First time shooting full manual this weekend and gave the rebel computer control over the ISO. However, I got the manual exposure compensation wrong (adjusted the wrong way as the rebel doesn't have a separate dial for this in manual mode and I didn't test/chimp beforehand so went the whole game without noticing).

I still haven't touched the noise reduction in RawTherapee yet, but will probably have to start learning if I'm going to shoot in Auto ISO as I can see the grain when uploading big images.

5 nutmeg

IMG_5679
ƒ/2.8 110.0 mm 1/1000 ISO 320

6

IMG_5688-3

ƒ/2.8 108.0 mm 1/1000 ISO 640

Sep 19, 2023 at 06:07 PM

schlotz
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Youth Soccer

Hmm... neither of these are in focus/sharp? Shutter speed is too low given the light present. However this may not be the operator. The body needs to acquire focus on the subject prior to the shutter being pushed. It's possible you were on spot and took the shot before the body had done its job. Not certain where the focal point was but regardless focus had not be achieved.

Sep 19, 2023 at 09:03 PM

B Benson
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Youth Soccer

I agree with everything Schlotz suggested, I shoot with a Canon R3 and 1DX MKII 70-200 2.8 and 400 2.8, but started with Canon 300D 20 D and so on. I like to shoot from end of pitch to help eliminate other players and spectators from frame. Many of my best images are taken when keeper punts the ball and I guess where the ball will come down the pre focus on that area. I always shoot in manual so I can set according to conditions. One other thing to concentrate on is to avoid porta potties, garbage cans and fat guys without shirts in the background. 1DX body should make a big difference in keepers. Bruce

Sep 22, 2023 at 09:28 PM


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