Night Football Games from the Stands: recommended settings?

[DemonLlama]

Can some of you sports photogs give me the run down of what settings would work best for nighttime football games?

Got my Rebel XT and am learning as I go, but this English teacher has number dyslexia and keeps forgetting which direction the different settings should go for low light.

I know it's not going to be easy, but what are the best numbers I can shoot for?

(I am using a tripod.)

 

[JR6ooo4]

I can only try...
try aperture mode, lowest number is the most shallow depth of field but it lets the most light in. Which is good for low light / fast action shots.

Zoom as much as possible. usually the uniforms reflect more light than a green grass might. That will help increase the shutter speed.

Mikeeee

 

[Anewman]

Manual, set aperture wide open and shutter speed as fast as will allow for a decent exposure(in reality it may not be fast enough to freeze motion).
ISO 1600
AF mode = one shot
Drive mode = continuous
AF use the Center point only
NO flash
good luck, it really is hard to get enough light at a high school football games and that with a 70-200mm 2.8 lens from the sidelines. You should be able to get some decent shots though.

 

[0bli0]

a tripod isn't going to help as you need fast shutter speed to stop the action. you need a very fast lens and high ISO. you're also going to need long lens to reach from the stands. a 70-200 from the sidelines is still very much on the shortside. is this highschool? you should try to see if you can stand down on the track/just off the sidelines on the visitors side or near the endzone.

as has been pointed out, use centre AF. you can experiment with AI servo - but it depends on how close to the action you are.

 

[DemonLlama]

Thank you for the guidelines. I have a week to practice learning which buttons to push to get every set.

This is Junior High football at Brule Field which my son's great grandfather played football on in the 1930s (and his grandfather in the 1950s and his dad in the 1980s). I think the lighting may only be slightly younger than his great grandfather.

No track, so on the first row I can get right behind the team standing on the sidelines.

Don't know why I was thinking a tripod was useful now that I realize I don't need steady as much as fast.

What few weren't complete blurs are here (on page 2):
DemonLlama Just Learning Album

 

[Master Mason]

Check the WB as well. If you know how to do a custom WB that would probably be best. My first football game under the lights the pics had the orange floresent hue even though it wasn't visible to the eye.

I was using my tripod with only 1 leg down to act as a monopod, I just got the monopod this week. But I found it was good for steadying my hand at full out on a 70-300 lens.

I have spent way too much on the camera stuff this year, but next year, I will be looking to get a decent Zoom with a wide open appature. I know they are pricey, but it will allow my to take pics of the younger kids during their highschool years, and then the Grandkids as they get older

 

[extreme8]

Also keep in mind that most consumer quality lenses get slower as they get longer.
In other words, it may be f3.5 at 70mm, but f5.6 at 200 - the more you zoom the longer your exposure will need to be and you'll end up with more blur.
Just one other item to factor into your equations.