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Hi All,
I am trying to do more outside dog shots...playing, running, etc.
I did a practice shoot with my dog and husband the other day (around 6:45-7:15 in pm).
My problem is I am not sure which focus type to use for such shots...single point, 3d tracking, etc??

I was shooting shutter priority or manual for the most part, a few in full auto to see what would work. I was switching between center focus and auto, 3d to see if any difference would show up...I can't tell what works best!

Most of the action was not quite frozen, but the main problem was alot of them were just nowhere near in focus...anywhere! I was using my new D90 with 18-105 lens, is the problem due to the 5.6 max opening?
I am going out this evening again to shoot at a dog park, what tips can you give so I can try again. Basically, in lower light outdoor situations what are you all using?




Rebecca,

It's always a challenge using a "still" camera to shoot action. Today the AF and metering systems in most DSLRs are pretty sophisticated and allows for pretty good action shooting. However there are still some basic rules that apply.

Shutter speed is probably the most basic requirement. To really freeze action I think 1/500 is the minimum. Sure you will occasionally catch the action just right at lower speeds, but as you point out it is usually due to luck. I try to shoot really active scenes at a minimum of 1/1000. The consequence of shooting at such high shutter speeds is the requirement for pretty good light and/or using high ISO. Shooting action is tough enough, but shooting action in low light is a double whammy. This is where the advantages of the higher end cameras are required.

The D90 uses the older CAM1000 AF system which is a very good system in good light, but has some real problems in low light. The more sophisticated CAM3500 system that is used in Nikon's high end cameras like the D3 and D300 is much better at nailing focus in low light situations. I use a D200 (CAM1000) and a D300 (CAM3500) and I can tell you that in low light the D300 outperforms the D200 every time. That's part of what you pay for when you spend the extra money for the higher end cameras.

Having said all that there are some things to do to optimize action shooting using the CAM1000 system. As already mentioned, keep the shutter speed high. There are two parts to getting and keeping focus. First the system has to acquire focus and then it must track. I'm not familiar with the details of the D90 system, but there must be a dynamic mode that is used with AFC focusing. It sounds like you have played around with some of these. I agree with Jim that 3D usually works well only for isolated subjects so I probably wouldn't use that. In any event, with respect to acquisition and tracking, it is best to put the focus square on the subject and let the camera acquire focus and then follow the subject and allow the system to track. Then I recommend shooting at the highest frame rate in burst of 2 or 3 and try to keep the focus point on the subject. There is a learning curve here and with practice the number of infocus shots will increase as the technique improves. With Nikon DSLRs there are a number of other fine points concering shutter release mode and lockon timing that you can Google about if you really want to, but I think these are the main points I would try first.

Hope this helps.

Geo

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