Camera Settings for Sports Photography | Sports Photography Basics

What camera settings to use for sports photography? It's a good question and one that you will need an answer for if you're a beginner in sports photography.
Action sports photography settings are all about speed. How fast should be your shutter speed be for sports? Well, as I'll cover in this video, I'd aim for at least 1/1000.
This video will cover the best settings for sports photography, giving you the low-down on why we use the settings we do as well as some of my own experience and examples.

[@robertbarton956]

Thank you for the video tutorial, I’m a novice photographer, upgraded my camera last year to an R7 and recently purchased a 24-105 f4 usm rf and I will be taking my first lot of photos at a charity football match in just under 2 weeks and this has been extremely helpful! Thank you so much!

[@ahmedmahamed-x9g]

i really thank you for these tips, im a new photographer using a 550d and a canon EF 75-300mm lens, and i didnt really know what would be good settings, but this video helped me out so much (i changed them a little because i photograph planes and need to see the propellers spinning on the picture, but yeah) thanks again, your a legend👌

[@nickanagnostou5408]

Great video. I've watched a lot of similar videos and this explains some of the relationships the best. Thank you

[@Talru]

Hi Nick, thank you for watching and for the kind words. Glad you found it useful! Enjoy shooting.

[@samuelwebster2769]

Thank you for the tips I use av mode and up the ISO to 1600 f9 and f10 used.. I started photography of rugby a month back.. I have found it rather difficult to taking pictures of cricket.. But it's definitely challenging my learning experience

[@Talru]

Hi Samuel. Thanks for watching and for the comment. I agree, cricket can be tough, you definitely need some good length on your lens to be able to get some good action shots of the batsmen, etc. Keep getting out and shooting, and enjoy!

[@samuelwebster2769]

Actually ment rugby is tougher then cricket sorry..

[@theestategalleryllctegauct3901]

very nice beginners overview of settings for sports/action photography, one note you mentioned "AL" Servo mode several times with Canon it is actually "Ai" Servo short for "artificial intelligence continuous (servo) auto focus mode".

[@Talru]

Thanks for watching and for the kind words! You're spot on in regards "Al servo" being "ai servo", it's a habit I need to get out of!

[@beengoated7647]

Thank you for the tips! Very helpful!

[@digitaltechvs]

Great video upload and full watching. Thanks for sharing and have a great day.

[@Talru]

Thank you! You too!

[@syrleneclarke1299]

Very clear info thank you

[@BruceLeroyUK]

Great vid mate. Looking forward to your video on focus cases. I'm guessing you use either 1 or 4.

[@Talru]

Thanks mate, hope you're well. Yeah mostly 1 to be honest. I will try and do that video in the next 2/3 weeks.

[@JenniferGelsone]

This will be very helpful thank you. I take photos of my 4 boys playing soccer (football) and there is quite a difference sometimes between games. Most on the pitch during daylight but then the high school games under the lights at night. What settings would you recommend for under the stadium lights?

[@Talru]

HI there, thank you for watching and I hope the photography is going well. I think for shooting under lights, it will take a little experimenting depending how good the lights are. Maybe start with a 1/1000 shutter, f2.8 if your lens allows (otherwise the lowest possible) and then use the ISO to get the correct exposure. Obviously the higher the ISO goes, the more noise is introduced into the image, so if the images are really dark it may be worth bringing the shutter down slightly. I have a video which may help here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnPSfmBmq7p7r6c&lc=UgyRZArNtacdiwrFKVp4AaABAg Thank you for watching,

[@martlet530]

Great video!!! Many thanks

[@CristinaCTchor]

Hi , your video tutorial was pretty easy to understand . Thanks ! Would you please let me know how the burst will work on my not so fancy camera : Canon EOS Rebel T7 ? I cannot figure out the continuous shooting button ( for this camera 3f/second) as I noticed when I press the button the screen turns black and shoots 3 frames after 20 seconds or so 😂.. and when I select a single shot button on continuous shooting it just shoots 1 shot... 😅 I am new in this field and trying to get a few soccer pictures of my son playing the sport. Or should I just upgrade my camera ? Thank you for your time

[@Talru]

Hi Cristina, thanks for watching! While I'm not familiar with the Rebel T7, it sounds as tough there may be a countdown timer on or something? I think the same button that you set the continuous shooting with is also used to access the self-timer, so perhaps make sure that is off? Good luck with it, and with the photography!

[@TheNumber1Alz]

Good video again, would be interested in your views on case modes. I usually use 1 or 4 for footy, but to be honest, I haven't really noticed any real difference. Would like to hear your opinions on them. By the way Rob Sambles was crucified in a funny way, on his channel for saying AL SERVO, it's actually AI SERVO. Not trying to be a smart a**e.

[@mbrobert11]

The Exposure Triangle you used is wrong on the side of ISO but everything else is doing just fine !

[@hamiltonwalters1642]

Hello, from Mississippi. Should I use Continuous Shot or High Speed VGA in addition to your recommendations?

[@V1PERB3ATZ]

What about lenses I’ve got Sony a6400 what are the best beginner lenses with around 200mm? My budget is not very big though. I’m also planning on trying to be shooting football/“soccer” games which will mostly have good light. Thanks.

[@dronetheworld4k67]

i have subbed i have a poor 480mm 1" bridge camera and i am strugglign to make it capture low light soccer match 1/200 SS wasn't always great, but it got me a few decent photos, but now i am forced to increase to 1/500 or just get away with a few decent images at 1/200 SS, my concern here however is that NOISE is so damn high, and hence i get less detailed images, so coming to think about it again, i may have to shoot at 1/200, because Noise is a BIGGER problem to me and picture detail from blurry images due to slower shutter i got two options now to mitigate or reduce the damn noise 1) I can set shadows to -5 and +5 for highlights 2) I can set noise reduction to +5 (maximum) and sharpness to +5 so can i set those two simultaneously to get lowest noise levels possible or should i stick to only one of them ? and which one ? thank you,

[@alfonsolara3672]

Thank you for your advice i got a D850 i mainly do indoor events weddings,15as,rodeo, I believe my shoots are good but no’t good as i wish, what will you recommend in terms of settings as to obtain better images .

[@kenzophotographer1]

Thank you

[@DamianParis-d1l]

I’ve seen reading sports photography about shooting in JPEG would you recommend this or to shoot in Raw

[@Kiwicruiser355]

If you cover this topic again, could you cover WB options, please. Thank you.

[@Talru]

Will do, thank you for watching!

[@Twobarpsi]

Good advice!

[@bofinannhor3566]

Thanks man❤

[@Talru]

No problem 👍

[@nicolekaufman87]

I’m just a mom that wants to take pics of her sons football games and get pics for parents. I have a Cannon Rebel T3i. These games are in the daylight. What shutter speed and iso do you recommend? My shutter speed goes up to 1/4000. Thanks for any help!!

[@Talru]

Hey Nicole. Thanks for watching. If it's for action shots, I think the quicker the better. If you can aim for 1/1000 shutter and still have enough light to expose the image well, then I'd do that. It will freeze the action and make for a nice sharp image. Good luck!

[@Talru]

Sorry, I didn't directly address the ISO part. If you're on full manual, I'd go 1/1000 shutter, as bigger aperture as your lens allows you (lower f number, f2.8 is ideal) and then use your ISO as required to expose the image. If you're shooting outside in daylight, you should be fine. You can also shoot on auto ISO - this allows you to set shutter and aperture and the camera will then select ISO for correct exposure

[@NikCan66]

Always excellent 👌

[@BrianKenyon]

For the exposure triangle shouldn’t it have less noise with a lower iso 100 and more noise with a higher 6400 iso? I think it’s reversed. Also the biggest frustration I have with all these recommendations of fifth 500+ shutter speed and low stop 2.8 is we are all forced to buy that painfully expensive white canon lens. I have had quite a lot of success capturing my sons basketball games with the 55-250mm with stabilization though a bit more grainy because the iso needs to be high because of the higher Gatos of the lens.

[@Talru]

Yes, apologies, I made a mistake with the diagram. The Canon L series lenses are pretty expensive, it's good that you've had results with an alternative!

[@kevinhumphries763]

Great video. Very informative. New to your channel 👍

[@Talru]

Glad it was useful and thanks for watching Kevin, hope you stick around :-)

[@kevinhumphries763]

@@Talru I sure will 👍

[@IranildoLunaSeabra]

Hello how are you? Congratulations on the video, I just found it in a KZbin search. Can you help me understand something? How can I, a Brazilian photographer, work as a freelancer in sporting events such as races, obstacle races, trail races, etc.? Is there any company that hires foreigners to work as freelancers? If yes, what do you need? My intention is to start at the beginning of 2024 at sporting events around the world. My dream is to be a sports photographer around the world covering this together with a team. It's a shame that here in Brazil we don't have much information about access in America and Europe. I thank you for your attention.

[@Talru]

Hi there, thank you for watching and for the question! I answered your question as best as I could in a video reply to you. Check out this video, hope it helps. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmq8pKyoZtWHgrcsi=RiS2PI7Neuu1r-ZA&t=610

[@trading_with_fish]

Is it normal for the 1d mark iv to shoot a slower fps in burst mode on ai servo? I am experiencing this currently

[@Thebookwormsguide]

My aperture only goes down to around 4.5 What lenses would be better? (I have a canon camera)

[@gerryandersen9917]

You want to get a lens that has an aperature of at least 2.8 for sports and indoor video. You need to let in as much light as you can. Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM Autofocus Telephoto Zoom Lens or comparable lens from a third party manufacturer such as Sigma ot Tamron.

[@charlesstephens5974]

Can you not set f stop and shutter speed and go auto iso?

[@Talru]

Hi Charles. You certainly can yes, that's a technique I use regularly when the pitch has dark shadows and bright areas contrasting against each other. The auto ISO option can help to make that a little easier to deal with, but can also be used in any scenario if you set your aperture and shutter first.

[@fruityshakes]

You say the higher the ISO, the more noise you'll get...which is what I know. But how come your Exposure triangle has: ISO 100 - more light/more noise, and ISO 6400 less light/more noise. I'm confused now.

[@Talru]

Hi Mariette. Apologies, my diagram on screen has a mistake in it! Definitely high ISO = more light + more noise. Low ISO less light + less noise! Sorry about that, sadly I cannot go in and edit the video! Thank you for watching :-)

[@fruityshakes]

@@Talru thanks for clarifying!

[@baracskatibor1898]

At a shutter speed of 1/80th of a second, how appreciable can you get an image in sports photography?

[@ayzahmirza8906]

not good

[@baracskatibor1898]

@@ayzahmirza8906 Thanks.

[@skillcubator1]

It depends. 😊 If you are not zoomed in, you are in the same direction as your subject is coming, if you are panning. You can still get a decent and sharp pic with low shutter speed. For example, shooting a golfer at 35 mm, I can still get a sharp image (unless you crop it and enlarge it), second, a sprinter is running towards you and you are shooting right in his/her face, or you move around with the subject

[@LiveeyePhoto]

What about inside? Can’t do 1000 of second inside

[@MarttiSuomivuori]

Why no mention about RAW vs. JPEG?

[@paigeofstylez]

I think it says beginner in the title 🤷🏿