Sports Challenge

Incoming │ GH2 + M.Zuiko 45mm F1.8 │ 45mm F1.8 1/400s ISO200Yesterday was the first pleasant, sunny day in a long time and I was indoors covering a corporate futsal (indoor soccer/football) tournament. So instead of enjoying a few winter rays in an outdoor café I spent most of the day under the glare of artificial lights. And while the lighting seemed quite harsh, it still wasn't nearly enough to make my job anything but tough. I was faced with the dreaded combination of fast moving action combined with low light. Since I couldn't very well stand in the middle of the action, I had to rely on a slow telephoto lens mounted to my GH2. That was challenging to say the least and despite uncomfortably high sensitivities I seldom managed sufficiently fast shutter speeds. I got the best results using the little M.Zuiko 45mm F1.8 which let me get a little closer to the action while offering a nice, fast aperture. It didn't get me quite close enough, but occasionally I got lucky.

Vigilant │ NEX-7 + Nikkor 50mm F1.4 AI │ 50mm F2.0 1/500s ISO800The NEX-7's continuous autofocus wasn't as bad as I feared it would be at following the players darting around the gym. In fact its hit rate was similar to that of the GH2 despite using the slow kit zoom. But in order to have any hope of capturing fast, indoor action -  never mind the decisive moment -  the only answer is a fast telephoto. I'd manage with an F2.8 telephoto prime, but ideally Sony will announce a NEX version of the typical 70-200mm F2.8 zoom. Panasonic already has one in the works.

Comments

[Barry (UK)]

Hi Bjorn

Particularly like the shallow depth of field shot - Just the net and a out of focus human dressed darkly on a light background...It works great!
Cheers Barry

[Björn Utpott]

Thanks, Barry