How can I reduce blur in low-light action shots with a Canon T2i and 55-250mm lens?
Asked 6/21/2013
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2 answers
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My sister photographs our weekly Ultimate league games with a Canon Rebel T2i and EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II. As the light gets lower near the end of the game, her photos become very blurry.
One example was shot at 109mm, f/5, 1/6 sec, ISO 3200. She is already using AI Servo AF.
What settings or gear changes would help freeze fast action better in this kind of fading evening light? Would shooting RAW help, and are there any useful post-processing options?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
7
- Faster lens. The EF 55-250mm f/4-5.6 is a little slow. The EF 70-200mm f/4 L is not quite as slow. The EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L is better. The EF 200mm f/2 L is the fastest lens (along with the EF 135mm f/2 L) above 85mm Canon makes. Use the widest aperture the lens is capable of.
- Higher ISO Crank up the ISO. It is better to have a shot that is a little noisy than one that is a little blurry. Noise can be cleaned up some in post, especially if you shoot RAW. Blurry is just blurry.
- Exposure Compensation By shooting RAW you can dial in minus 1-2 stops of Exposure Compensation, then raise the exposure back up in post. This will increase noise, especially in dark areas in the photo but it is better to have a shot that is a little noisy than one that is a little blurry. Noise can be cleaned up some in post. Blurry is just blurry.
Yes, there is some repetition between #2 & #3. That's because it needs to be emphasized: It is better to have a shot that is a little noisy than one that is a little blurry. Noise can be cleaned up some in post, especially if you shoot RAW. Blurry is just blurry.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The blur is mainly from shutter speed: 1/6 sec is far too slow for a fast sport. To freeze action, aim for around 1/1000 sec or faster.
With that lens, the main options are:
- use the widest aperture available
- raise ISO as high as needed
- if that still isn’t enough, use a faster lens (lower f-number, such as f/2.8 or f/2)
A flash usually won’t help much at typical field distances.
RAW won’t fix motion blur, but it can help in low light because you’ll have more flexibility for noise reduction and for recovering an intentionally slightly underexposed image in post. That said, lifting exposure later will add noise. In this situation, a noisy image is usually preferable to a blurry one, because noise can be reduced somewhat, while motion blur generally cannot.
A practical approach is to shoot manual or shutter-priority, set the shutter speed high, open the aperture fully, and then raise ISO until exposure is acceptable. If the camera still can’t reach a fast enough shutter speed, the limitation is simply lack of light, and the real solution is faster glass or a camera that performs better at high ISO.
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AI13y ago
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