Comments on: Basketball : UCI vs Oregon

By: Brandon Wong

Brandon Wong — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 20:11:17 +0000

Darshan,

I use the 85L all the time for people photography and to be honest, barely at 1.2. It’s a little hard to get used to the narrow DOF. Recompose on a 1.2? Hell no. You can barely keep your hand steady enough to keep the focus on exactly what you want it to be. I only use 1.2 when I’m doing headshots but besides that use it at 1.8-2.0, it’s sharp as a tack there.

By: scaughty

scaughty — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:08:11 +0000

The only AF speed setting is the one set in the camera’s custom functions, which I think was set to normal. When I was shooting with the 85L, I was shooting at f/2.0 & f/1.8, ISO 1600, without the strobes. If I had shot with the strobes at this aperture and ISO, all my shots would have been blown out. I have my focus set to the single center point which is the fastest, but also the most sensitive. It takes practice to get action shots in focus, especially with a constantly moving subject. I only follow the ball depending on what sport im shooting and what kind of shot I’m trying to get. For basketball I follow the ball because I know the game well enough to know where the ball is going. Shooting with a small DOF is definitely difficult and my only recommendation, especially if you want to shoot sports, is to practice and get to know the game better.

hope this helps.

let me know if you have any other questions.

By: Darshan Shankar

Darshan Shankar — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 02:59:01 +0000

Hello, could you comment on the AF speed of the 85mm f/1.2L? I presume you used your White Lightnings also when you used the 85L? If you used your strobes also, what aperture did you use?

I ask because I’ve been having a difficult time dealing with depth of field at f/1.8 on a 50mm lens. f/1.2 on an 85mm must be even more difficult!

Any tips on getting good focus with small DOF? Do you just follow one player or do you still follow the ball?