Hoping for a little help...

My wife and I have little experience with DSLR camera's but we are learning. We can get the results we want in most situations except one. My son plays football at night, under stadium lights. It seems no matter what settings we use, the pictures turn out very blurry. The same settings during the day turn out fine, but at night, it seems to keep the shutter open too long and the pics turn out very blurry. I am looking for a good setting to use for night time action shots. Any ideas? Camera is obviously a D3100. We use a class 10 memory card.

Thanks.

​Kurt

Could you post an example ideally with the EXIF data as well so we can see the problem?

Could be shutter speed to slow or camera shake thats causing it but need to see an image to get a better idea.

I'm guessing but I suspect you need to increase your ISO

It is a hard problem, but the way to get a faster shutter speed to minimize blur is either to provide more light (daylight, or maybe flash), and/or to use a high ISO speed. A wider lens (like f/2.8) can help, but only in small degree.

hi kurt try using sports mode if you haven't already lighting is a definate issue are you using a flash? when in sports mode it will focus abit faster but due to low light it may be holding the shutter open too long. i would also suggest playing with different modes and try something like 1/100 shutter speed and 400 iso as a starting point.if you find pics are still blurred or too bright shorten the shutter speed remember 1/100 is shorter opening than 1/50(just keep in mind) there is a balance between iso and shutter speed.also the meter built into your camera can help .aim at what you want then the scroll wheel turn it side to side until your meter is close to center (its at top right corner of cam on a d3100) also u have a function button on left side of camera up by the lens (not the one for the flash release)if you hold it and turn the same scroll wheel you can raise and lower your iso quickly.i quickly found after purchasing my 3100 several years ago that i was frustrated by no being able to take evening or night pics.it forced me to start to learn my camera or have a very expensive paper weight. i hope that helps shoot me a msg if need more help.

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Thanks

I have been shooting high school football games here recently and have learned a few things. First the field is not as bright as it looks. Here is a good place to start.

Shoot in the Shutter priority mode
Set shutter speed to 1/250
Set ISO to minimum of ISO400 and max of ISO3200

This way your shutter speed will always be fast enough to stop the action. No blurry photos. You will get some noise but the noise is the price you have to pay to get the photos. After you shoot a few look to make sure they are doing what you want them to do.

Here are a few from the last game I shot.

http://nikonites.com/project-365-daily-photos/11298-dons-daily-dabblings-76.html#post201163

If they are still not good or to dark you may need to raise the maximum ISO to ISO6400 you will have to make the call to see if that is to noisy for you.

Thanks for all the info. We really need to take some time and learn more about the camera to get the most of it, but with the football season coming to an end, I figured asking here would give me a quicker answer.

Everyone here is awesome..ask away and if we can help we will

Using a monopod helps, too. Just remember to turn off VR on your lens. And do exactly as Don said......shoot in Shutter Priority and raise your ISO to a minimum of 400. Happy shooting.

Hi Kurt - welcome to the forum. HS football is tough especially when shooting at night. I shot a couple of games and I was frustrated even using good equipment.

I prefer using M, 1/200 - 1/320 shutter speed. ISO sensitivity like what others have mentioned, go max.

Some of my photos

http://nikonites.com/d800/16450-d80...h-iso-high-school-football.html#axzz2fyJ3p8tV

Since some of the others mentioned the importance of your shutter speed, let me ask: what lens are you using? If you are using a lens with a variable aperture such as f/4.5-5.6, that will limit your ability in low light conditions especially when zooming. A slower lens may have trouble focusing plus it means using a higher ISO (more noise). A fixed focal length lens such as a 70-200mm f/2.8 will allow for a couple stops of faster shutter speeds and/or lower ISO.

hark said:

Since some of the others mentioned the importance of your shutter speed, let me ask: what lens are you using? If you are using a lens with a variable aperture such as f/4.5-5.6, that will limit your ability in low light conditions especially when zooming. A slower lens may have trouble focusing plus it means using a higher ISO (more noise). A fixed focal length lens such as a 70-200mm f/2.8 will allow for a couple stops of faster shutter speeds and/or lower ISO.

Click to expand...

Just a little clarification. the 70-200 is NOT a fixed focal length lens but a fixed APERTURE lens.

I did a few night soccer games last couple weeks. I experimented with different speeds and iso. This picture was with my 3100- 55-200 lens, mono-pod. Speed 1/640, ISO 3200.

Marcel said:

Just a little clarification. the 70-200 is NOT a fixed focal length lens but a fixed APERTURE lens.

Click to expand...

Yes. My apologies--I stand corrected!