How do I get decent action shots?

**cyprus** · 14th November 2005

I have a Digital Ixus 500 and I always take it to football games when I'm lucky enough to get tickets. The only problem is, is that getting sharp focused images always seems to be hit and miss. I can take images of static objects, eg the stands with no problem. I realise this is probably coz the camera has an easier time of capturing inanimate objects as opposed to players running with the ball.

I've tried these settings:

Exposure : 0 from a range of -2 to +2
Auto White Balance (AWB) : Auto
ISO Speed : 400
Focus : Auto from an option of Macro, Infinity, Auto

Here are a few results...

**slartibartfast** · 14th November 2005

Looking at the exif data your shutter speed is a bit slow.

To freeze the action and help combat what looks like a bit of camera shake on some of the shots you need to use a faster shutter speed, although I don't know if you're able to control that on the IXUS 500.

**BertRoot** · 14th November 2005

I am falling out of love with my IXUS 500 as it is just so slow to find a shot and take it especially with the speed of my daughter. The camera takes some excellent shots but you need to have a fairly static subject.

Anyone know a good fast digital camera around the size of the IXUS? To clarify it takes ages to focus and fire the shot when squeezing the button from cold or anywhere for that matter.

**flipper321** · 14th November 2005

In most cases the focussing / blurring problems encountered as above are for low light / indoor shots... very few compacts are going to cope with this and this is one of the many areas a SLR / DSLR really outperform compacts.

bertroot - does the IXUS 500 allow manual focussing?

**burner1** · 14th November 2005

I've just looked at some specs for this camera and I don't think it's great for the longer, faster type of shots. I don't know if it has a manual mode (Couldn't find that info from the specs I looked at) but apparently it's limited to f2.8-f4.9.. that can cause very limited depths of field and that isn't any good for longer range, moving objects. A manual over-ride for higher f-stops (i.e: F16) and shutter speeds would give you bigger depths of field and are useful when taking shots such as football/moving variable distance objects. Apparently with this camera, if it's ISO is above 100, it can add noise and that doesn't help. Probably 'ok' for indoor/ daylight static flash shots though.

Edit - flipper, you posted whilst I was typing lol.

**flipper321** · 14th November 2005

Actually the f-stop numbers on compacts never get much longer than this, and they don't have to - the small sensor size makes them inherentlky sharp and actually works the other way - making it very difficult to get small depths of field (i.e. blur out the background).

The noise at higher ISOs is again linked to the small sensor size, DSLRs are generally better as the sensor size is greater.

My Canon A80 has a larger sensor than most compacts yet is pretty useless at ISO 200 and higher.

**burner1** · 15th November 2005

Originally Posted by flipper321

the small sensor size makes them inherentlky sharp and actually works the other way - making it very difficult to get small depths of field (i.e. blur out the background)

Surely a smaller ccd and fixed focal length on a compact would compromise quality over a distance, but not close up?
I would imagine that a ccd of say.. 2cm square (At the current technological level)can't give anything near what a 4cm+ ccd at the same transitor population level per mm would give you. I have cropped your 'quote' flipper, to emphasise my thoughts on longer shots with such devices.