2003-2022 PictureCorrect, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Please make sure that you dont take photos where you are not allowed, but given permission and these techniques, you can take some great indoor images in dark settings! Low ISOs will ensure noise free images. If you cant do that, try the canned settings on the camera and review the playback of samples to see the best playback of color tones to the actual room colors. Getting this right in the camera will save you time.

A lens with a low f-value will allow more light to enter the camera, which will give you higher shutter speeds and a lower ISO. Also, from seating distance and angle, many on-camera flashes will be largely ineffective. Integral to the exposure parameters above, youll need to set a preferred shutter speed for the activity being photographed. Lens Recommendations for Indoor and Low Light Sports, Some tips for shooting sports in low light with your Canon T2i. 4. The key to shooting inside a gym is to have a lens with a low f-value. 9. This lens will allow you to shoot at very high shutter speeds while keeping your ISO down, ensuring noise free images. Higher shutter speeds will freeze the action and minimize movement or blur in your photos. 8. This lens will allow you to shoot at 250mm, which is effectively 400mm on the T2i. Pro photographers may notice some noise in your images when blown up to 100% on your computer monitor, but again these photos are for you and your family to enjoy. If you have an SLR, you may want to tuck your elbow into your belly, relax, hold your breath and gently press the shutter button. Shutter Speed. A DSLR with a fast (f/2.8 or better) lens and the ability to capture images cleanly at high sensitivity is best.

I already mentioned pushing dark images and adjusting white balance. A 400mm reach is more than enough to get a zoomed in shot of an athlete from the bleachers. So a 50mm lens will be 80mm and a 250mm lens will be 400mm. He is active in many charitable and volunteer activities in the Erie area.

Using Reflected Light When Photographing Waterfalls. You will generally need to set your camera for high ISO or sensitivity (800 to 1600, some cameras will go to 3200 or more), low shutter speed (depends on your subject), and wide open F-stop (f/2.8 to 4.0). 7. This lens usually sells for $650 which may sound extremely expensive, however, the same exact lens with a lower f-value (Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8) runs for nearly $1,300, which is double the price. For images of still items such as museums, you can afford to drop to a low speed to get a better exposure at higher f-stop or lower sensitivity.

6. Indoor sports events are often well lit, but youll still want to stop motion at 1/120 of a second or faster speed. This lens is usually goes for $250, which is an excellent price for a zoom lens with Image Stabilization. Some cameras and lenses have stabilization features which help but will not be able to compensate for large movements in the camera. John Huegel is a photographer in the Erie, Pennsylvania area who specializes in Seniors, Dance Studio, Families and other groups. 2. Speeches and plays may have less motion, so you may be able to drop below 1/60 of a second. Camera Stability. 1. If youre not willing to spend over $300 on a lens, then the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS Zoom lens is probably the only budget zoom I would ever recommend. You will be taking long exposures, and any camera motion could impact the quality of the image. Often cameras will have trouble focusing in dark settings. After you decide on a lens, the next step will be learning to take great indoor sports photos with your T2i. Another good tool for dark image editing is noise reduction. If youre looking to shoot from the bleachers, youll need a zoom lens with a low f-value. If youve got any questions, tips or recommendations for shooting indoor sports with your T2iplease post a comment, Id love to hear from you! Photo by Moon Man Mike; ISO 400, f/6.7, 1/6-second exposure. If youre able to get up and move around the gym, then I would recommend the very affordable Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens which can be purchased for around $100. Post Processing. Equipment. When you shoot at high ISO, you often get digital noise on the image. Underexposing. Photo by Chris Bird; ISO 400, f/4.5, 1/20-second exposure. Basically any lens thats attached the Canon T2i will have a 1.6x crop factor applied to it. For those of you with point and shoot cameras, there may be a night mode or other preset which will attempt to deal with these conditions. Howdy friends! This lens will allow you to get close to your subject, while still maintaining a low f-value which will ensure high shutter speeds. 3. Focus. Youll have to weigh the amount and benefits of noise reduction in your case. Photo by Gustavo Gomes; ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/500-second exposure. You may want to switch to manual focus, compose a test shot at the same distance to your subject, playback and zoom in the image to verify crisp focus on your subject. Here are several tips to help you capture the best images in dark indoor settings. The only negative to this lens is that theres no ability to zoom, so youll have to move around in order to frame your subject.

Do not hold the camera in front of you without support. Running a noise reduction will remove some of that noise, but at the expense of image detail or sharpness. Lets take a look at some the best indoor and low light sports lenses for the Canon Rebel T2i. If youre using a point and shoot, you may have some challenges in getting clean images in a dark room. White Balance. Flash Off. Just remember that low shutter speed amplifies the need for camera stability. In your image editor, you can push the exposure a couple of stops and get a good image, even though it looked too dark on the camera preview. The problem is that these types of lenses are usually very expensive. See what we are looking for and get in touch. Join over 100,000 photographers of all experience levels who receive our free photography tips and articles to stay current: We are always looking for more interesting and insightful photography tips and techniques to share with our readers. Now heres the negativesthis lens is fairly large and heavy, its also quite expensive. I used to shoot basketball photos for a local college team and this was my preferred lens, however, I was able to shoot near the basket and along the sidelines. He operates a blog for professional photographers at http://newphotopro.blogspot.com. Indoor dance performances may be much darker, but also require at least 1/60 to 1/100 to stop motion. Exposure parameters. Sometimes, to get the right shutter speed, you may not have enough sensitivity and aperture to get a good exposure. We would love to publish an article by you if you are interested in writing for us. 5. I dont usually recommend budget zoom lenses for indoor shooting, because youll have to increase the ISO to such a high number that your photos will be heavily affected by image noise, however, I think most people wouldnt notice the noise in a 46 print. See what we are looking for and get in touch. Many SLRs have a white balance custom function, where you photograph a white or gray image and tell the camera to use that for your white reference.

The Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM Zoom lens is probably the best zoom lens in terms of overall value when comparing features and price. Try to utilize a monopod or stabilize the camera on the back of a seat. Or, you can shoot RAW and fix it at import. About the Author: Instead of lowering the shutter and getting a guaranteed blurry image, keep the shutter where you need and underexpose the image. Most indoor settings that allow photography specifically state no flash photography. In many cases, youll just ruin the existing lighting, distract the other viewers, and get yourself ejected from the event. Then youll avoid the hunting and missed focus of your images when the action starts.