Sports Mode

[Ralph]

Every now and then I go out birding with the 80 year old fella. He is like the energizer Bunny as he can just keep on going and going, you get what I mean.
While we walk along we talk and I asked him about what his setting's are on his camera (Canon something with a 150/600mm lens).
He told me he has it set on sports mode all the time. I had to think where is the same on my camera and all I could think of was the Scene Section on the top dial.

About a hour of getting home he emails me with a little more information. What he told me, is the place where I thought it was is the right place.
So this as I see it is basically a full Auto mode but it allows you a quicker chance to get birds in flight as he does and on a regular basis.
And for an old fella this is really good, and I am not trying to make him look bad. But as we age we do tend to get slower.

So I thought being armed with this info I might as well have a play and here are a few shots I got from the Scene > Sports Mode.
With these shots I feel if you have a Raptor just suddenly come across your path as we do here.
This could be the thing to get the shots with the least amount of thinking.

• ILCE-7M3
• 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS | Contemporary 020
• 385.5 mm
• ƒ/6.3
• 1/2000 sec
• ISO 1600

Baby Purple Swamphen on the move

• ILCE-7M3
• 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS | Contemporary 020
• 385.5 mm
• ƒ/6.3
• 1/2000 sec
• ISO 1000

Mid stride

• ILCE-7M3
• 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS | Contemporary 020
• 400.0 mm
• ƒ/6.3
• 1/2000 sec
• ISO 2000

Adult Purple Swamphen on the move

• ILCE-7M3
• 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS | Contemporary 020
• 400.0 mm
• ƒ/6.3
• 1/2000 sec
• ISO 2000

Pigeon about to take off

• ILCE-7M3
• 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS | Contemporary 020
• 143.5 mm
• ƒ/5.6
• 1/2000 sec
• ISO 500

Pigeons in flight.

 

[Slug]

It's not full auto, but a preset most suited for stopping fast motion. If you look at what those settings are you can customize one of the 'C' positions on the selector dial so you can very quickly switch to it from any other settings you might be using while out and about taking general photos. My A1 has 1, 2, 3, as customizable positions and I have them set up with slightly different settings for birds in flight, a cropped setting with tracking and a go to setting for little flighty birds in the bush.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

I think it's useful at times when you have less experience in manual shooting etc, and you could assign it to a quick recall I guess. It is limiting though.

 

[Jeff A]

That would be a good use of your Memory positions on your A73.

 

[Ralph]

I do think it has it's place and just where to fit it in will be the hard part.
My old mate has his camera set to this but please remember he is 80 years old. And he has got it working for him.
So I think this is so good. I will play with it and see if it has it's place with me. But I will not move things about about to get to it.
I have found just to move the top dial to Scene made and go from there.
But my old mate has said he has to lighten up all shot before posting. His words not mine.
When I have used it this has not been the case on them all for me.

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

I note from your images that they are all against good average background lighting conditions(no mix of
sky ,leafy background and water say) which for Auto is probably ok and for most such conditions your
camera should be able to follow it's standard algorithm to seek to expose to mid grey........Grass itself is
very close to mid grey..........

Your problem will come when you start shooting with mixed background lighting conditions where you
cannot rely on Auto to expose correctly.....your camera will frequently misjudge exposure in such conditions.

Auto is good to start but if you want to aspire to mixed shooting conditions including sunrise, afternoon,
and sunset with all variations between it is not a good strategy to rely on Auto without exploring your clear
understanding and skill set development of Aperture priority, Shutter priority and/or full Manual as you
develop your overall shooting expertise.........

Hope this helps.....

 

[Ralph]

I note from your images that they are all against good average background lighting conditions(no mix of
sky ,leafy background and water say) which for Auto is probably ok and for most such conditions your
camera should be able to follow it's standard algorithm to seek to expose to mid grey........Grass itself is
very close to mid grey..........

Your problem will come when you start shooting with mixed background lighting conditions where you
cannot rely on Auto to expose correctly.....your camera will frequently misjudge exposure in such conditions.

Auto is good to start but if you want to aspire to mixed shooting conditions including sunrise, afternoon,
and sunset with all variations between it is not a good strategy to rely on Auto without exploring your clear
understanding and skill set development of Aperture priority, Shutter priority and/or full Manual as you
develop your overall shooting expertise.........

Hope this helps.....

I don't shoot in auto mode and I have no idea where you gathered that I do.
I shot in Manual mode about 98% of the time and I shot in all conditions.
So really what you have said I am going to ignore as I said I am in manual made.
I was talking about this sports setting for birds in flight only.

So I have shot in all conditions from full sun to getting quite late with bad lighting.
I have touched on Aperture and Shutter modes and I don't like them one little bit at all.

I wish you had asked how I took my shots before thinking you know what I am doing as to be honest I have found it
quite offensive. Even if it wasn't meant to be this way. But going off saying what you have without knowing what I do
and how I go about things , just is so wrong on every level.
So to end this I will say what you have said has actually gone to opposite way as it has not helped in anyway what so ever.

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

If you had taken the time to read my post you would see from your post at the head
of this post string you refer to auto mode whether its you or the 80year old guy mention ......

The images posted with your post included 1 image only with sky and i made this point also....

I comment on what is inferred from what i see and read on this forum and cannot comment on
what I subsequently learn after the fact......before going off on a tantrum which is equally offensive
to me, i would read what people are actually saying, it might in fact help.....others in the string
who also made the point on the flexability in auto mode variants being limited against manual.

Anyways you have made your point, you clearly consider yourself to be a thoroughly experienced
photographer (?) who seems to have difficulty with commentry and who does not welcome
constructive feedback,...I will learn from it, which again seems to be an area you have some difficulty
with, and keep my comments or advice for those who seek or need support and are receptive to
such good faith information......

 

[Ralph]

I answered the points on what most made. But you as I see it had only gone from that one post.
Maybe you should have looked at what I have posted in other post and not just this one post.
Which by the way is an older post now. And points have been made on it.
I even said I don't know if this is for me or not. And I think you are making this bigger than needed.
As like I said if you had looked further than just this post you would have seen other posts I have made.
And I even mentioned that you may not have meant it to come over that way but it did and if you want to throw in the daggers go ahead.
But the way it has come over is how I have said it but you have just come on kicking and screaming.
And don't imply I have trouble with advice as it is given in a constructive way as I thought yours was not due to the fact you went on one post alone.
So just let this drop and move on as you are saying I am at fault as to which I am say the same for you.
So no more.