Act444 said:
Wow, thanks for sharing. Some good advice in here - definitely will consider this moving forward. I don't have any skating shows coming up any time soon but having shot a few in the past, this is what typically worked for me (I don't have a 1DX, so I'm not able to take advantage of say, EC in M mode even though that would help quite a bit):
My experience is limited mostly to Crop-sensor cameras, although I got to use my 5D3 at practices for the world championships earlier this year.
- Lens: 70-200 2.8 II. Lightweight/Smaller Alternatives: 200 2.8 II, 135 2, 100 2.
- I shoot full manual - aperture 2.8, shutter speed between 1/500 and 1/800, and ISO 3200 (typical - depends on lighting). If the lighting is really bad and I have the 135, I'll use that lens instead and take advantage of the extra stop to shoot at 2.0 to keep the ISO from rising above 3200.
- I try to shoot RAW if/when possible. There have been times in the past where my card neared full and I was forced to switch to JPG - thankfully now with 128GB cards and dual slots that no longer happens!
- For AF (still trying to work this out, the above advice was very helpful to me): I've leaned toward Servo, 4-point AF expansion, case 5 (default settings)...although I think in some instances, case 6 tracks a little better (specifically if the skater is constantly changing directions, spinning, etc.).
- I agree about shooting full-body shots in general. Although it's nice to get that occasional close up shot when they skate right past you...or perhaps during an opening pose, etc.
The 5D3 is a great option for figure skating. My upgrade progression was 60D-7D-5D3-1Dx. The 7D added better AF tracking, but I was cleaning images in post more than I wanted. The 5D3 improved on the AF and significantly improved on high ISO.
I rarely use an AE mode, but when I do, Auto ISO with the 1Dx is the most reliable and the EC is a big plus. The 1Dx has better metering, so this should be no surprise. I know another pro who shoots ice shows in AV mode. It works for him. But, I still don't like any auto mode for on-ice shots -- especially for ice shows under spotlights. One skater may be in black and the next in white. One element can be performed in center ice with lots of white ice in the background, the next can be performed against the dark purple curtain. These drastic changes messes wildly with an auto exposure mode.
For ice shows under spot lights, I attend dress-rehearsals and practice. I will often shoot between 4,000-8,000 ISO and shutter around 1/800. It get's easy to see that if four spots are on a soloist, I can shoot at 1/1,000. If this drops to two spots, then I bump the shutter wheel to 1/800 or 1/640. If there's a group, typically only one spot will be on any given skater and i'll bump the shutter down to 1/640 or 1/500, occasionally chimping to look for highlight clipping.
You're right that you can get some great closeups as the skater gets close to you, between elements. If your shooting from the boards with a 70-200, this may be your only shot.
If you can make the 135 2.0 work, you can get some great images at f2.0, but I fear the shallow DOF would lower my keeper rate. If you are using a 5D3 or a 1Dx, don't limit yourself to 3200. With the 5D3, I won't hesitate to use 6400. I've found that I can push the 1Dx about 1/3 stop higher to 8000.
In my experience, the 5D3 is an underrated sports body and works great for figure skating. But, you need to concentrate on timing that first image and not rely on burst mode. For me, this helped make me a better photographer. This means that timing is critical for spins and the like. However, rotational jumps can still be a challenge.
It is very difficult to consistently time a double jump to get a shot of the skater's face (or at least one eye) during the apex of a jump. (Note that most of the shots before and after the apex can be rather unfaltering.) I've also found that the 6 FPS of the 5D3 and that the 8 FPS of the 7D are too slow to capture this moment. But the 12 FPS of the 1Dx will give me one keeper for most double jumps.
Another challenge that I had with the 5D3 is that it can lose focus during a rotational jump. If you think about it, your subject is not only moving in a straight line, but the AF point is trying to follow a focus point on the skater that is rotating toward the camera, then away, as the skater is spinning. This is where the 5D3 can lose it.
I've had good success with Case 6 as well. But, during a few practice sessions, I did more experimenting with both Case 5 and Case 6 during rotational jumps. I landed on Case 5 as the better choice. Ultimately, I upgraded to the 1Dx to improve my keeper rate for these jumps and for the better low-light tracking during ice shows. On paper, there may not seem to be much difference between the two bodies for focus tracking. In practice, I see a noticeable improvement which I attribute, in part, to a stronger battery that drive the the lens a little faster -- plus separate, dedicated processors.