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Bull Riding event, How did the X-T2 handle?


CplGumby

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The PBR was in town on the weekend so I thought it would be a good time to test out my new X-T2.

In reviewing my images, however, none were acceptable.

 

Some things that worked against the camera:

- It was an indoor venue so the lighting wasn't best.

- Pyrotechnics were used at the beginning and the haze was prevalent throughout the event

- Apparently most bulls are black. Most cowboys wear black. Most of the signs in the background are black. In other words, there was a lot of black! This would make it very hard to pick up focus points.

 

Settings:

I used the battery grip with boost mode on,

- XF55-200mm lens, and my settings were

- ISO 12,800,

- Aperture f/5.6,

- shutter speed 1/640s,

- AF-C,

- Zone,

- full selection of focal points,

- AF-C custom was both Accelerating/decelerating objects and ignore obstacles.

 

Conclusion:

I believe that the low shutter speed was the culprit as the images of the crowd and other entertainers were fine. I couldn't get the shutter speed up to 1/1000s where it needed to be. In hind sight, I could've tried and then boost exposure in Lightroom. I also could've used my 50-140 but was concerned that the f2.8 would be too narrow a DOF and I wouldn't get  both the bull and rider. Also, with the 50-140, battery grip and 3 batteries...it was getting into Nikon weight!

 

It was a good test to learn the limitations of the camera. I think for outdoor rodeos, sports, action, it would work fine. The blackout period between bursts was virtually non-existent and I feel it was grabbing focus fast it was just that even at 12,800 ISO, shutter speed was too low to capture. 

 

I still have work to do on my settings and I still require more practice of sports photography but I learned that Bull riding and other rodeo events should be around 1/1000s. Who knew?

 

I've posted some jpgs straight out of the camera with no post done to show you the results. I've also included one of the images of the entertainer to show that it was sharp.

 

 

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You've managed some heart stopping moments.

 

The setback would have been the xf55-200 lens. As much as I love the lens, it isn't an indoor lens.

 

I would've have used the xf50-140 wide open. It's sharp at that distance. F2.8 would've allowed a higher stutter speed and a lower iso. Both of which would've given a better color rendition.

 

X-T2 + Battery grip + xf50-140 is no where near Nikon equivalents.

 

A bit of fill in flash would do well to bring colors to life with either lenses. The indoor lighting doesn't look very spectacular.

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You've managed some heart stopping moments.

 

The setback would have been the xf55-200 lens. As much as I love the lens, it isn't an indoor lens.

 

I would've have used the xf50-140 wide open. It's sharp at that distance. F2.8 would've allowed a higher stutter speed and a lower iso. Both of which would've given a better color rendition.

 

X-T2 + Battery grip + xf50-140 is no where near Nikon equivalents.

 

A bit of fill in flash would do well to bring colors to life with either lenses. The indoor lighting doesn't look very spectacular.

 

Good comment about the 55-200 lens. Yeah, 50-140 would've been the better choice. My Nikon D500 would've been an even smarter choice. 

Thanks!

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Good comment about the 55-200 lens. Yeah, 50-140 would've been the better choice. My Nikon D500 would've been an even smarter choice. 

Thanks!

 Heard plenty "praises" about the D500. Also touted to be the best DX format to date. I haven't tried it myself. Any feedback?

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I would be very interested to see a challenging environment like that and have the same photographer use for half the event the 50-140/2.8 + XT2 (in boost mode) and then for the other half use Nikon D500 + 70-200/2.8 (a disadvantage of the Nikon is there isn't an effective focal length lens of 70-200 @ 2.8 for the Nikon crop sensor, but that shouldn't matter in a situation like this) .... and then hear their experiences.  Using the different focusing modes and burst modes.  I'm think that in most situations the performance of the two would be quite comparable.

Edited by Adam Woodhouse
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I would be very interested to see a challenging environment like that and have the same photographer use for half the event the 50-140/2.8 + XT2 (in boost mode) and then for the other half use Nikon D500 + 70-200/2.8 (a disadvantage of the Nikon is there isn't an effective focal length lens of 70-200 @ 2.8 for the Nikon crop sensor, but that shouldn't matter in a situation like this) .... and then hear their experiences.  Using the different focusing modes and burst modes.  I'm think that in most situations the performance of the two would be quite comparable.

 

I agree.

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 Heard plenty "praises" about the D500. Also touted to be the best DX format to date. I haven't tried it myself. Any feedback?

Embarrassingly, the only action I have using the D500 is at a Red Sox game. Handled very well.

I've been using my fuji system for everything and the D500 still has that new camera smell! 

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I would be very interested to see a challenging environment like that and have the same photographer use for half the event the 50-140/2.8 + XT2 (in boost mode) and then for the other half use Nikon D500 + 70-200/2.8 (a disadvantage of the Nikon is there isn't an effective focal length lens of 70-200 @ 2.8 for the Nikon crop sensor, but that shouldn't matter in a situation like this) .... and then hear their experiences.  Using the different focusing modes and burst modes.  I'm think that in most situations the performance of the two would be quite comparable.

That would be ideal. I think I'd need a sherpa to help with all the camera weight though! Ha! Ha!

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Agreed.  I use to shoot my son when he played box lacrosse (player #11).  Same conditions as hockey, same arena, same crap lighting, but no ice.  If I could get away with a prime lens, then non-issue because I would shoot wide open.  But I liked to use the constant aperture zooms to zoom in and out more easily.  For stills, I would prefocus at the goalie and wait for him to take a shot at net.  So never really tested AFC or event AF at this indoor sport.  But I did some at his indoor basketball last year (AF-S) and had good results.

 

He doesn't play lacrosse anymore so I won't be in an arena to test the XT2 with indoor sports (at least until my kids high school indoor sports start in a couple of months) .... but I can share a vid I did when I first got the XT1 and tried it for indoor arena work.  Video was easy because I only needed a shutter of 1/30 or 1/60 (I found shooting video @ 30fps ... 1/30 or 1/60 shutter didnt' seem to make any difference in the result so I would normally use 1/30 for the extra stop of light).

 

Edited by Adam Woodhouse
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  • 2 months later...

Thanks for sharing.  I shoot equine and high school sporting events either inside or at night with low light.  I never have gotten very good results with the 55-200mm but have gotten better results with the 50-140 f2.8.  I think the extra light makes the difference and also IMHO the 50-140 is a sharper lens.  Still it is a load to carry around.

 

It looks like the haze was a problem too.  Images are murky which is not a typical Fuji problem.  Maybe someone else will chime in and let us know exactly what is going on.

 

Thanks again for sharing.  Very pertinent issue for me.

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As you discovered, the issue was the venue/costumes and lens, and not the camera.

 

1/640 f5.6 ISO 12,800 = 1/2000 or better at f2.8 ISO 6400

 

Well within the capabilities of the camera (not the lens)

 

For sports/action first thought should be shutter speed first.

 

2.8 or better is ALWAYS required for indoor events and/or darkness.

 

Photographing black things at night will challenge any AF system.

 

Photography is hard sometimes....fast lenses make it easier...but even then some venues/scenes are just difficult.

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  • 1 year later...

Here's a gallery of an indoor rodeo (actually bull riding) event I shot yesterday as a spectator with the X-T2s and the 16-55 and the 50-140. Baked a little in LR and Luminar. Settings for 99% of images at ISO at 6400, shutter, 1/800-1000, f/2.8.

 

C&C welcomed.

 

http://www.buckeyephotography.com/Fun-Shoots/20180303-SEBRA-Extreme-Bulls-and-Barrels/

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Both action shots are easily saved in any image processing program. Adjust the brightness so the chutes are white. Then boost the middle tones until you have full detail. A bit of added saturation makes them pop. Even though they are JPEGs—not RAW—the adjustments needed are so small, that quality is really very good. Shutter speed is fine. A bit of motion blur in fact, adds to the drama you captured. 

 

 

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Edited by Larry Bolch
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  • 11 months later...

I was a previous Nikon D750 shooter, love my XT2. I just shot NCAA basketball with 50-140 and 100-400, 6400 ISO 1,000 to 1250 shutter with great results

The weight factor is not even close to the Nikon with the same type of lenses

Just wish there was a better way to back button focus

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