D700..game changer

I have done two high school hockey games with the Nikon D700, battery grip (for 9fps shooting) and Nikon 70-200VR lens. ; I do a custom white balance off the ice and use a picture control given to me by a very good Nikon hockey photographer. Shoot in shutter priority mode at 1/500th of a second and let the Auto ISO go up to H3 (8000 cap). Fast processing with cropping, captioning and some highlight recovery and black point adjustments. ; What used to take 6 hours now takes an hour.

Here's some photos.


1/500s, f/2.8, ISO 2800, EV +1.3, 120mm FL


1/500s, f/2.8, ISO 7200, EV +1.3, 200mm FL


1/500s, f/2.8, ISO 4500, EV +1.3, 160mm FL


1/500s, f/2.8, ISO 2800, EV +1.3, 82mm FL

 

great action shots Scott. amazing how sharp that lens is wide open

 

Great work Scott!

 

It is one of Nikon's best lenses for sure. ; Oh, I did not do any noise reduction to these photos.

 

The D700 absolutely changed the way I shoot. It's really an amazing body.

I have the earlier generation of the 70-200, and while sharp, it does suffer from vignetting, esp wide open. But I found it's (usually) not a problem with some post-Lightrooming. (love the new lens profile stuff!)

The *ONLY* problem I have with it is when I drop it or slam it to the ground. Sheesh! You'd think it would put up with a 30-G shock! ; :

 

Tom,

I have the VR I version of the 70-200VR. ; I have not had any vignetting problems on the D700. Off to another game tonight in a new rink for me. ; Hope it has good lighting!

 

I bought mine while I still had (and still have) my D200. The vignetting issue is rather large at times.

Right now, I suffer from a problem where either the distance from the sensor to the lens has moved, the sensor has shifted, or the lens mount is damaged. I fell down walking on a train tressle, camera landed hard on the agregate. I learned a long time ago that it ain't worth it to try to hang onto the camera when you're falling down. They can be fixed a lot easier than bones. The biggest problem I have is that this is about the 6th time the camera has been to Nikon for repairs due to falls, and I had only had the camera for about 2 months from the last repair! The west coast repair facility is about 1 mile from my work place. You know it's bad when they call you by name when you walk in...

 

Ouch....be careful!!!

 

More pics...same camera and lens. ; In this rink, I had to shoot through the protective "glass". ; Lighting was good.


1/500s, f/2.8, ISO 2800, EV +1.3, 98mm FL


1/500s, f/2.8, ISO 4000, EV +1.3, 160mm FL


1/500s, f/2.8, ISO 4500, EV +1.3, 200mm FL

 

good stuff Scott. amazing detail shooting thru glass

 

Love them Scott! ; It almost looks as if you are on the ice for them!

PS - The Devils are now officially the worst team in the NHL after the thumping the Islanders gave them last night!

 

Since I was right on the boards, at times, it felt like I was on the ice. ;

Ouch...that's not good about the Devils. ; In other news, Montreal used a 5 minute major penalty last night to score two power play goals to beat the Hurricanes.

 

I'll live, as long as the Flyer or Rangers dont win the Cup! I cna root for Montreal, I still like Gomez and Gionta!

 

Tonight's game was in a rink I played most of my youth hockey in back in the 70's. ; The lighting is not the best and the only place where I could shoot from was behind the benches. As in the past games, a Nikon D700 and 70-200VR lens was used for these photos. ISOs climbed to 8K to keep the shutter speeds at 1/500th of a second.

Face-off puck drop.

1/500s, f/2.8, ISO 8000, EV +1.3, 200mm FL

Shot from the point.

1/500s, f/2.8, ISO 8000, EV +1.3, 200mm FL

Glove save!

1/500s, f/2.8, ISO 8000, EV +1.3, 200mm FL

 

More nice shots Scott!

 

Thanks, John! ; I am still amazed at the ISO performance. ; The last set was taken in JPEG Fine quality so I can process them fast and get them to the paper's Sports editor I shot for with no noise reduction. ; Saves me a ton of time.

 

Getting into the game more as the season goes on. ; Here's some from last night before I get a break this week.

Hip Check!

D700/70-200VR, 1/500s, f/2.8, ISO 7200, EV +1.3, 200mm FL

Toe Save.

D700/70-200VR, 1/500s, f/2.8, ISO 4500, EV +1.3, 120mm FL

Ballerina Goal (puck is just under the goalie's stick in this shot)

D700/70-200VR, 1/500s, f/2.8, ISO 6400, EV +1.3, 82mm FL

 

Again, nice work Scott! ; Did that last one go in?

 

Yes, but from the angle you could not see it so I went with this one. ; It was cool though as the red player was fully laid out in the air for that frame.