College Football With D300 & D90

If you have been happy with the way your D90 works why not start with the same basic settings?

Your most important D300 settings with the 400mm f/2.8 will be the autofocus settings. The autofocus settings I use to shoot football and soccer with my 300mm f/2.8 attached to a D300 are:

1. Select the Continuous servo focus setting (it's set on the camera body with the switch that gives you the option C, S, or M....near the lens attachment area on the camera body).
2. Use the Group Dynamic Autofocus setting (it's the Autofocus selector switch on the back of the camera....the middle setting).
3. In the Autofocus menu system, menu a1, select Release + Focus.
4. Menu a3, select 51 points.
5. Menu a4, select Focus Tracking with Lock On = Short

If your football photos are during the light of day, use matrix metering.
Shoot in Aperture mode at f/3.2 or 3.5 if you have enough light. Watch the shutter speed that the camera selects, however. If it falls below 1/800s either raise the ISO or shoot at f/2.8 (or some combination of both).
Start shooting at ISO 400 and either raise or lower the ISO from there as needed.
The soccer photos below were taken using the above settings on a D300 with a Nikon 300mm f/2.8 AF-S lens attached.


Check out this link from LensExtender.com if your football game is a night game under stadium lights.

Wow thank you Randy for the wealth of info. I post some pic of the game

When I shoot fast action sports, I prefer to use a single focus point rather than a group of points, especially if I am trying to focus on one individual. Use only one of the focus points in the center 3 columns as only those are cross type (I typically use the center point or the one above the center point). The key to success shooting like this is to be able to track the selected focus point on your subject. It does take a bit of practice but may give you better results. Using additional points can slow down autofocus and reduce accuracy. I only use dynamic focusing if my camera is unable to obtain good focus using one focus point (typically when lighting is not the best) If you do choose dynamic focusing, I suggest only 9 points rather than all 51 and again, keep your selection limited to the center three columns so you are using only the cross type AF points. I shoot with 'Focus Tracking with Lock On' to off as I want the camera continually focusing on my moving subject.

If you are shooting in daylight, stop the lens down to f5.6 or f8 to increase DOF and insure proper focus in case the camera 'misses'. This will help insure proper focus of the subject but your backgrounds will not be as blurred.

On the D90, I would use only the center focus point as it is the only one that is cross type.

As far as metering, Matrix will probably work well. You may want to dial in -.7 EV if you find you are getting blown out highlights. Shooting RAW will allow you to better fix incorrectly metered shots.

Good luck!

As you can tell Corey by Elliot's response, there's probably no one correct way to use the D300 for football. Some of the camera settings that are different from my settings are probably based on his personal experience with the D300 versus mine. I'll address a few of the differences:

1. 51 point autofocus versus 9 point - I've tried using all of the autofocus points settings. And with the exception of the 51 point with 3D setting, I don't think I get more in-focus photos with the 9 point versus the 51 point (again, this is mostly for soccer....but I have shot football as well...but not since the arrival of my 300mm lens). Note: I do have the center point as the main focus point. It works well for me because I have the verticle grip attachment which allows me to easily shoot in portrait mode as well (with the big lens attached to a monopod).
2. Focus Tracking with Lock "on" versus "off" - Elliot is correct. Your autofocus speed will be better with the lock set to off, particularly for subjects moving directly toward or away from the camera. However, the "off" setting will also cause the camera to immediately shift focus to another subject if that subject crosses the view of your intended subject even for a moment. I think you'll get enough great shots either way.
3. Aperture set to f/5.6 or f/8 versus f/3.5 or f/2.8. Like Elliot mentions, you'll absolutely get more in-focus shots at his recommended aperture settings. But you'll also give up some of those nicely blurred backgrounds that don't distract from the main subject when using higher aperture settings like f/2.8. In my opinion, why have an expensive 400mm f/2.8 lens for sports if you're going to use it at f/8

I hope both of our comments help you. Don't forget to post some of your work.

After 30 years of shooting murder, mischief, mayhem and sports I've decided that manual focus is the best way to go. AF has never really impressed me, even the current generations. Seems like no matter what focus spots I choose it focuses on some other player so I stick to what I know best. Even with these tiny viewfinders it works fine. Rick H.

All good suggestions....