Since you need both low light and fast action, you need to be a bit careful. Normaly you would set a low shutter speed (ss) to get more of the available light but since you want to capture fast action you can not do this.
The best thing is to set the ISO speed to 1600 and use a very fast and $$$ lens.
Use the TV setting on the camera and set the SS to the lowest that will capture your action with out blurring it.
I just got a Nikon D80. I was wondering what to set it on for shots in the gym. I have a 18 x 135 lens. I do not think i can hold it steady at 1600 iso's. I am VERY new to the digital camera world so be specific in what i might be able to change to make my pics brighter. They were very golden toned and dark. I tried several settings and just wondered if anyone could help me out. She is a senior in Highschool so I dont have too much time to practice! Ha Ha
please remember this increasing iso induces more noise in the pix..
ISO Sensitivity / Noise levels
ISO equivalence on a digital camera is the ability to increase the sensitivity of the sensor. The works by turning up the "volume" (gain) on the sensor's signal amplifiers (remember the sensor is an analogue device). By amplifying the signal you also amplify the noise which becomes more visible at higher ISO's. Many modern cameras also employ noise reduction and / or sharpness reduction at higher sensitivities.
note:using a film camera i can take a pix of a black cat in a coal bin using one candle.with a 1000 iso setting and using iso 1000 film.
I found a stand alone/photoshop plugin to remove image noise. it is called neat image. there is a freeware demo and a pro/home for registered users. you need something special to register but isohunt can be helpful. just thought i would spread the word on this awsome plugin.
Originally posted by gramsie:... I was wondering what to set it on for shots in the gym. I have a 18 x 135 lens. I do not think i can hold it steady at 1600 iso's...
From this comment it sounds like you are trying to take this picture using the green zone (or fully automatic) mode of your camera.
Setting an ISO of 1600, means you are using the camera at its most light sensitive setting. This should not affect the ability to hold steady which is a shutter speed issue. Try switching to the manual mode or at least the "TV" setting on your camera.
BTW - "TV" stands for time value and it allows you to set a shutter speed. From the sounds of it, it looks like you would be using the lens towards the max zoom of it and doing so means you can not set a shutter speed too low. Otherwise you get some camera shake, which means your shots are not going to be sharp.
If you are using the lens towards the zoom end, a good rule of thumb is to set the shutter speed at or a little greater than your zoom setting. For example, if you are using the lens at 120mm, you should set your shutter speed @ 150.
