Sports mode on Canon DSLR, how to get motion blur?
I have the Canon 1200D with the 70-300mm Canon 1:4-5.6L IS USM. Been doing some motorsports photography. On sports mode it's great for focussing but you can't adjust shutter speed etc. I guess this is normal, but if you want a more creative shot with say a blurred background and you switch it to say TV mode the focussing isn't as good for moving objects. I also don't feel that pre- focussing on a part of the road, panning and waiting on it to get there would really cut it, seeing how critical focussing is. So how do photographers get round this?
I would guess that it may tell you in the manual. Try page 62.
When you select sports mode I believe it defaults to continuous AF, however when you switch to Tv (shutter priority) to select a slower shutter speed to achieve your motion blur in the background the camera will default to single shot AF.
You need to select continuous AF when you choose Tv, I have no direct experience with the 1200D so you will need to refer to the manual.
You need to select continuous AF when you choose Tv, I have no direct experience with the 1200D so you will need to refer to the manual.
I use Canon, but rarely use anything other than AV, TV, M or P.
From memory, selecting sports mode will cause the camera to use the highest possible shutter speed to freeze the action. I went to a classic car meet before the dreaded Covid (first time shooting cars in motion, and I think I used TV, and dialled down the shutter speed to around 1/100 or slower and let the camera sort out the aperture. You would have to pan with the subject enough to freeze the car / bike etc, while causing back ground blur.
Here is one from that show:
Hope this helps, and good luck!!
Nige
From memory, selecting sports mode will cause the camera to use the highest possible shutter speed to freeze the action. I went to a classic car meet before the dreaded Covid (first time shooting cars in motion, and I think I used TV, and dialled down the shutter speed to around 1/100 or slower and let the camera sort out the aperture. You would have to pan with the subject enough to freeze the car / bike etc, while causing back ground blur.
Here is one from that show:
Hope this helps, and good luck!!
Nige
Just came back from Knockhill again. I did what you guys said and tried 1/200 sec with focus on AI servo. Surprised at home many out of focus shots I was getting. I was panning to get motion blur. Not sure if the subject was displaying motion blur or just out of focus. Here is a good one though 
That's a great shot - you have certainly captured movement in the pic. Compared to the bike photo there is definitely an improvement. One other thing I do is just use a single focus point in the camera - usually the centre one. This helps the camera know what you want in focus, and will help reduce the amount of out of focus shots you get.
Keep practicing, and maybe try and drop down shutter speed a little more to really blur the background.
Keep practicing, and maybe try and drop down shutter speed a little more to really blur the background.
