Pick a sport and the light. Get a shutter speed, aperture and ISO that give a correct exposure.
Full guide: Basketball photography settings · Pro arena vs school gym
Choose the shutter speed for the sport first. About 1/800 to 1/1000 s freezes team sports such as basketball and soccer, 1/1600 to 1/2000 s suits fast runners and cyclists, and ball contact in baseball, tennis and golf needs 1/2000 to 1/4000 s or faster. Then open the aperture as wide as your lens allows indoors, and stop down outdoors in sun. ISO makes up the rest: expect roughly ISO 1000 to 1600 in a pro arena, 3200 to 6400 in a school gym, and ISO 100 to 200 on a sunny field.
| Sport | Bright sun | Overcast | Pro or college stadium, night | School gym |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basketball | 1/800 f/6.3 ISO 100 | 1/800 f/3.2 ISO 100 | 1/800 f/2.8 ISO 1250 | 1/800 f/2.8 ISO 5000 |
| Football | 1/1000 f/5.6 ISO 100 | 1/1000 f/2.8 ISO 100 | 1/1000 f/2.8 ISO 1600 | 1/1000 f/2.8 ISO 6400 |
| Soccer | 1/1000 f/5.6 ISO 100 | 1/1000 f/2.8 ISO 100 | 1/1000 f/2.8 ISO 1600 | 1/1000 f/2.8 ISO 6400 |
| Baseball | 1/2000 f/4 ISO 100 | 1/2000 f/2.8 ISO 200 | 1/2000 f/2.8 ISO 3200 | 1/2000 f/2.8 ISO 12800 |
| Volleyball | 1/800 f/6.3 ISO 100 | 1/800 f/3.2 ISO 100 | 1/800 f/2.8 ISO 1250 | 1/800 f/2.8 ISO 5000 |
| Swimming | 1/1000 f/5.6 ISO 100 | 1/1000 f/2.8 ISO 100 | 1/1000 f/2.8 ISO 1600 | 1/1000 f/2.8 ISO 6400 |
| Hockey | 1/1250 f/5 ISO 100 | 1/1250 f/2.8 ISO 125 | 1/1250 f/2.8 ISO 2000 | 1/1250 f/2.8 ISO 8000 |
| Tennis | 1/1000 f/5.6 ISO 100 | 1/1000 f/2.8 ISO 100 | 1/1000 f/2.8 ISO 1600 | 1/1000 f/2.8 ISO 6400 |
| Track & Field | 1/1000 f/5.6 ISO 100 | 1/1000 f/2.8 ISO 100 | 1/1000 f/2.8 ISO 1600 | 1/1000 f/2.8 ISO 6400 |
| Wrestling | 1/1000 f/5.6 ISO 100 | 1/1000 f/2.8 ISO 100 | 1/1000 f/2.8 ISO 1600 | 1/1000 f/2.8 ISO 6400 |
See the full settings chart for all 20 sports and 7 lighting types, or use the calculator above for your own lens and shot type.
It starts from exposure value (EV) at ISO 100. Bright sun is EV 15, overcast about EV 13, a professional arena or stadium about EV 9, and a school gym or field about EV 7. The calculator picks a shutter speed that suits the sport, then finds the aperture and ISO that give a correct exposure for that light and your lens. When there is more light than the shutter speed needs, it stops the lens down before touching ISO, and when there is less, it raises ISO. The indoor vs outdoor guide shows how lux converts to EV and what each venue needs.
Each guide covers one sport or technique, with settings, positions, lenses and the numbers behind them. Browse all guides.