Nikon D5 ISO 64000 bails me out with a Rodeo

by Stanley LearyPhotography
Cowgirl ropes calf the Celebrate Freedom Rodeo at Wills Park in Alpharetta, GA. [Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 Sport, ISO 64000, ƒ/2.8, 1/3200]

Any camera manufacturer has never sponsored me. Most of what I have gotten from them were gifts they give at trade shows. So, all my comments are just how I feel about my gear. However, I do want to disclose that for the equipment links, while you pay the same price, I get a small percentage of that sale.

I went to the Rodeo just a few miles from my house. The Rodeo started at 8:00 p.m. under a covered arena. By the time the cowgirls were roping calves, it was a little after 9:00 p.m. and after sunset.

The few sodium lights there were just not all that bright. Not for sports.

Cowboys competing in the team roping during the Celebrate Freedom Rodeo at Wills Park in Alpharetta, GA. [Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 Sport, ISO 64000, ƒ/2.8, 1/3200]

My go-to settings for sports on my Nikon D5 are:

– Auto ISO with high set to 64000
– Shutter speed 1/4000
– Aperture wide open

The camera peaked out and dropped the shutter speed right away to 1/3200.

Cowgirls compete in barrel racing during the Celebrate Freedom Rodeo at Wills Park in Alpharetta, GA. [Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 Sport, ISO 64000, ƒ/2.8, 1/2500]

Soon, I was shooting at 1/2500, with ISO 64000. I noticed many people there with their cameras early on, but as the night progressed, I think most of those cameras couldn’t get anything in the low light, but my Nikon D5 was delivering.

Cowgirls compete in barrel racing during the Celebrate Freedom Rodeo at Wills Park in Alpharetta, GA. [Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 Sport, ISO 64000, ƒ/2.8, 1/2500]

Now, you can see how the color differs from the two frames of cowgirls going around the same barrel. This is due to the Sodium Vapor lights that are cycling. Depending on when you catch them, the color will shift. Often, there is a streak through the image of a color shift and a slight exposure difference.

A cowboy competes in the Bull Riding event during the Celebrate Freedom Rodeo at Wills Park in Alpharetta, GA. [Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 Sport + 1.4X, ISO 64000, ƒ/4, 1/800]

I didn’t get Rodeoe rodeo early enough to pick a prime location to shoot from. I finally managed to get a spot on the very top of the stands, but they were a little ways away when the bull riders came on. I put the 1.4X converter on and lost another stop of light. I was now shooting with an aperture of ƒ/4 instead of ƒ/2.8 without the converter. Also, that part of the event was when all the light was gone from outside the arena, and I dropped my shutter speed to 1/800.

A cowboy competes in the Bull Riding event during the Celebrate Freedom Rodeo at Wills Park in Alpharetta, GA. [Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 Sport + 1.4X, ISO 64000, ƒ/4, 1/800]

I continued to get asked if the Nikon D5 was worth the purchase. This is an excellent example of photos I would not have gotten with my Nikon D4.

The photos from the darkest part of the event, bull riding, look better than my ISO 800 images from just a couple of years ago with my Nikon D2Xs.

The color, to me, is better than Kodachrome could have delivered.

This is the gear that I used to cover the Rodeo.

Little Cowboy enjoys the Celebrate Freedom Rodeo at Wills Park in Alpharetta, GA. [Nikon D5, Sigma 35mm ƒ/1.4, ISO 640, ƒ/1.8, 1/160]

Now, for this last shot I took when I first arrived at the Rodeo of the Little Cowboy, I used my Sigma 35mm ƒ/1.4. I love the image so much that I just had to share it with you, even though ISO 640 was used for this photo.

Here is a link to purchase this lens.