Best settings for Canon 30D with Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 lens for baseball on bright day

What are the best settings to use for Canon 30D with Sigma 18-200mm
f/3.5-6.3 lens for baseball on bright day. I'm having problems and
most of my photos are too dark.

TIA

 

What metering are you using? For me, evaluative seems to work best in the
situation you mention.

 

For some past pictures, it was set to patterned. I use aperature
priority so that I can let in the most amount of light. I'm using
ISO-800 to capture the baseball in mid air and the swing of the bat.
I'm just not getting all of the necessary settings right. Any helpful
hints would be appreciated.

 

The amount of light that reaches the sensor is based on two things,
not just one. Aperature priority means the camera changes the shutter
speed to limit how much light hits the sensor. As you open the
aperature the camera will pick a faster shutter speed, as you close
the aperture the camera will pick a slower shutter speed. If you
change to TV and set the shutter speed, the faster the shutter the
wider the camera will set the aperture and the slower the shutter you
set the smaller the camera will set the aperature. In all 4 cases the
same "amount of light" will be allowed to hit the sensor. That's how
auto exposure works.

To "let in the most amount of light" you need to either change the
exposure value compensation (EV) or use manual settings that let in
more light than the camera lets in when you use auto exposure.

I personally would use TV rather than AV because you need a minimum
shutter speed to get crips shots of sports action.

The type of lens and camera you are using are relatively unimportant
for this situation (bright daytime light).

If the shots are too dark then set the EV up a partial or full stop.
Look in your 30D manual for the exact way to change EV in that camera.

And please don't top post. See what a mess it makes of the threading?
You should only quote what is needed to give context to your reply,
then put your reply AFTER the text you quote, and delete all the rest
of the quoted text.

jc

p.s. normally I'd delete the text below, but I'm leaving it in to show
how confusing top posting is.

 

If you are trying to capture action then shutter priority so you can choose
faster shutter speeds would work better for you for things like stopping
balls in mid-flight. At ISO 800 in daylight even the smallish maximum
aperture of the Sigma at 200mm should still allow fast shutter speeds. For
its price this lens performs quite well at medium and long focal lengths.
Too bad Sigma never actually released the image stabilized version of this
lens that they announced last September.
I presume you are using jpeg as with raw some slight apparent underexposure
would actually be helpful in trying to end up with an image that has the
appearance of expanded latitude. But then you would have to spend the time
processing each image, just like you would if you did your own darkroom work
with film processes. The best results require a little thought and a little
work.
Since jpeg emphasizes the worst aspect of digital sensors, limited latitude,
you have to make some choices about what parts of your image you want to
emphasize within the apparent correct exposure range and this requires
experimentation, for example adjusting EV settings, to gain the experience
of what works for you. There are no perfect formulas, only guidelines.