Low light action photography tips?

I enjoy taking pictures at the barn that I ride at and I also like taking pictures of my friends riding. The problem is the arena where we ride is very dark and some of the horses don't react well to flash. I know to put the ISO up and adjust the AV but in the winter it's more complicated than just that because we cannot open the windows. Answers please! o ya u have a Sony A100. Thanks everyone!

and i also dont want anyone recommending me a different camera

One way would be to buy a Minolta MC ROKKOR-X 58mm f1.2 lens and the adapter to mount it to your Sony A100 DSLR. You'll have to use manual focus and stop-down metering but in reality you'll be shooting at f1.2 so its not that big of a deal.

You can also search for the Minolta AF 85mm f1.4 G D lens or its replacement, the Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85mm f1.4 SAL-85F14CZ.

You could also search for the Minolta Maxxum AF 50mm f1.4. Its approximately 1/2 stop slower than the f1.2 but probably cheaper to buy.

The idea here is to get more light to your sensor and zoom lenses with a max aperture of f2.8 will not get it done. Under the conditions you describe any lens slower than f1.4 is unlikely to do what you need.

Here is a simple, non-scientific chart to illustrate how lens speed works:

To achieve the same shutter speed look at what happens to the ISO settings:

f1.2/1.4 @ ISO 800

f2 @ ISO 1600

f2.8 @ ISO 3200

Best option would be add more light......

Get some 2x500w tungsten lights from say an automotive shop or something. Use as many as you can, set your WB to 3200k - on the A100 turn the control dial to WB, hit the Fn button, go down 2 clicks to where the kelvin number is (like 5600k or something), then select it and change the WB down to 3200k.

If the budget is bigger go for more expensive colour balanced lights.

Try an off camera flash and bouncing the flash maybe.....

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Actually, you're doing the right things by upping the ISO and opening up the aperture. That's about all you can do on your A100.

If you're willing to get out your wallet, you can improve the quality of your images by investing in a DSLR (less digital noise) and a fast lens (more light intake).

Trying to light up an arena with floods is a losing proposition -- you'd need gazillions of watts.

Unless you want to buy a better camera I think you're stuck with what you have.

HTH.

You really ought to get a different camera!

I don't know anything about Minolta/Sony lenses, but do some research on a faster lens to let in more light. Do they have a 50mm f/1.4 or 1.8 lens? On a Nikon that would be the cheapest fast glass available. I have a customer who shoots barn/riding arena on film. She struggles with the lighting sometimes, too. If you can't add light or use flash, you might have to wait until outdoor riding starts to get the kind of image you want.