Li Xin: high-performance equipment makes the capture "handy"

Li Xin, Sina sports photographer, is mainly responsible for on-the-spot photography of various sports events, following up on the Olympic Games, World Cup, World Championships and other events all the year round.

Li Xin used four Sony A1 cameras and E-bayonet lenses at the Beijing Winter Olympics.

As a professional sports photographer, I have very high requirements for photographic equipment, which is the characteristic of this profession and shooting subject matter itself, but only speed is not enough, it must also be an all-weather product with stable performance. The performance of Sony A1 camera and these E-bayonet lenses has exceeded my expectations, especially in terms of focus speed and continuous shooting speed, which brings me a "like a fish in water" shooting experience.

At the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, I brought a total of four Sony A1 bodies, with five lenses, basically covering a wide-angle to ultra-telefocus lens. When preparing the photographic equipment before the competition, of the four Sony A1 cameras I used, two were main machines and two spare machines, but in the actual shooting process, due to the tense rhythm of the event, the key items have to go to the photography area in advance (sometimes even 5 hours in advance) to occupy the camera space, so, in order to make sure the shooting is foolproof, I basically take them with me. And install lenses with different focal lengths in advance as needed.

For example, when shooting in-venue events such as speed skating, my basic lens configuration is an A1 camera with FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM wide-angle zoom lens, an A1 camera with FE 400mm F2.8 GM telephoto zoom lens, and an A1 camera with FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM medium and long zoom lens. This combination will be more flexible in use. Wide-angle zoom lenses and medium-long zoom lenses can capture before and after the start of the event, when close to the athletes, while the 400mm telefocus lens is mainly used to capture some of the images during the competition.

In addition, in the high-intensity shooting of multiple consecutive events, I usually rotate the main body and the spare, especially when it is impossible to charge and export photos in time because of the short interval between events. The alternating use of multiple bodies can ensure a more reasonable distribution of battery power and memory card capacity of the camera and easier to use. Of course, this is a way to use when the shooting intensity is very high, and it is usually necessary to replace a new memory card and a fully charged battery for the camera before shooting each event.

It is worth mentioning that using the Sony A1 camera for the Winter Olympic Games, I can clearly feel that with the development of science and technology, the function and performance of photographic equipment in networking and intelligence is getting stronger and stronger, combined with the App specially developed by Sony (for example, photos in the camera can be uploaded directly to the default Imaging Edge, Transfer & Tagging add-on and other App of connected FTP servers using Sony Xperia PRO-I phones). The sense of efficiency upgrading and ease brought about by this function and scientific and technological progress is even stronger. This is of great help to the output of content reporting, and photos are sent to the rear for editing and release more quickly. However, it is undeniable that it also puts forward higher requirements for professional sports photographers in terms of their mastery of the function and performance of photographic equipment.

In the shooting of the Winter Olympic Games, what impressed me most was the mixed relay event of short-track speed skating on February 5. Wu Dajing, the last leg, was very excited after crossing the finish line, but his gliding speed was still very fast, and his excited expression, state and celebration only took a few seconds to capture. At this point, the high performance of the Sony A1 camera and the FE 400mm F2.8 GM lens made it easy for me to seize the moment, from focusing, chasing focus, and triggering the shutter. It can be said that this "crossing the line moment" is one of my favorite photos taken at this Winter Olympic Games so far (as of February 11).

The time to cross the line? Photo taken by Li Xin

A hockey fight? Photo taken by Li Xin

In addition to the photo of "Crossing the Line moment" taken in the short-track speed skating mixed relay race on February 5, I also liked two photos such as "Hockey fight" and "Sean does not cry" in the first seven days of the Winter Olympic Games.

The hockey fight is shot at a wide angle in the courtside photography area. The rivalry in ice hockey is so fierce that shooting requires a high degree of concentration and vigilance. In the face of this kind of "oncoming" close-up athletes competing and colliding, you must be prepared to shoot, and overcome your inner fears, do not hide when the athletes rush over, and keep your eyes on the hockey puck and the players through the viewfinder. at the right time, predict what may happen and press the shutter directly.

Sean doesn't cry, Li Xin? Photo

"Sean does not cry" was filmed with a FE 400mm F2.8 GM telefocus lens, a momentary close-up of Sean White wiping tears after unloading his sports equipment in the mixed mining area after the men's U-shaped field skills final. As a famous snowboarder, this is his last time to participate in the Winter Olympic Games, although he has maintained restraint and calm in public, but through the camera can still see his reluctance to give up the field.

Interview arrangement: Chen Zhaoyi

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