The settings below are for day time shooting. I have not found this camera and lens to work well in low lighting.

Shutter Speed for Sports Photography - For crisp, action-packed shots, I usually keep my shutter speed at 1250 or higher. It really depends on the sport – something like In-town youth soccer might be perfectly captured at 1250, while faster-paced games like travel soccer or baseball with older players often need 1600 or even faster to freeze the action.

Aperture for Sports Photography - To get the best shots, keep your aperture (f-stop) as low as possible—around f/4.5 or f/5.6 is a great starting point. Think of it like this: a wider aperture (lower f-stop number) helps your camera focus on your player, making the process much smoother and resulting in sharper images. A higher f-stop makes the camera work harder to get the whole scene in focus, which can sometimes blur your main subject. So, keep it low and enjoy those crisp player shots!

ISO for Sports Photography - So, I gave you some great starting points for shutter speed and aperture – those should be pretty much spot on. The ISO is where things get a little more fun (and a little more interactive!). On an overcast day, it'll stay pretty consistent. But on partly cloudy or sunny days, you'll be adjusting it up and down to get the perfect exposure. Think of the Exposure Compensation/AEB setting (that number line from -3 to +3 in your viewfinder) as your secret weapon! Once you've set your shutter speed and aperture as suggested, just tweak the ISO until that little marker sits right on 0. That's your magic number for a perfectly balanced shot! Now, I'm more of a "let's-make-amazing-pictures" kind of person than a "let's-dive-deep-into-the-physics-of-light" type. If you're curious about the technical details, there are tons of awesome websites dedicated to that! But for now, this should get you taking some fantastic photos.

AF Method for Sports Photography - Choose face tracking for your AF method! This awesome camera feature automatically finds and follows the player's face, so you'll get a consistent focused shot, even during the most dynamic moments. It's fun, easy to use, and delivers professional-looking results!

AF Operation for Sports Photography - Choose Servo for your AF Operation. It's a fancy term for "Your subject isn't standing still; it's moving". BTW, there are ways to tweak your face tracking settings in the Menu. Grab your manual for more details.

Drive Mode for Sports Photography - Set your Drive Mode to H to shoot continuous (rapid fire) shots. You can do H+ but it drains your battery faster and H works fine.

Leave everything else alone.