I learned a few things:

1. 200mm isn't enough to reach 1st base from the 3rd base side, nevermind the outfield.

2. I need to mess around more with exposure compensation. I had it too low for most of the day.

3. Shooting through a fence is a pain in the ass.

4. 324 shots, 44 worth keeping...lots of motion blur, but I need to read more before blaming the lenses.<ul><li><a href="http://snwdrft.smugmug.com/gallery/5118852_oRbXi#309040190_UxdXZ">http://snwdrft.smugmug.com/gallery/5118852_oRbXi#309040190_UxdXZ</a</li></ul>

It's back to the camera store to get more equipment! ;) 200mm is quite short for most sports but I think you got some nice pics. I see you also had to shoot in very bright daylight. It's pretty difficult to get a good exposure when people are partly in shadow and partly in harsh sunlight. Some of your pics are indeed a bit dark but you can correct that in post-processing.

Can't see your exif data, but try to use a larger aperture (if possible) to get higher shutter speeds and less motion blur. You can also bump up the iso to get faster shutter speeds, but don't overdo it. Also try using the continuous servo AF mode (AF-C) to track the players.

Your pics will have more impact, if you frame them a bit tighter. If you don't have enough reach with the 200mm lens, just crop the images a bit in in post-processing to get rid of the excess space. Something like this perhaps (I hope you don't mind)

<img src="http://personal.inet.fi/surf/photography/crop1.jpg">

<img src="http://personal.inet.fi/surf/photography/crop2.jpg">

what does the af-c mode do that auto can't?

here's the exif on the two you picked:

first one:
F-stop: f/7.1
Exposure: 1/800s
ISO: 200
Focal length: 116mm
Aperture: 4.5

second one:
f-stop: f/5.6
Exposure: 1/400s
ISO: 200
Focal length: 200mm
Aperture: 5

I think the second one is a good illustration of my struggles. The lens is the 55-200mm VR 1:4-5.6 Nikon. What should I have done to the camera to compensate, just bump up the iso? I don't get why the camera picked that ISO and gave me blurry feet. Is it because I had my exposure compensation too low (-0.7)?

the good news is there'll be another game to try again, lol.

p.s. although I'm not cropping pics, I am enhancing them via post-processing. hopefully they look a little better.

Your shutter speed is 1/400s in the second photo and as we can see, it's not quite fast enough to completely freeze the boys :) You camera has no way of knowing that you are shooting running kids and need all the speed you can get. It just assumes according to some pre-progammed logic, that 1/400s and iso 200 is a good combination to get a sharp photo in normal conditions.

If you want to make absolutely sure you don't get blurry feet in similar situations and lighting conditions, set your camera manually to iso 400 to guarantee short shutter speeds. I'm not familiar with the D40 but the best option might be to use the S mode and manually set your shutter speed to somewhere around 1/640s to 1/800s. If there's enough light for your lens and selected iso, your camera will choose the appropriate f-stop to maintain the selected exposure time. Or you can alternatively use the A mode and set manually the max aperture of your lens for shortest possible shutter times. Your camera will take care of the shutter speed for you. Either way, your lens will be the limiting factor here. It's only f/5.6 at 200mm, so it's not a terribly fast lens and needs quite a bit of light at 200mm focal length. If you are shooting on a very dark day, you probably have to use iso800 or even iso 1600. Use iso 1600 only if absolutely necessary.

If you use "auto" or "program" modes, your camera becomes the master (= it sets the shutter speed and aperture without knowing what you're shooting) and you probably get inconsistent results. So the best bet is to learn how to use the A and S modes, so you can decide which one is better in any given situation.

That first photo looks good. It's sharp and clear. It just needed a bit of brightening.

The exif of the second photo tells us that your lens was working at its maximum f-stop (f/5.6), so the lens can't be any faster, so to speak. If you want to freeze the boys, you need to go to iso 400. This gives you the needed 1/800s shutter speed.

By the way, I like the blurred feet in the second photo. It gives the impression of movement and action. If you totally freeze the action, the photo might look too static. My advice is to keep experimenting with A and S modes and compare the results. You'll get the hang of it after a couple of games!

af-c mode is a continuous focus mode. In other words, it tracks the subject as long as you keep the shutter button half-depressed. Just be careful to maintain the center focus point on the subject all the time. It's a good mode when you're shooting moving targets. If done correctly, you have a constant sharp focus on the running kid and when you fully depress the shutter button, you get a sharp photo. Magic! :)

higher ISO, right?

Just keep your lens at its max aperture and use higher iso if needed.

The downside to this is that lenses are usually a bit soft at max aperture and benefit from stopping down. So if there's enough light, you probably get sharper photos if you can use for example f/6.3, 7.1 or 8. This is easy to test: Take some test pics using different apertures and compare sharpness. If there's not much difference, then just use the max aperture to get good shutter speeds. If the lens is considerably sharper at, let's say, 7.1, try to use it if possible.

Obviously not an action shot, but a decent result with A mode.

<img src="http://snwdrft.smugmug.com/photos/309368015_FZPqr-X2.jpg">

EXIF:

f/5.6
1/60 sec
ISO 400 (manually set)
150mm

I also practiced S mode on the fan blades of my air conditioner.

Obviously need to work on DOF with the smaller lens, but one thing at a time!

It's not too dark or bright. It's a lot better than the first shots you posted. You are progressing very quickly, nice!

<img src="http://www.sigmaphoto.com/images/LensesImage/184_big.jpg">

Its predecessor, the 80-400mm, was/is compatible with my D40, which its Nikon equivalent is not. I'm hoping this one will be as well, once it starts shipping...

They also have a 150-500mm f/5-6.3 that could be interesting...

120-400mm is a very nice range for many uses!