Lens Recommendation Wanted

[Mr.B]

I am looking to shoot indoor horse shows from the stands. I am wondering if you folks could recommend some lenses to me and maybe add a little why or why not on each lens.

My budget is obviously as little as possible, but I would be willing to go as high as $500-$600 to aquire some suitable and good quality optics.

I am shooting with the digital rebel. I currently do not shoot with a flash, I prefer exhisting light photography but am not above trying if I can fit lens and flash in the price range and It will work.

These are the lenses I have in mind that I am wrestling with:

(primes)
200mm L 2.8
135mm 2.8 soft focus

(zooms)
80-200mm L 2.8 (choice number one but probably a pipedream at this price)
70-200mm sigma 2.8
70-200mm tokina 2.8

I am having trouble figuring out what would be best for my needs while bringing me the best wide open quality and value for the money.

Also, If I am missing anything or going about this the wrong way, let me know. PLEASE!

Thanks for any help and if nothing else, letting me type this all out in an effort to get it all straight in my mind.

[stuartf287]

I have a 200 2.8L that I bought used for about $500. It is a great lens. Very sharp, great contrast, etc. I have read posts that suggest it is sharper than the 70-200L lenses (F4, F2.8, F2.8IS) and of course it is much smaller, lighter and less expensive (by hundreds of dollars with regard to the 2.8IS version). The only question is whether it is long enough for your purpose. Otherwise, I recommend it without reservation. Good luck!

[CoolToolGuy]

The 550EX flash is good to about 50 feet. I'm guessing an indoor horse show would stretch that limit a bit.

For available light photography, a lot may depend on daytime shows or nighttime, and if daytime, the amount of daylight that enters the arena.

I would try to get a feel for the focal length or lengths that will work for you and then look at the fast prime lenses in that (those) ranges. The EF85mm f1.8, 100mm f2, 135mm f2L, and 50mm f1.4. I say that because they have worked better for me in a theater environment than my 24-70 f2.8L, and I can only imagine that there is less light at a horse show than in a stage-lit theater.

My two cents.

[Mr.B]

Thanks for the great responses.

I have shot a show with a 50mm 1.8 and the speed was fine, length was fine when the horses were on my rail, but capturing there was not ideal. I wanted to get to the other side of the arena.

I can't afford the 135mm L (I'm already risking divorce with my current budget ;) ) but the 100mm I could do I'm just not sure It would be enough.

Here is a capture showing an approximation of the typical distance I owuld like to shoot taken with a 50mm lens.

http://www.briarcreekfarm.com/matstuff/photos/distance_50mm.jpg

Would a 100mm be enough? 135? 200?

[Mr.B]

Obviously, the horse is the subject I would like to fill the frame.

[ShutteringFocus]

Are you sure you can use a flash? All the horses I know would freak if someone shot a flash at them...even from 50ft.

Make sure that is even legal before doing it :roll:

From what I have heard it's best to go without the flash for things like this.

The other guys can help you with the lenses better than I can.

[Mr.B]

We get a little crazy at saddlebred shows. :) It's pretty regular to see flashes going off in the crowd. Nothing equal to a 550EX I'm sure, but flash none the less.

Also, there is always a show photographer who is using flash on all shots, they have the advantage of being in the show ring at about twenty feet away usually.

[BigRed450]

Mr B, I have done quite a few horse shows over the years and so would suggest nothing smaller then 200mm and f-2.8. I prefer primes, but for this job I definitely suggest a zoom so you can still grab shots of the horses as they get closer. Natural light is always prefered to flash.

My choices are:
For indoor events 70-200 2.8 (I have used the 100-400 and set camera to higher ISO)
For outside events 100-400 4.5-5.6

[Mr.B]

Thank you. For a while there I was leaning towards a 135mm lens. I guess that would be a little less than I would need.

[Volatile]

Consider the zoom for the times when the horse is closer to you. It might be too big to fit in the frame on a prime. If you know you are going to be a fixed distance from the horses, then get the appropriate prime. I suppose there are trade-offs, but for range flexibilty I'd suggest the 70-200 f4L ($550) and make up the stop with ISO. Neat Image is your friend...

[DaveG]

I am looking to shoot indoor horse shows from the stands. I am wondering if you folks could recommend some lenses to me and maybe add a little why or why not on each lens.

My budget is obviously as little as possible, but I would be willing to go as high as $500-$600 to aquire some suitable and good quality optics.

I am shooting with the digital rebel. I currently do not shoot with a flash, I prefer exhisting light photography but am not above trying if I can fit lens and flash in the price range and It will work.

These are the lenses I have in mind that I am wrestling with:

(primes)
200mm L 2.8

135mm 2.8 soft focus

(zooms)
80-200mm L 2.8 (choice number one but probably a pipedream at this price)
70-200mm sigma 2.8
70-200mm tokina 2.8

I am having trouble figuring out what would be best for my needs while bringing me the best wide open quality and value for the money.

Also, If I am missing anything or going about this the wrong way, let me know. PLEASE!

Thanks for any help and if nothing else, letting me type this all out in an effort to get it all straight in my mind.

Bite the bullet and buy the 70-200 f2.8 - the f4 is too slow. If you get the non IS version (I did) you'll save some bucks. This will give you something like a 110-320 mm lens on a 10D and it'd be great for this kind of photography.

With a fixed focal length - even the 200 f2.8 - you'll be locked into one focus distance where you can fill the frame. With the zoom you'll have much better flexibility.

Plan on using this type of lens with a monopod. It'll support the lens, give you sharper pictures and let you concentrate on the image instead of how heavy the damn thing is. You'll also be able to flip from horizontal to vertical compositions effortlessly with the rotating tripod collar.

Don't even think about camera mounted flash for this kind of work. The kind of flash that the pro's will use are radio slaved strobes mounted in the rafters of the arena. Flash light (like a 550EX) from the camera position will be flat and have considerable fall off. Yes it is a picture, and yes it sucks. So it's available light, or get phone numbers of Pocket Wizard and Alien Bees!

The 70-200 f2.8L is THE tool for this job. You need it so buy it. And it'll only hurt for awhile.

[Mr.B]

80-200mm L canon 2.8
70-200mm sigma 2.8
70-200mm tokina 2.8

I've narrowed it down to these.

Any suggestions?
Thanks for the help BTW.

Pros

Canon = great construction, forward eos compatability superior image quality

Sigma = HSM motor, extra 10mm zoom on the lower end, price, image quality great even wide open I guess, available teleconverters full time manual focus.

Tokina = cheap

Cons

Canon = lack of teleconverters, might not focus as well or fast as HSM motor, higher price, no full time manual focus

Sigma = it's not an "L", slightly less quality images than the "L", might not be constructed as solidly or as weather proofed as the "L", more expensive than the tokina, might not be compatible with next years models eos cameras

Tokina = let's face it, I would need some convincing to buy this as the price is the biggest draw.

am I missing anything here? How would you wiegh these factors out? What would you buy?

[CoolToolGuy]

You count as one of your Pros that the Sigma has 10mm on the lower end, but the Canon is a 70-200, not 80-200 as you show.

I would buy the Canon, but that is me. I don't own any lens in that specific range and, besides, I'm a known Canon bigot - so consider those points.

[Mr.B]

The particular L I'm talking about is an 80-200mm. I guess it was discontinued a few years ago and replaced with the 70-200. the 80-200 doesn't have the USM, but it is still a great lens, or so I hear.