Sports Lens for Canon EOS Rebel XTi

[sportsmom3]

Brushing up on my camera skills, but need a good sports lens for my Canon EOS Rebel Xti camera. I take pictures at daytime and night time football and baseball games, indoor basketball and volleyball games. Basically I'm my kids' mom and need something or somethings I can use for all occasions. Is that possible? I have a Canon Zoom EF 75-300mm 1:4-5.6 that I make do with (was a gift from my kids to start me out) but of course it takes patience and lots of fuzzy pictures. After practicing and becoming comfortable, I want to step it up now. Knowing my criteria/picture situations....please help!

Also after a totally frustrating experience with Nero, I have a Picasa2 program that is okay. What computer programs to most of you recommend for editing digital pictures?

[ACDCROCKS]

whats the price range? Adobe Photo shop is ok, Adobe CS2 is great.

[sportsmom3]

I have the Adobe Album starter on my computer but through cirumstances on the death of the last computer I had Nero 1.0 first. I tried to upgrade which turned into a nightmare which I'm still disputing. I downloaded the Picasa2 and the Adobe Album to try but was open to all options. I like the editing qualities of the Picasa2 better. Price range depends on the most bang for my buck. For a lens I was trying to do internet research and found Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM Telephoto but wanted to make sure I was on the right track for my needs.

[nburwell]

The 70-200 f/2.8 IS or non-IS would be the two ideal lenses if you're shooting sports. However, they are quite a bit more expensive than the 70-300 you currently own. I do believe you could find the 70-200 f/2.8 non-IS lens for under $1,000 now. But expect to pay around $1,400 for the IS version of the lens. You're going to need a wide aperture, especially if you're shooting at night where more likely than not, the lighting at the stadium isn't ideal.

[sportsmom3]

I fully expected a nice lens to be over $1,000 but was hoping for less than $2,000. I just want to get the 'right' one, but I'm sure that is a matter of opinion but that is why I came to the more experienced here! I have gotten some nice pictures from my current lens but as the night wears on and the statium lights are the main source then it does become a challenge...thus better editing capatibilites in a computer program. Anyway, outdoor lighting is not as challenging as indoor gyms to me. Would the 70-200 f/2.8 work well indoors for basketball as well?

[crn3371]

For the indoor sports, I'd go with something like the 85mm f1.8, or perhaps the 100mm f2. The fuzzy pictures on your 75-300 are probably not so much the fault of the lens, but more likely the result of too slow a shutter speed. For the outdoor stuff you'd probably appreciate the convenience of a zoom rather than a prime lens, although the 300 f4IS is an excellant lens. F4 is fine for daytime stuff, but if you're going to shoot under the lights you want the fastest you can afford. IS will help with camera shake, but isn't all that helpful for fast moving sports. For action you need a fast shutter speed, and in low light, that will only come from a fast lens.

[Popper]

I can't really give you advice for a lens but if you can't afford Photoshop Paint Shop Pro XI is a nice, cheaper alternative.

[bildeb0rg]

For outdoor stuff, bite the bullet, sell a kidney, and get a Sigma 300/100-300 f2,8. Anything else is just tooooo sloooow. If you can find one, go for a used Canon ef 300 f2.8. The non IS version will save you cash, and still do the job. Indoors, I'd go with the ef 85 f1.8.

[number six]

I can't really give you advice for a lens but if you can't afford Photoshop Paint Shop Pro XI is a nice, cheaper alternative.

Agreed - PSP XI is powerful and has lots of nice features. Cheap, too - dunno about initial purchase price, but upgrades are about $40 US.

Just got an upgrade offer for PSP X2 which has a few new features - the automatic HDR photo merge looks interesting, but I don't think I'll upgrade quite yet.

-js

[Tom W]

The 70-200 f/2.8 IS or non-IS would be the two ideal lenses if you're shooting sports. However, they are quite a bit more expensive than the 70-300 you currently own. I do believe you could find the 70-200 f/2.8 non-IS lens for under $1,000 now. But expect to pay around $1,400 for the IS version of the lens. You're going to need a wide aperture, especially if you're shooting at night where more likely than not, the lighting at the stadium isn't ideal.

I have to agree - the 70-200/2.8 did quite well on my XTi at Mid - Ohio.

[Performa01]

Be warned, fast telephoto lenses are heavy weighted.

My advice would be a 70-200/2.8 (heavy enough already), either a Sigma EX or Canon L, for outdoor shooting. In case you really need 300mm sometimes, you might want a 1.4x tele converter as an accessory, having a pretty versatile combination then.

For indoors, even f/2.8 might not be enough, so I would second the advise on a EF 85/1.8 USM or 100/2.0 USM as they are affordable primes providing great auto focus and image quality.

[fslshooter]

For lenses, if it's within your budget, the following kit should server you very well:
70-200mm f/2.8L non IS = $1,140 new @ B&H - for outdoor sports and indoors in good light
85mm f/1.8 = $339.95 new @ B&H - for indoor sports and low light conditions
1.4x Teleconverter (Extender) = $279.95 new @ B&H for use with the 70-200 in very good light.
As for software, Photoshop is the industry standard but rather expensive, Photoshop Elements is considerably less expensive and will probably do most if not everything you want to do, PolyView @ $29.95 is very good shareware that I used for a couple of years and still do on my laptop, and some folks here use GIMP which is freeware that will do many things that Photoshop does.