Need a recommendation

[pcasciola]

Hi everyone. I'm looking for an equipment recommendation. I've never owned a digital SLR, and my current camera is a Nikon Coolpix 5700 which I'm pretty happy with, but now that my son has become more active in sports, I need to get a real camera.

I don't have a ton of money to spend, and I was originally leaning toward a d-Rebel and a Canon 70-200mm F/4L lens, but after a bunch of research I think I've decided on the 20d instead, which will leave me a lot less money for lenses early on. Being that most of my shooting will be kids outdoors sporting events, I'm leaning toward starting out with the 20d kit just to get the EF-S lens for everyday use, and adding a Canon 300mm F/4L IS USM and the Canon 1.4x extender for the sports stuff. I was originally thinking of getting the 70-200mm F/2.8L, but after seeing some of the comparisons online, I'm thinking prime focus is the way to go for sports shooting. I realize I will lose the convenience of the zoom lens, but if the quality of the shots is going to be that much better, I think I can live with it for a while.

Does anyone have experience with both of these lenses on a Canon d-SLR that can offer some advice for this beginning photographer.

Thanks in advance.

[robertwgross]

Outdoors sports can be tricky.

There are some sports where the players stay at a predictable distance from the photographer, so a prime lens might be more suitable. There are other sports where the players are running toward or away from the camera, so to frame it right, a zoom is called for.

Take your pick.

---Bob Gross---

[cmM]

lens, but if the quality of the shots is going to be that much better, I think I can live with it for a while.
Well, the 70-200 lenses are know for their outstanding optics, so they come pretty close to primes.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Tough call...

The 300mm f/4IS is priced about the same as the 70-200mm f/2.8 without IS...

There both great lenses..

If you do not see yourself needing the f/2.8 wide open.. then it might be worth a shot looking trying the 300mm.

What sports by the way? I find if my location is good that a 70-200mm is just about right for a Baseball diamond.. and the zoom comes in handy.

[pcasciola]

Thanks for the suggestions. I know the 70-200 F2.8 is an awesome lens, and it was the lens I was dead set on getting until I started seeing some of the amazing shots from the prime lenses. It seems to be just a matter of convenience vs quality. Don't get me wrong, the shots I see from the 70-200 F2.8 are really good, but whenever I see a picture that makes me say "wow", it usually seems to be a prime.

I'll be shooting a variety of sports, mainly baseball and football, but also soccer and indoor basketball. Football is the only sport left this year, so I really need to pick the best lens now just for that situation. Based on that, I think I'm still leaning toward starting out with a set of primes, like a 50mm, 85mm, and either a 200mm or 300mm, and then going for the 70-200 f2.8 after the smoke clears from the initial purchase, hopefully before baseball starts again next spring.

Does anyone know of a good site that compares the 70-200 F2.8 to the 200mm prime?