Indoor Bull Riding... Lense? (sorry for being a newb)

[Jetpilot]

Sorry for another "What lense" post... but I'm a complete newb and need some guidance. My wife just bought me a 20D for our 10th anniversary. This is my first camera that is not point and shoot. The kit comes with the 18-55mm Canon lense.

At the end of February, we are going to a PBR event and I would like to get some good pictures of cowboys eating dirt. I figure I will need some sort of a telephoto zoom lense, but I'm not sure If I should go with a 200mm or a 300mm lense. Here are my concerns:

1) Money... I'd like to keep it under $300.
2) Available light... PBR will be indoors, not sure if there will be bright lights or not.
3) Reach of the lense... I'd also like to start experimenting with wildlife. We have Bald Eagles that winter about 10 miles from my home.

Canon has a EF 75-300 for around $200 that peaked my interest. Does anyone have an opionion on this lense or another that might suit my needs?

[tim]

I'd suggest looking at the reviews on this site (http://www.photographyreview.com/Lenses/PSC_3787crx.aspx), and also on http://FredMiranda.com . You'll have a hell of a job finding a lens that can take a photo of an eagle at 10 miles though ;)

Take a look at the Sigma 70-300 too - link (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=163657&is=REG). I had it and it's great for pics in bright light, but inside or in dim light i'd suggest something faster. The 70-200 F4 gets great reviews, but that might not be long enough for you.

[kb244]

if its indoor and low-light yer an ideal canidate for a 60$ 50mm f/1.8 lens ( or close to 300$ but then you wont have extra money to put towards a further reaching lens ). Problem is with indoor it'll be very difficult to shoot with a lens that cant do faster than f/4 on the aperture trust me. Concert shots or indoor in general without flash are either extremely difficult or impossible to do without my 50mm f/1.8. With the 20D you may have better luck if you push the ISO upto 1600 the noise is a bit less on the 20D than it is it's older models.

Read up this tutorial on concert and low-light photography.

http://photo.net/learn/concerts/mirarchi/concer_i

And while the light may seem to be bright enough for your eyes indoor, it may be terribly dark for a lens thats f/4 and higher.

[MrChad]

I think you are going to need some realy fast glass like an f2.8 or faster it's so dark in stadiums and such.

You may want to get a 580EX flash if you are going to be close enough to subjects, else a monopod might help too, but I think your subjects are going to be blurry if you don't have some really fast glass.

I have the 75-300mm IS and it is SO SLOW....the 70-200 f2.8 is worth every penny seriously.

[ShutteringFocus]

If you go used I bet you could swing the Sigma 70-200mm 2.8 for only $150-$200 more than your $300 price range. I snagged one for $500 about 6 months ago and I never spent my money more wisely (keeping in mind that I dont own L yet...:-) )

Its a sweet lens, good length, and the 2.8 is very very handy in stadium situations!

[kb244]

^^ Basically what they are saying make sure its f/2.8 or faster, you dont have to go extra expensive and go f/1.4 just as long as its either 2.8 or 1.8, my Canon 50mm f/1.8 and Sigma 105mm f/2.8 are the only two suitible for indoor shots without flash or slow-sync flash.

[wrangler]

Jet Pilot,
I shot the National Finals Rodeo in December and the PBR in October, both in Las Vegas. Here are the lenses that I used. One night, I was on the 1st row in the corner at the bucking chutes. I alternated between my 24-70 2.8L and my 200 2.8L. The key is to be able to get these lenses into the venues when you are just an amateur. The white lenses get banned almost immediately if you are not a pro with a pass. For the PBR I sat 12-14 rows up the lower plaza. There was enough light to use my 75-300 F4-5.6 as long as I used an ISO of 1600. When setting up in the rafters, the 75-300 would work but needed the ISO of 3200 (Hi) to get enough light to be able to use an acceptable shutter speed of 1/320-500th. Good Luck....

[kb244]

... The key is to be able to get these lenses into the venues when you are just an amateur. ....

Nice to see the canon L glass synonimous(sp?) with pro even to the eyes of non-photographers.

[Jetpilot]

Thanks for the fantastic info folks. This is exactly what I was looking for. Especially the info about getting a 2.8 lense.

I've read that the white lenses get banned alot. I can understand banning photography outright, but can't make sense out of banning certain types of equipment. Is this something that the pro's demand when they take a contract to cover an event?

[kb244]

Thanks for the fantastic info folks. This is exactly what I was looking for. Especially the info about getting a 2.8 lense.

I've read that the white lenses get banned alot. I can understand banning photography outright, but can't make sense out of banning certain types of equipment. Is this something that the pro's demand when they take a contract to cover an event?


Certain places feel that such and such lens ensure that you will get a certain quality that allows you to sell any images on a commercial level, just like how Fredrick Meijers garden doesnt mind if I come in with a huge assortment of lens and cameras and such. But will wig out if I come in with a tripod, because I guess to them, you'll be able to get pro-quality shots in daylight using a tripod ( tho if its daylight you dont even need a tripod ). But course other reason could be on a busy day a tripod hinders the flow of traffic.

[ron chappel]

I tend to agree with the advice on a faster lens.
Night events tend to vary enormously in the amount of light available so you might get lucky,you might not.
If there's ANY way you can check the lighting output beforehand then do it.Even if that means asking someone that has shot in that venue

I tried to do a local rodeo last year but the lights (which certainly looked fine by the naked eye) just weren't bright enough.
@ iso 800 and f2 i was only getting around 1/40th of a sec.Just not enough for action

[cowboyupphotos]

Howdy - Unless you can get a hold of a press pass, you probably won't be able to get very good action shots of the PBR event. Capturing from the general seating area usually does not give you the best vantage point but you certainly can give it a try and have a good time as well. A fast 2.8 lens is a must and set your ISO to 800 or higher.

PBR events are professional sporting events and most are now televised. There is a lot of control over press and who actually can cover the event for the press. They don't want the average audience member hauling in professional photo equipment in fear that you may take a decent photo and use it for something other than personal viewing. I have seen them stop folks at the door with long lenses and have them put the equipment back in the car.

[Cadenza]

Just get the 85mm f1.8, set ISO to 800 or 1600
and you'll be done with it. Top quality glass in your
price range, and you'll be able to use it for portraits
later. There is no point in getting a lot of reach (the
75-300), if all you're gonna get is a bunch of blur.

That's the nice thing about the 20D's 8.2 megapixels.
You can crop like crazy and still get a decent image.

[Andy_T]

I'd second the advice on the 60$ 50/1.8 and 300$ 85/1.8.

If you prefer a zoom and don't mind losing a bit of light, the 300$ Tamron 28-75/2.8 XR DI is also an awesome lens.

Best regards,
Andy

[Redbird_xo]

The conditions required for the Canon 75-300 (with or without IS) to get decent photos from indoor available light shooting are 1) the present of studio lighting or something to that effect and 2) the subject will not move. That said, I think this lens might not fit your bill. In reality, I think a $300 budget might be a little difficult to get a fast enough zoom lens to meet your requirements. I could be wrong.

[Phil Hall]

I do a lot of cowboy events in indoor arenas. Light is generally low so you need a fast lense. You also need a good telephoto, 200 mm is barely adequate, the 100-400 mm has the reach but is usually too slow. Even a 580 ex will not through the light far enough, the better Beamer helps a little. You really need a Norman 800 or alien Bee 400ws strobe. You might want to try renting a 300mm lense and see how you like it.


Phil Hall

[RJSorensen]

I was unaware that 'white' lens could be banned from such events. Has this happened to anyone here? I would like to shoot a PBR event at least once in my life as well.