Sports and Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6

[avaloncm]

Has anyone used this lens with indoor sports such as Volleyball or basketball? I worry about the 3.5, but will the IS help compensate. I want something to go with my 70-200 f2.8 but give me more flexibility for other uses than a 24-70 f2.8

Any thoughts and please show samples of indoor sports photos with this lens. Thanks!

[JeffreyG]

It's probably going to be too slow. That lens is at f/5.6 over most of the range you are likely to use for even indoor sports and f/5.6 is simply too slow.

I find a lot of indoor sports even really challenge f/2.8 and this I often use primes.

[egordon99]

IS does nothing for subject motion. f/5.6 (heck, even f/3.5) is way too slow for anything indoors and running around.

[DDWD10]

This lens works surprisingly well for outdoor sports in my experience, but I'd never want to shoot with it indoors (given my 10D's high ISO performance).

[fxk]

Not a bad lens, but it isn't right for indoor sports under available light. If you can use flash...

[waylandcool]

I used it for hockey all last winter and was happy with the results.

[avaloncm]

Does anybody have sample images to share. I got good images with a 75-300 f4-f5.6 and incredible images with the 27-200 f2.8. So I am curious to what this would do indoors. Otherwise, I think this lens would be great for me.

[egordon99]

What the heck is the 27-200? ;)

[avaloncm]

70-200

[Mike R]

One of the gyms I shoot in is ike a cave, the lighting is so poor. I use my 85 1.8 and shoot at f/2.2, 1/400 and an ISO of 800.

[dmwierz]

I had the 28-135 and sold it - it's an OK walk-around lens (though I have subsequently discovered there are better choices) but it absolutely sucked for action. Not only is the aperture not anywhere near wide enough, but the AF is painfully slow.

[convergent]

Unless you are in a very unusual venue, it will be way too slow for volleyball and basketball. I just did a volleyball tournament at a fairly new university facility this past weekend and shot the whole thing at f/2 and ISO1600-3200... and that place was pretty bright. At the high school level, you will probably find f/2.8 too slow. I've shot one volleyball/basketball event in the last year with an f/2.8 lens, and that was at a brand new division I college arena. Depending on which body you have, you will likely do better with the likes of some combination of the 50 f/1.4, 85 f/1.8, and 135 f/2.

[pastanley]

70-200
Your going to have to learn to shoot in manual M mode with this lens for low light sport events.Your going to have to set the aperature to 2.8 and a medium high shutter speed coupled with a high ISO and set wb accordingly.

[R-C-G]

I've used it a few times for basketball and wrestling. Produced images that were acceptable for newsprint after some cleaning in photoshop, though regular prints wouldn't look that great.

[yaboo]

I used to own one of those lenses, and sold it to support my 24-70 f2.8. The 3.5 is still not low enough for stadiums.

I never could get a good exposed imaged, unless the iso was ramped up too high.

Joseph

[Tigershark]

I used that kit lens early on and it was just too low to stop the action

[steveaggie]

Just wanted to echo what the others are saying. I shot a VB game with it on my 40D and it was too slow. I shot at 1/250 at 1600/3200 ISO f/3.5 and the pics still came out a little underexposed. Don't even think of zooming in!