Lens for under the lights?

[corsonsr]

Recently I purchased a Canon EOS Rebel XSi with an 18-55mm lens. And on the advice of a friend I also purchased a 75-300mm zoom lens. The 300 mm lens works great at my sons soccer games during the day. But when they play at night under the lights…forget about it. Now with the start of indoor sports I know I’ll need a different lens that will allow more light in so I won’t need to use a flash. Can anyone tell what would be a good lens for outside under the lights and if the same would be good for the indoor sports? If not what would be good for indoors? Also can someone recommend a book that might help me quickly get some idea of what I’m doing and what everything means? Thank you for any and all help.

[Merciez]

For most outdoor lighting (youth sports) you will not find a lens that is fast enough for the low lighting typically provided.

For indoor sports (basketball), a great lens which will not break the bank is the 85 f1.8.

For a book to read, I would recommend: Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. The book is easy to read with many great examples.

Welcome to the forums.

[corsonsr]

Thank you Matt :)
I'll look into that lens and book.

[eigga]

Indoor sports...

85 1.8 (especially basketball and voleyball)
135 f/2
300 2.8
70-200 2.8
400 2.8
200 f/2

You will find other than the 85 they are all pretty expensive... fast glass + long FL = $$$

Most people start with the 70-200 2.8 and add as needed from there. 200mm is rarely enough for sports, especially soccer.

[timstreet]

I recommend reading this....and it's free too :) http://www.photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/lenses.html. Welcome to the world of photography...your bank account will never look good again :) Well at least mine hasn't!

[Gatorboy]

Outdoors under the lights. I recommend the Sigma 120-300 f/2.8

Indoors -- the list above is great. Different indoor sports require different lenses.

[Keltab]

+1 for the book - Understanding Exposure (revised edition) by Bryan Peterson.
It is a great investment for newbies (and this is coming from a newbie with that book!)

Welcome to POTN, and welcome to a great hobby/passion/profession, or wherever it takes you!

[Mike R]

Welcome to POTN

Indoor: Another vote for the 85 f/1.8 USM Even in a dark gym it's good without flash, I shoot at f/2.2, 1/400 and adjust my ISO as needed.
Outdoor: I use the 70-200 f/2.8L USM, Non IS version. IS will not help with action shots. However I use my 580EX along with it for night football games

[HuskyKMA]

corsonsr, can you give us some idea of your budget? It's easy to spit out lens recomendations, but they mean absolutely nothing if they are not realistic recomendations for your budget.

[corsonsr]

Kevin, I’d be willing to pay about 2G or a little more if the Lens is really worth it. Meaning that it will let me take great Pics of my kids on the field at night games under the lights. I don’t do this for money so I’ve got to be real about how much I spend. If the lens is a really good one that’s on sale then I’d spring for more. From what I’ve been reading the Canon EF 200mm f/1.8 USM Lens was a great lens and it was being sold for as low...LOL…. as $3,400.00 before it was discontinued. And that Lens at one time was selling for about $4,500.00. Now if that was that good of a Lens and at the lower price that great of a deal AND it would enable me to get the shots I want at night at the field. Yes, I would probably fork out the $3,400 and just pray that my boys have a lot of grandkids for me to take photos of in about 10 years. As with my first posting any and all info that will help is greatly appreciated. I’ve already got a few things I need to read between trying to find a good price for the 85mm f/1.8 USM I need to take photos of my boys playing indoor sports. I hope it will also be good if they are in a play or some other after school activity indoors. Thank you all for your help, I’ll keep reading and hopefully learning. I forgot to mention the lens does not have to be a canon lens, as long as it works with my Canon EOS Rebel XSi. And of course it’s worth it.

[Dan-o]

Get a 70-200 2.8. No lens does it all but this one is pretty damn close.

[PhotosGuy]

1. You did look at this, right?
Sticky: Sports Shooting Tutorials and Advice (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=135417)
Yes, I would probably fork out the $3,400...
2. Before you do that, think about a external flash. I ran some tests at higher than normal shutter speeds, & this may be an option for you:
Strobe sync @ 1/400: Pushing the limits. (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=599450)

[corsonsr]

I'm reading it now, and then when I finish it I'm going to read the other items that were recommended. Will schools let you use an external flash to take pictures at school sporting events? Remember I'm only a parent taking pics of his son and friends. So far at my son’s hockey games the pics are coming out OK. A friend said it's probably because of the light reflecting off the ice it's making everything brighter. So for at least his games I should be OK with what I have already. By the way my first name is Jeff. As always thank you for any and all help.

[Mike R]

I'm reading it now, and then when I finish it I'm going to read the other items that were recommended. Will schools let you use an external flash to take pictures at school sporting events? Remember I'm only a parent taking pics of his son and friends. So far at my son’s hockey games the pics are coming out OK. A friend said it's probably because of the light reflecting off the ice it's making everything brighter. So for at least his games I should be OK with what I have already. By the way my first name is Jeff. As always thank you for any and all help.

You will find that every coach has their own policy about using flash. It's best to ask them, even if a newspaper photographer is using one. There are many debates about whether the kids even notice it but the coach has the final say in the matter.

[mpeters]

If you are willing to spend $2,000, I would recommend the following:

1) 70-200/2.8L non-IS ~$1,000
2) 85/1.8 or 100/2 ~$300

Save the rest for all the crap you'll end up buying anyway, including a flash for outside field sports.