Canon 70-200MM F4 or 580EX?

[ACDCROCKS]

Hi all,

I shoot highschool sports, I had to shoot Varsity football last friday ( nothing new), My boss wanted me to shoot it though. I'm looking foward of getting a Canon 20D. Should I get the 580 EX With a 75-300MM and a Grip.. Or get a Canon 20D with the 70-200MM F/4?
Thanks

[kevin harding]

That's a bit of a tough one... the flash is very handy because it throws some more light out when you may need it.

I have just recently purchased the 580ex and am incredibly happy with it. I can't recommend one of those packages over the other because I think the 70-200L is a good lens, but I know the flash is good too....

Good luck making a decision!

[PhotosGuy]

Hard choice & you don't say what lenses you have available to use now. I don't know the f/stop, but maybe consider a used 75-300MM 'till you can afford upgrading to a used f/4 L, 'till you can afford upgrading to the f/2.8 L?
Or try a prime tele in the f2-2.8 range.

[smirchfa]

The grip feels nice, but there are a lot of known problems with it. I'm going to sell mine because of the power loss issue - it's fine most of the time, but when I shoot with a bracket and hold the camera, it will shut off occasionally. That aside, I think the long lens would be more valuable for football than the flash would be. But, the flash is awesome...OK, so I've been no help at all! Good Luck!

[Mthorpe_Davies]

Get both, if you forget about the grip you could almost swing it.

[Andy_T]

I'd try to get the 20D with 70-200/4.0 and Sigma DG 500 ST super instead.

I use my 20D with the 80-200/2.8 L and have never felt the need for a grip so far. Sure, it looks cool, but that doesn't add much to my images :lol:
A good lens and a flash are more important ... but the flash doesn't have to be the newest&latest, IMO.

Best regards,
Andy

[peacock]

IMHO
get the better lens first , the 70-200f4 is wonderful and great value for money , nothing will give you greater pleasure than crisp clear images .The flash is great but wont make you smile as much if you are dissapointed with your lens choice.

edit
my appologies for posting in the cornering the pro's forum , i'm not a pro Lol my mistake

[garbidz]

the EX-430 is about half the price and if you don't need all the fancy features of the 580EX why don't you get it instead...the flash comes in handy on a cloudy day to liven up the colours and lighten shadowsm just read the manual before the first shoot... ;-)

you never mentioned a tripod/monopod?
the 300mm turns to 480mm in 20D so you should be shooting hand held at 1/500 to get decent sharpness..all those pros with their great big white lenses are not carrying monopods around for their personal protection...

In my view the sharpness issue between an L and the rest of the lenses sinks in motion blur unless your shooting stand is steady. I have the 70-200 f/4 and I like its quality but the difference shows only when handled correctly.

So in my opinion get the 430 EX, a real monopod with a serious ball head and a Sigma or a Tamron zoom of desired length...the Sigma 2.8 is of impressive size, if it matters here...
http://www.shopping.com/xPC-Sigma_Zoom_Telephoto_70_200mm_f_2_8_EX_APO_IF_HSM_ Autofocus_Lens_for_Canon_EOS

[Joe R]

For sports get a used 70-200/2.8L or a Sigma 70-200/2.8. Even with the high ISO performance of the 20D you'll need f/2.8 for sports.