-=Top 10=- Recommended Indoor Sports/Event Lenses

[CyberDyneSystems]

-=Top Ten=- Recommended Indoor Sports/Event Lenses

The fifth in a series of -=Top Ten=- recommended lens lists.

We move on to the best lenses for indoor Sports and indoor Event photography.

Like the " Wildlife lenses" we broke "Sports" into two seperate catagories.
However as opposed to "prime Vs. Zoom" the big diference we saw in application was the "indoor low-light" applications Vs. the "outdoor daylight" applications.

Once we saw the large variation these two very differnt applications demanded,. we also realized that the indoor event crowd, (think concerts, dance etc..) would be using most of the same indoor sports lenses.

Here in the EOS forum some of the most often asked questions are what lenses work best for a specific task.

After research into dozens of past threads and some further discussion,
...these are the lenses that were selected by our forum members as -=Top 10=- Recommended Indoor Sports/Event Lenses


Please vote,.. feel free to add to the thread why you like the lenses you do in the list,. and or add in an additional lens if it is not on the list and say why!

-=More Lens Polls=-

F.Y.I. This is a Public POLL. This means that if you click on one of the numbers in the poll,. you will be able to see who voted for what lenses. This may or may not seem helpfull to you. But it may be a benefit for various reasons.

This "Thread" is a forum informational thread and subject to extreme editing and deleting. Any OT discussion, issues etc should be taken via PM or another thread.

[Pekka]

I would have voted also for EF 85mm f/1.2L, 35/1.4L and 24/1.4L

[EricKonieczny]

I know this is not good for Sports, but I shoot Dance Clubs and events with DJ's/ musicians, and use the Canon 28-105 for close range shots. Decent for capturing the ambient light also of the intelligent lighting.

Pretty versatile and easier to manuver through a crowd with.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Originally Posted by Pekka

I would have voted also for EF 85mm f/1.2L, 35/1.4L and 24/1.4L

Added..
Can't believe i missed the 1.2.. it was on my list of "event lenses" too..
I guess I missed it when I merged the indoor sports and event lists.

Oddly,. no one had mentioned the 35 and 24 in the threads where we researched this.. we were all thinking to "long" I think. Again,. for event work especially,. they should be in there.

[Andy_T]

Being picky ... The 50/1.8 and 1.4 might also be useful for low light indoor situations .

Best regards,
Andy

[CyberDyneSystems]

Thanks Andy,..
Since the first polls,. Pekka has changed the sftware ,. so now we can add stuff!

[Longwatcher]

I voted for the 70-200/2.8L IS, 85/1.2 and 50/1.4.

The reason:
70-200/2.8L IS is the lens I use the most at indoor events (with or without flash). Just wonderful quality and flexability it gives me the range I need to catch what I need to. Don't go to an event without it.

85/1.2 I also picked this lens as it is the one I would use when I need a bit more aperture then the 70-200/2.8L can give me.

And I picked the 50/1.4, because this is the lens I use instead of the 85/1.2 I don't have yet. It has served me well in low light.

Just my opinion,

[Vita Rara]

I use the 85mm f/1.8 USM for swing, tango and contra dance. It's an awesome lens for this purpose. I will be adding a 135mm f/2L at some point, along with a 100mm f/2 USM. Which one to use all depends on distance to the subject.

Mark

[Persian-Rice]

Why would you guys vote for the IS version of the 70-200? That is just an extra $600 thats going to be wasted. IS is almost always useless for indoor sports, it wont have any effect.

[Pekka]

Originally Posted by Persian-Rice

Why would you guys vote for the IS version of the 70-200? That is just an extra $600 thats going to be wasted. IS is almost always useless for indoor sports, it wont have any effect.

I voted for both. IS is useful in indoor events (like theatre, opera, classical, meeting...).

[Persian-Rice]

Oh, I was thinking it meant sports only.

[Anders Östberg]

I also thought "indoor sports" when voting, so I checked 85/1.8, 135/2 and 300/2.8.

For concerts and similar I'd leave out the 300mm and include one or more of 24/1.4, 35/1.4 and 50/1.4.

Generally I do like zooms, but for indoors and low light there is a "need for speed".

[Penny Oswalt]

Hello,
Would I be correct in purchasing an 85/1.8 for high school basketball photography?
Thanks for you experienced advice.
Penny

[kidpower]

I use an 85 1.8 for all sorts of indoor basketball. On the whole it does a nice job. Being able to stop action in most dimly lit arenas is a challenge for any lens/camera. I'd recommend the 85 1.8 for most cases. Where you are shooting from (distance/angle) as well as being able to generate that "fast" shutter speed needed are factors. Sometimes I wish I had a zoom, but shoot with primes only, so I move a lot.

[grego]

Originally Posted by Persian-Rice

Why would you guys vote for the IS version of the 70-200? That is just an extra $600 thats going to be wasted. IS is almost always useless for indoor sports, it wont have any effect.

Well, there are some instances when I shot some sports at 1/250, and you can have possible camera shake, so it comes to be useful. And then of course for events like theater and dance. Obviously it depends on the particular event, but it shows its usefulness.