high school sports lens

[dilley5]

Hello everyone. I will be shooting football,soccer and probably some volleyball for the local newspaper. I shoot with a 20d and 580ex. My 70-200f4 is going to be too slowand my tamron 17 -50 2.8 is too short. SOOOOOOO. I will need a new lens. I am debating about these lenses. 70-200 2.8 or 200 2.8L. also I am fuzzy on IS as it pertains to moving subjects. I have read on here that it is no help ,but I thought I had also seen some sports shots on here using IS. I could be out of my mind though. if IS would be a consideration,would the 300 f4 IS be anygood for this application. Or am I worrying too much since it is just a newspaper and the IQ doesn't need to be that great. I would like to stay under $1200 bucks. If you are bored and want to answer yet another "which lens" question, I will be honored. mark

[S.Horton]

Football/soccer at the price you mention, the 300 f/4 L IS is correct.

IS mode 2 helps you when you pan.

Indoor volleyball, 85 f/1.8; you could barely shoot it at f/2.8.

[LightRules]

Check out the excellent Sigma 100-300 f4 EX

[dilley5]

Thanks I had played around with the 300 in the store. It was nice. seems sensless to buy another 70-200 anyway. thanks again

[dilley5]

Iwill also check out the sigma. maybe at 3200 iso. would you suggest using a monopod also

[CountryBoy]

Yes a monopd with The Sigma. I use the sigma for day sports. For football at night, I don't know. It would depend on the lighting. On some fields the lighting is so bad a 2.8 lens wouldn't be fast enough.

[RyanD]

if you want to use a monopod you'll want to get yourself a Really Right Stuff bracket so you can shoot in portrait...as most sport shots are better off in that orientation. I thought about getting a monopod for basketball but I think it would be too cumbersome and actually make it harder to get the shots that I want...

EDIT** thats if you were planning on getting a prime lens (which I would highly recommend if you ever plan on shooting inside a highschool gym)

[liza]

I use a Sigma 70-200 and a 200L with a teleconverter for field sports, and the 85mm and 100 mm primes for gym sports.

[pagnamenta]

The 70-200 f2.8 is my main sports lens for football, soccer, and everything else high school sports related. Sometimes it's nice to get the 300 mm range, but the f2.8 is almost necessary (though you could make it with f4) For volleyball, you're gonna need f2.8 or faster.

[Yohan Pamudji]

I hate flash sports shots, but I think local newspapers prefer it. You might want to check with them to see how their sports photos have looked in the past. If you do the flash thing, you might be able to get away with setting your camera on M exposure mode, say at f/4 1/400 ISO 3200 (your actual settings will differ), and use flash. But if you go flashless for nighttime football you're almost guaranteed to need f/2.8. No need for IS with sports photos, as your shutter speeds will be high enough to handhold the lens easily, although using a monopod helps stabilize and reduce shooting fatigue too.

Volleyball? Look into the 85mm f/1.8 or 100mm f/2 if you shoot available light, although if you're in a nice gym you might get away with the 70-200 f/2.8 there too. See if you can scout out the field and gym to see what kind of light you're dealing with before making your final purchase decision.

[naqs]

Originally Posted by LightRules

Check out the excellent Sigma 100-300 f4 EX

I think this would be a good choice... from my experience the 70-200 is just not long enough

[HuskiesD1]

Kinda curious...

High school sports lighting is generally crap.

Why are you recommending the use of an f/4 lens? I personally use a 70-200 2.8L and can sometimes get 1/400 @ 1600.

What shutter speed do you use?

EDIT: I say this because I am looking for a longer field sports lens myself, preferably without spending 2,000+ on at least a Sigma 120-300 2.8.

[cdifoto]

Some pretty bad advice here.

If your 70-200 f/4 is too slow, a 300 f/4 or 100-300 f/4 won't suffice either. You'll need a prime. If you can get right on the sidelines, the 135mm f/2L or 85mm f/1.8 might do the trick. Or else the 200mm f/2.8. If f/2.8 will be good enough, you could sell your 70-200 f/4 to help fund a 70-200 f/2.8 and still have enough cash left for the 85mm f/1.8 which you will very likely need for volleyball and basketball and such.

As for IS...it doesn't hurt you much, but it really doesn't help either, unless you're panning. It stabilizes YOU but it doesn't stop subject movement.

[BaumannPhotography]

I just got in from shooting the opening football games tonight in our area. And I am shooting a volleyball tournament tomorrow (I mean today ) Lenses I use:

Football/Track/Baseball - 70-200 2.8 w/IS (which doesn't help), and 300 2.8 and 1.4x extender
Volleyball/basketball - 85 1.8 and 70-200 if the lighting is good

[kidpower]

If you are going to be shooting for the local paper chances are you are going to encounter a wide variety of venues. I'm assuming many of the football/soccer games may run into the evening or even start at night.

I think you are going to want a 2.8 lens at minimum. Your placement at these events will also help dictate your choice.

Indoors I'd at least have a 85 1.8 in my aresenal, even if you decide to go with a 2.8. I suppose if you are going to use flash that could change things.

Personally, last season I used a 135L and 85 1.8 on an XT exclusively for the entire football and basketball and volleyball season. Short on the outdoor sports to cover all the action, but perfect when the action was in my zone.

Good luck.

P.S. - All of the above assumes the typical high school lighting - mediocre to bad at best. If you are in an area that has pretty good lighting that could change things.