blackjack999 wrote in post #15615508
As I really love this game and want to try me at sport photography, which lens would you recommend for indoor and outdoor basketball games (and maybe soccer)?
I use a 70-200/2.8 with a 1D Mark IV. In most gymnasiums this works for me at f/2.8, 1/640 and ISO 6400 to ISO 12800. So you have a few things to consider:
Given the gymnasiums you will be shooting in, is f/2.8 going to be fast enough for you on the 7D? How high of an ISO are you willing to use on that body? A few years ago I was shooting with bodies that I did not like above ISO 3200, and so I used primes for the speed. I only changed to the 70-200/2.8 for indoor sports once I got the 1D Mark IV.
If the game you are shooting is older kids or adults with the best action being vertical in the paint, then the 70-200 is about an ideal basketball focal length on a FF body like the 5D Mark III, it is a touch too long under the basket on a 1D and it will feel too long on a 7D I think. But there are not too many other options, at least not in a single lens. At one point I was using both a 70-200 (more from the corners) and a 24-70 from under the basket.
The 85/1.8 is workable for good shots, it will feel about right shooting from the corners of the court. From directly under the basket (my favorite place to shoot) it is going to be too long for most action in the paint. It will be good for shooting perimeter passing and guard play.
Ironically, with all this talk of the 70-200 being a bit too long for basketball, I'll now also tell you that a 70-200 is a bit too short for soccer. I like my 100-400 for soccer, but I will also note that this lens is useless for any indoor sports since it is too long and too slow. You could get away with a 70-200 for soccer, but you will be restricted to only shooting action that is near to you. Even action in the middle of the field will seem quite distant from the sideline. It's a big field.