Ideal basketball lens

I shoot a lot of college basketball and switch between 50mm and 100mm lenses. (I'd use a 35mm lens, too, if it didn't seriously slow the frame rate.) I tried a 135mm lens, but that's too much magnification for basketball.

So why doesn't Canon, or any other lens manufacturer, make a 35-100mm f2 (or even f2.8) lens? I would buy one in a second if it was available for a reasonable price.

The consensus appears to be that such a lens would be prohibitively expensive...
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=277005

Full frame or crop?
Canon 85mm f1.8 is an option often discussed, but I am guessing from your post that you are looking for a zoom.
The Canon and Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 lenses would work, but many find even f2.8 not enough for some indoor situations. For a crop body, Sigma makes a 50-150 f2.8 which is a nice range for indoor but also only f2.8.

Ralpho wrote in post #15717248
I shoot a lot of college basketball and switch between 50mm and 100mm lenses. (I'd use a 35mm lens, too, if it didn't seriously slow the frame rate.) I tried a 135mm lens, but that's too much magnification for basketball.

So why doesn't Canon, or any other lens manufacturer, make a 35-100mm f2 (or even f2.8) lens? I would buy one in a second if it was available for a reasonable price.

That lens already exists. It's the EF-mount Canon CN-E30-105mm T2.8 L S Cinema Lens, designed for Canon's high-definition video cameras. The lens costs US $23,000.

Now you can go out and buy one and be happy.

I shoot alot of basketball - and a 30mm (sigma), 50 mm (sigma), 85mm (canon), does me well 95% of the time. Since they are all 1.4 or 1.8, they also assist with the poor lighting often present. Not sure what you mean about the frame rate, but this serves me well on 7D which has a decent frame rate.

Have you taken a look at the 24-70 f2.8.....? That paired with a 70-200 f2.8 is a killer combo for basketball....

Sigma has a 50-150mm 2.8.

There is this one: http://www.amazon.com …ies-Cameras/dp/B000BKP1JE

Well for gymnastics I'd love to see a 35-150 f1.4-2 (1.4 until 85 f1.8 at 100mm, f2 135 through the rest) that comes in at about half the price of having a 35L,50L, 85L, 135L all at once, so if they made in the L version then your 35-100 can be the USM counterpart, but 2.8 zooms are just not fast enough for me. And if it's big an heavy, so what just make sure it'll take a collar and I'll use it on a monopod, and the 2.8 line can stay appealing for the wedding and event photographers. I suspect it'll happen, I just also suspect it may be 30-50years before it does.

OK, 35-150 is pushing it, but I would definitely consider small range fast zooms. For instance a 50/70-100/130 f2 would be awesome (for FF). I assume a price of around $2k+, for something good at f2, but I would still consider something like that.

Actually pretty decent IQ for it's price. It is an APS-C which is god for you now but a little slow. 85 1.8 would be the ideal lens if you could live without zoom.

http://www.photozone.d​e …56-is-test-report--review

I love my 85mm 1.8 for basketball on my 7d from the corners but was wondering how the canon 35mm 1.4L would work from under the basket?

I use 85/1.8 from the corners, and the new 40/2.8 pancake for under the basket and bench shots. I also take my 28/1.8 to final games for shooting team shots - it's usually a bit too wide, but easy to crop.

At gyms that only have balcony-type access, the 200/2.8 works well. You kinda have to take whatever you can get.

If you've got the money, the 24-70/2.8 and the 70-200/2.8 would be ideal.

sbao26975 wrote in post #15722797
Have you taken a look at the 24-70 f2.8.....? That paired with a 70-200 f2.8 is a killer combo for basketball....

Yep.

What you really need is a second body... a used T2i or 50d is going to be cheaper than any of the lens options you're going to find.