is a 70-200 f4 good for action sports

ok my 12yr old is in his 3rd season of pop-football and i would like to get some amazing photos of him. Now i dont have 1600 laying around to get a used 2.8, and i saw a f4 for 525 which is more in my price range.

So should i get the f4 for 525 or get a sigma 2.8?

Get the fastest lens you can afford for the conditions you will be shooting in. F4 will not cut it for low light.

You may even need a flash.

Look at your shooting conditions and get the best/fastest glass you can afford. Remember, 2.8 can go to F4. F4 is always f4.

oh forgot to mention they dont play at night.. normally around 11am or 1pm

canons900 wrote in post #13019653
Get the fastest lens you can afford for the conditions you will be shooting in. F4 will not cut it for low light.

You may even need a flash.

Look at your shooting conditions and get the best/fastest glass you can afford. Remember, 2.8 can go to F4. F4 is always f4.

ok well i read that the sigma isnt that great when it comes to image quality. so i will get that 2.8 f stop but ill lose some IQ.

Outdoors you may be ok with F4 why don't you experiment with some of your current lenses just to see if you can get a sharp photo.

I got this at oper.graduation in june on a football field at like midnight
not to sure how good it is.. i know cropping is poo but it was my first try at sports photo..

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dougy_8505 wrote in post #13019680
ok well i read that the sigma isnt that great when it comes to image quality. so i will get that 2.8 f stop but ill lose some IQ.

Not sure what Sigma you are talking about, but the 70-200 2.8 OS is not too far behind the L in IQ...but if the game is during the day, the 70-200 f/4 L will work very nice for you. I would not be afraid to use the f/4 during the day for sports.

thank you guys so much, its still kinda a tough choice .. i think if i can find a sigma for 600 ill go with that..

dwarrenr wrote in post #13019785
Not sure what Sigma you are talking about, but the 70-200 2.8 OS is not too far behind the L in IQ...but if the game is during the day, the 70-200 f/4 L will work very nice for you. I would not be afraid to use the f/4 during the day for sports.

+1 on the F/4. I used to love the one I had.

damn i wish i had the money for a canon 2.8...ugh what to do...

I had the Canon f4IS and used it for outdoor soccer. Loved that lens - great results.

If you're using the F4 non-IS lens in good light an higher shutter speeds, then I'd highly recomend. Just keep in mind that it will be a challenge using this lens at longer FL at slower shutter speeds without using a tripod (guess that what IS is for.....unless you have ultra steady hands )

We have sports fields where f/2.8 is not nearly fast enough. I was at a youth baseball game using my 50D and 70-200mm f/2.8 when the sun started to set and the lights were on. The settings in AV Mode became ISO 3200 f/2.8 and SS 1/6 sec. Try taking photos of a sporting event with shutter speed of 1/6 sec. There are many instances when lighting can become impossible with any kind of equipment that might be available for amateur/family photography.

The 70-200 f/4.0 should be fine for daytime sports. At something around $525 you should be able to recoup the price if you ever want to sell the lens.

DL Photo wrote in post #13020489
I had the Canon f4IS and used it for outdoor soccer. Loved that lens - great results.

If you're using the F4 non-IS lens in good light an higher shutter speeds, then I'd highly recomend. Just keep in mind that it will be a challenge using this lens at longer FL at slower shutter speeds without using a tripod (guess that what IS is for.....unless you have ultra steady hands )

Ultra steady.. lol ya right I only have the use of my right arm and im a diabetic which means even on a good day my hand still shakes...lol


Thanks for all the info guys

70-200 f/4.0 L may be the best Canon lens for the money. I have one that I carry on vacation. It doesn’t have a tripod mounting ring for a monopod but you can get them on ebay; “IS” only works with slow shutter speed with higher speeds it not adding any value

I have the lens and love it. I shot a local concert with it a month ago at night(right after sunset) and there were some stage lights but not many. Just cranked the ISO up on the 50D and it worked great. I could not afford the 2.8 and really wanted the good IQ of the 70-200L series so i went with the f4 non-is. I love it so much during the day and if it is at night it still works well just to crank the ISO up. I shot some whitewater kayaking a few weeks ago during the day and it performed flawlessly! if you just wait for like a week(like i did) you normally find a few that are differnt prices and hopefully you can get a great deal on it (like i did!) Check on here, Fred Miranda, and Craigslist are what i checked pretty much everyday. Also canon refurbs gets them in once in a while that are also good i hear.

Here are a few examples from it!

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/wraysinclair/6​089830216/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/wraysinclair/6​089833436/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/wraysinclair/5​991063666/