200mm 2.8 L—is a monopod a must-have for night sports??

I've been considering the 200mm 2.8 for some time as a cost-effective alternative to a 70-200 2.8 (Canon or otherwise) for dusk and after sports shooting. Is a monopod a must-have when shooting football, lax, etc . . . with this lens?

I've been happy with my 100/2 for this same purpose, and haven't needed a monopod. I'm not opposed to buying one, though.

Thanks in advance for input.

couldn't hurt

Considering that you'll need to keep the shutter speed fairly high to freeze motion, a monopod is certainly not a necessity but they are nice to have to help support the weight of the camera and lens if you plan on shooting for hours at a time.

For 200mm f2.8 no need, IMHO. I would still like to have 70-200mm f2.8 non IS over 200mm f2.8 for more flexibility in shooting.

No. The key factor is being able to track action. Examples from a Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX II lens- handheld, no monopod. The Sigma lens weighs roughly the same as the Canon 200mm f/2.8 L II lens.

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mickeyb105 wrote in post #14507091
I've been considering the 200mm 2.8 for some time as a cost-effective alternative to a 70-200 2.8 (Canon or otherwise) for dusk and after sports shooting. Is a monopod a must-have when shooting football, lax, etc . . . with this lens?

I've been happy with my 100/2 for this same purpose, and haven't needed a monopod. I'm not opposed to buying one, though.

Thanks in advance for input.

I've shot night time softball with this lens at about ISO 6400, 1/500th, f/2.8. Monopod was not required and doesn't really do anything at that fast a shutter speed anyway. The lens is light enough to hand hold with no issues.

You might also consider using a flash unit. ETTL mode will sync the shutter speed at 1/250, give you some subject separation, and add fill light where needed. Works in daylight, too...

Thanks for all of the input, everyone--I really appreciate it

I shot the 200 2.8L at a few sporting events. The lack of IS is irrelevant at sporting shutter speeds. I found the lens too long for indoor sports, and too short for outdoor sports, and not flexible enough for either. I sold it. I hope to someday afford a 70-200L f/2.8. As soon as my wife gets over the sticker shock on the 100-400L, that is. Oh, my assessment of the 200 2.8L is based on shooting a 60D & T1i, both croppers.

I only use a monopod with my 70-200 f/2.8 IS because I get lazy and don't feel like holding it up all the time during a game. If the weight isn't a problem for you then you won't need a monopod.

Don Madson wrote in post #14509006
You might also consider using a flash unit. ETTL mode will sync the shutter speed at 1/250, give you some subject separation, and add fill light where needed. Works in daylight, too...

For night sporting events? Are you sure?

Flash for sports? Not a good idea.

The 580 EX ii has a guide number of 58 meters or 191 feet. Flash exposure is independent, essentially, from shutter speed and is calculated by: Distance = Guide Number/Aperture. 191 ft / f/2.8 = Flash distance of 68 feet at ISO 100. At ISO 400, the guide number is multiplied by 2. So flash could theoretically help out to 136 feet. Do you want to spray an athletic team, in the midst of competition, with a full power flash blast? Will the venue/coaches even consider letting you do that? Methinks, not! Especially at night! During the day you may get away with it, but you won't NEED it. And it won't help.

At night it is even worse. If you use normal flash, you are limited to normal sync-speed of 1/200 or 1/250. That is just barely fast enough to get good shots with a 200mm lens on a crop body, for most of us. Compound that with the need of higher shutter speeds for sports, and you are now in the FP flash area, which cuts down on the reach of your flash. A full-power flash at ISO 400 and 1/1000 is good for about 30 feet. Add all of this up and you get why the professional shell out big-$$$$ for really fast glass, and sturdy mono-pods. You just can't get it done with a hot-shoe mounted flash unit. There is not enough power.

In bright sunshine you can shoot ISO 100-400 with an f/2.8 lens and keep the shutter speed faster than 1/1000. Focal length does not matter here. You can do this with a 24mm f/2.8 or a 400mm f/2.8L. That is as good as it gets. The laws of physics will not be defied.

Day or night, flash doesn't even enter into the equation. Flash does not do much for sports, without getting in the way of the competition. Do the competitors a favor. Leave it at home.

I always use a monopod for sports action. Don't want or have to hold the camera and heavy lens up in the air for two/three hours and it adds stability which leads to less oof pics. I find it easier to track my target because I only have to work to point the lens at my target and not hold it up too.


This was with a monopod....

You do not need a mono-pod with this lens. It's a hand holder, small, light
and an excellent value for the money. Zoom with your feet, think ahead and
position yourself for each play.

Joemt.

sambarino wrote in post #14509736
Flash for sports? Not a good idea.

The 580 EX ii has a guide number of 58 meters or 191 feet. Flash exposure is independent, essentially, from shutter speed and is calculated by: Distance = Guide Number/Aperture. 191 ft / f/2.8 = Flash distance of 68 feet at ISO 100. At ISO 400, the guide number is multiplied by 2. So flash could theoretically help out to 136 feet. Do you want to spray an athletic team, in the midst of competition, with a full power flash blast? Will the venue/coaches even consider letting you do that? Methinks, not! Especially at night! During the day you may get away with it, but you won't NEED it. And it won't help.

At night it is even worse. If you use normal flash, you are limited to normal sync-speed of 1/200 or 1/250. That is just barely fast enough to get good shots with a 200mm lens on a crop body, for most of us. Compound that with the need of higher shutter speeds for sports, and you are now in the FP flash area, which cuts down on the reach of your flash. A full-power flash at ISO 400 and 1/1000 is good for about 30 feet. Add all of this up and you get why the professional shell out big-$$$$ for really fast glass, and sturdy mono-pods. You just can't get it done with a hot-shoe mounted flash unit. There is not enough power.

In bright sunshine you can shoot ISO 100-400 with an f/2.8 lens and keep the shutter speed faster than 1/1000. Focal length does not matter here. You can do this with a 24mm f/2.8 or a 400mm f/2.8L. That is as good as it gets. The laws of physics will not be defied.

Day or night, flash doesn't even enter into the equation. Flash does not do much for sports, without getting in the way of the competition. Do the competitors a favor. Leave it at home.

What? Are you sure? No flash? How can people shoot sports without flash that is beyond me.... Flash sport photography, this is where most people can't understand or even know how to go about it. I shoot cycling races and I use flash, unless the sun is facing the riders head on. There are couples of problems with flash sport photography. Your flash head must be able to keep up with the camera burst speed. This is only possible using a high voltage battery pack, not your Canon AA battery external power pack. With a 580exII and a HV battery pack, your flash can even keep up with the 1dmarkIII burst speed. If you don't know how to use the setup, you can burn out your flash quick. Another issues is that is the subject distance and depending on low is the ambient light. If you are shooting with a 300mm lens, obviously, your flash would be useless (may try a flash extender). Anything from 24mm to 150mm, your flash can still be effective. Another problems you get is the ghosting effect you get when the shutter speed is still too low, usually under the max flash sync speed of your body. The ghosting effect gets more pronounced when the ambient light is really, really low. You can enable the High speed sync on your flash but your flash may not be fast enough to keep up with the burst speed of every frame.

Why use flash in sports photography? Same as why you use flash in your portrait shots....