What camera/lens combo for basketball

I work for my university and shoot basketball games every now and then, from the baseline.

Given the gear in the office and my own, we decided between the two media passes we have we are gonna use these two setups for long lenses:

5d II and a 70-200 f4
and
7d and a 70-200 2.8 IS I

With the above, which do you think would be a better option to pick between...
I really like the 70-200 range on full frame, however I the FPS of the 7D is quite nice too... just wondering if the crop sensor is gonna make me miss more shots even with the FPS.

Any advice is welcome - for now I plan on trying each during a half to see what I like better.

(for what its worth Ill also pair either with a 7D and 17-55 2.8 or possibly an 85 1.8 - I use the 85 for shots of the bench and more in between play shots of players' emotions)

In my experience shooting basketball there are a couple of issues:

I have shot run and gun teams:

The 7D and the 70-200 is great for these shooting from the corner of the baseline.

This year my local uni teams are very systematic in their offence with lots of passing and running down the shot clock:

I use the full frame and 24-70 in this situation (7D and 17-55).

It is interesting how the team style can influence the equipment you choose.

All fun though.

sullivanrp wrote in post #15266386
I work for my university and shoot basketball games every now and then, from the baseline.

Given the gear in the office and my own, we decided between the two media passes we have we are gonna use these two setups for long lenses:

5d II and a 70-200 f4
and
7d and a 70-200 2.8 IS I

With the above, which do you think would be a better option to pick between...
I really like the 70-200 range on full frame, however I the FPS of the 7D is quite nice too... just wondering if the crop sensor is gonna make me miss more shots even with the FPS.

Any advice is welcome - for now I plan on trying each during a half to see what I like better.

(for what its worth Ill also pair either with a 7D and 17-55 2.8 or possibly an 85 1.8 - I use the 85 for shots of the bench and more in between play shots of players' emotions)

There are no revelations or mysteries here. For years, with film and digital cameras, the basic basketball coverage lens has been a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, which generates images such as these.

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

70-200 on a crop body can get pretty tight under the basket. Positioning yourself more to the outside corner helps. AF speed and accuracy would be a greater factor over fps in my eyes, but that's just me.

Experiment with different combos and find out which one suits your style of shooting. Personally, my favorite combo for bball is an 85 1.8 and 300 2.8 on full-frames, with something wide (24-70) to switch with the 300 at some point.

I really don't get this obsession with full frame. Personally, if I would have chance, I would never change 1.3x of my old 1d bodies with full frame on 1dx. But that's just me.
5dmk2 has no auto focus... at least not anything what could be considered af when it comes to sport. So that rules it out for me right away. Next thing is f4 lens, which might not be all that great as someone would think, especially indoor. When it comes to basketball, I shoot more or less only Euroleague matches (sort of European version of NBA), which means damn good lights, yet I can't imagine doing it with f4 lens.
So based on your options, I would go with 7d and 70-200/2.8 as only option without even thinking about 5dmk2 and 70-200/4.

primoz wrote in post #15267132
...When it comes to basketball, I shoot more or less only Euroleague matches (sort of European version of NBA), which means damn good lights, yet I can't imagine doing it with f4 lens.
So based on your options, I would go with 7d and 70-200/2.8 as only option without even thinking about 5dmk2 and 70-200/4.

I'd agree here. I don't even consider my 5D2 for basketball. I use the 1D4 and 70-200 2.8 and sit at the corner of the baseline. I also use the 85 1.8 and 135 2.

Now, what can change things is if you are using strobes then you have greater options and can get away with the f4 lens. Will you being using strobes?

When it comes to shooting basketball you really need to stay with 2.8 zooms or faster primes. You also need to stick with cameras with good auto focus and that limits you to 7D, 5D MKIII, or the 1D series (later models the better). Indoor sports requires good equipment if you have to get the shots (paid assignments, etc); however, if you want to shoot recreationally you can get by with much less because a little motion blur or significant noise is not a deal breaker. If that is the case, then you can get by with less of a cash outlay and pick from a broad set of equipment.

RCB wrote in post #15269353
When it comes to shooting basketball you really need to stay with 2.8 zooms or faster primes. You also need to stick with cameras with good auto focus and that limits you to 7D, 5D MKIII, or the 1D series (later models the better). Indoor sports requires good equipment if you have to get the shots (paid assignments, etc); however, if you want to shoot recreationally you can get by with much less because a little motion blur or significant noise is not a deal breaker. If that is the case, then you can get by with less of a cash outlay and pick from a broad set of equipment.

AGREE 100% with this.

All good info here. I agree with everything.

If I am shooting ambient, then it is 85, 135, 200 primes. If I am strobing, then 24-70, 70-200 and 200 w/1.4x.

primoz wrote in post #15267132
I really don't get this obsession with full frame. Personally, if I would have chance, I would never change 1.3x of my old 1d bodies with full frame on 1dx. But that's just me.
5dmk2 has no auto focus... at least not anything what could be considered af when it comes to sport. So that rules it out for me right away. Next thing is f4 lens, which might not be all that great as someone would think, especially indoor. When it comes to basketball, I shoot more or less only Euroleague matches (sort of European version of NBA), which means damn good lights, yet I can't imagine doing it with f4 lens.
So based on your options, I would go with 7d and 70-200/2.8 as only option without even thinking about 5dmk2 and 70-200/4.

Yes. I totally agree.

Personally for me I use the 5D Mark III with either a 135L 2.0 or a 70-200L 2.8 MarkII IS then every once and a while I switch to a 35mm or 50mm to get a wide shot.

Examples of the 35mm

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …s/nickperkins/8​538483431/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …s/nickperkins/8​415958126/

FF and 400 2.8 for far court or 1.3x and 300 2.8
FF and 70-200 for near court.

Remotes usually with a 16-35

I love my 5dM3 and my 70-200 for basketball. The 5dM3 is great at high ISO.

for me, i use 1DmkIV with a 70-200 & 24-70. Sometimes i'll switch out the 24-70 with a 16-35 for wider shots under the basket.

Also, gotta take into consideration where you'll be shooting from on the baseline. huge different from the spot under the basket to the spot at the very end of the baseline.

For what its worth - I bought a 5d III and paired with a 70-200 2.8 I was very satisfied.

I plan on using a 24-70 or 16-35 on it and eventually adding a 1div or x with a 70-200 on it and 300 2.8 to switch to...

Lotta money so gonna take some time to accumulate it, but I have influence on my work's gear purchases so we will see what I can do