Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM Lens

Hi everyon!

Am keen to hear your thoughts on this lens:
Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM Lens

Would it be okay for:

- Outdoor Soccer and Touch Rugby photography and
- Indoor Roller Derby Photography?

The alternative is a 70-200 2.8l USM IS...which is AWESOME! But does not have the same reach.

I use a Canon 7D which has a crop of 1.6x.

Thanks for your help!

CWP

70-200 plus 1.4TC

If it was me, I would go 100-400L

samsen wrote in post #15656852
70-200 plus 1.4TC

If it was me, I would go 100-400L

Why?

Since I am a CPS member I tested the Canon 300 f4 this past football season and had excellent results. But I was shooting with a 5D3. But the 5d3 does a better job of taking pictures with a high ISO with minimal noise. I also own a 7D in which I haven't picked up since getting my 5d3 and I don't believe that lens would be fast enough for night conditions. Before dropping $1300 for the lens you should go rent one to see if you are happy with the results.

Seems like it would be a bit much for an indoor event, even more so with the 1.6 crop factor.

Yaryman wrote in post #15657361
Seems like it would be a bit much for an indoor event, even more so with the 1.6 crop factor.

The crop factor means nothing. I can get the same results cropping my pictures in Photoshop with my 5d3 with better results.

Here is an article explaining crop factor.

http://daryl-hunter.net …d-disseminated-confusion/

Do you already have the 70-200? From what I've seen of roller derby setups, unless you're strobing it, I don't think f4 is going to be fast enough for Derby action. Soccer I'd want to have a 1.4 TC on hand for flexibility.

Yaryman wrote in post #15657361
Seems like it would be a bit much for an indoor event, even more so with the 1.6 crop factor.

Czbrat271 wrote in post #15657413
The crop factor means nothing. I can get the same results cropping my pictures in Photoshop with my 5d3 with better results.

I would not agree that that 'crop factor means nothing'. In outdoor situations where you most likey focal length limited (like shooting soccer or rugby), 99% of the time crop factor is negligible. A 5d3 can be cropped down and still produce results that are probably better than a 7d (birding is that 1% where a crop factor can make a difference).

However, for indoor situations, a crop factor affects your field of view and absolutely makes a difference. It may be the difference between getting a whole person in a shot (full frame) versus cutting off limbs (7d). I would agree with Yaryman that for most indoor applications, a 480mm field of view can often be WAY too much. Heck, a lot of times, anything past 100mm on a crop sensor might be too much, depending on what you're shooting.

The 300mm f4 is a fantastic lens, but it's usefullness will be primarily foroutdoors. If you can only have one lens, I would echo comments that a 70-200 IS + extender would be a best bet for both indoor and outdoor applications. An extender get's you to 280mm f4 with only minor hits to image quality and autofocus for outdoor use. The 70-200 is in many ways suited for indoor uses due to it's 2.8 aperture.

Czbrat271 wrote in post #15657413
The crop factor means nothing. I can get the same results cropping my pictures in Photoshop with my 5d3 with better results.

How do you ' uncrop' your too-long-for-inside 300mm lens on a 1.6X sensor?

Kidding aside, you are thinking about field sports outside. OP is also wanting to shoot inside where 300mm is probably too long most of the time and F/4 is too slow. And yes, the crop factor matters when the lens is too long.

Like the others, if I only had the choice of one for both sports, I'd go with the 70-200. I use my 300 f/4 for soccer quite a bit, but I also have a second camera with a 70-200. The 300 on a crop sensor just doesn't work when the action gets close (though it's essential for shooting across the pitch). With a 70-200 and 1.4TC, there will be shots that are too far away, but if you're shooting one body and one lens, you'll simply have to make some compromises.


As for inside, having a max aperture of f/4 is definitely going to hurt. I've never shot roller derby, but 300mm does sound to me like it would be too long.