Choosing the right tool...

Next week, I have a PM U6 soccer game I would like to take pictures. It would start around 5:30PM (low light) and end around 6:30 PM (very low light). There will be no field lighting, only natural. Normally, I would use my 70-300 but at this time of day/year, it's simply just not fast enough. I obviously don't know what the weather is going to be like so I cannot say whether or not it's going to be overcast or clear which will, as you might guess, make a big difference. During the time frame in question, I was playing with my 7D and a 1.4 max aperture lens and found that in overcast conditions, F2.8 would only allow me to have a max shutter of 400ms and ISO 3200. Neither of which are ideal which means that a 70-200 F2.8 won't even work well during these conditions. F2 would bring me down to 1600/2000 ISO which would allow me to shoot a little longer. These are small fields. 300mm gets long end to long end quite comfortably just like 200mm would get short end to short end comfortably. I have access to the entire sideline and either goal lines so "foot" zooming isn't a problem.

If I had access to any/every lens, what might be some good choices given this scenario?

Thanks!

Using the parameters you specified, I see the 200 F2 IS as your only option.

Seriously, when is the 70-200 2.8 (you did not specify which version) not good enough for these types of shots? ) IS, especially the MKII would go a long ways in going less than 1/400 shutter speed)

Weird, you did not say if body change was an option but seeing the lens above costs more than most bodies, I'd go with a 5d3 since you're apparently a Canon shooter. Cheaper than a $6k lens.

Interesting... I never thought about doing a different body.... That would add additional light in with FF...

Thanks!

Moonshiner, could you clarify the statement "a max shutter of 400ms"? It's unusual to see shutter speeds specified that way. Is that 1/2.5 seconds, or did the camera display the number "400"?

You are correct... 1/400ths of a second...

From the sidelines on a 7D consider 85 1.8, 100 2, 135L. Anything slower is going to leave you wanting shutter speed. Use ISO 6400, the 7D is quite good there.

Bassat wrote in post #17756451
From the sidelines on a 7D consider 85 1.8, 100 2, 135L. Anything slower is going to leave you wanting shutter speed. Use ISO 6400, the 7D is quite good there.

Humm .. no, not at all ! 7D above ISO 1200-2000 is doing bad...

1/400 second with a 200mm lens should be fine for stopping action in a soccer game. Is it the ISO 3200 you're concerned about?

Well... yes and no... I don't want to go above 3200 ISO because I know it's not great above that or even good at that ISO... Neither was my T3i... I was seeing if there was a decent lens @ F2 or larger that might be recommended... 200 F2, 135 F2, 100 F2, 85 1.8 or 1.2.

Obviously cropping with increase noise.. I don't have the high ISO chops like TeamSpeed. I am just wondering what might come with a recommendation... We are talking 6yr olds and under... So they aren't exceedingly fast movers..

Reservoir Dog wrote in post #17756467
Humm .. no, not at all ! 7D above ISO 1200-2000 is doing bad...

Take a look at some of the high-ISO threads. The camera is quite capable of noise-free results at 6400. If you choose not to use your camera to its fullest potential, that is your business. Propagating such closed-mindedness helps nobody.

Raising ISO is less harmful than using a lower ISO and then underexposing. A lot of users try to hold it down and then screw them in the process.

Bassat wrote in post #17756503
Take a look at some of the high-ISO threads. The camera is quite capable of noise-free results at 6400. If you choose not to use your camera to its fullest potential, that is your business. Propagating such closed-mindedness helps nobody.

Noise-free results from a 7D classic in low light at 6400 ISO? Care to share an example of this? I know what shooting a 60D at 6400 ISO in low light looks like, and "noise-free" would not be how I'd describe it. Noise dominates the image.

7D mkII would fare much better, as there have been a lot of improvements in this area. But OP didn't specify mkII.
The High-ISO threads have some great examples of multi-image noise reduction, but the OP is shooting moving soccer players, so this is also not an option.

Moonshiner wrote in post #17754619
Interesting... I never thought about doing a different body.... That would add additional light in with FF...

Thanks!

Clarify what you mean?

Any given piece of glass with a given suite of settings is the same light regardless of body. For example, a 60D (crop) and a 5DIII (full frame), same lens, same ISO, same f/stop, same shutter speed = same amount of light as far as image exposure.

If it were me, I'd start with the 70-200 & shoot like crazy. Drop down to 1/200 sec as the light dropped & shoot like crazy. Switch to the 85 f/1.8 later.
Also I don't mind a little motion blur in the extremities. It just shows that the kids are moving, no?

The 6D has better high ISO noise. Agreed about the body, not the lens maybe).