70-200 /2.8s

Alright guys, I have been hired for my first shoot. A local snowboarding AM/Soon to be pro wants me to go out to a Pro/AM contest Sept 27th and shoot him and his team. I am looking at the 70-200 f/2.8 L without the IS. Would this be the best choice for shooting snowboarding, should I go with the sigma?? I plan on shooting for them about twice a month. Info fast would be great, as well as some sample sports of your sports stuff. Thanks guys.

Why without the IS? Cost? Because the IS gives you at least one stop better than the non-IS version. Snowboarding is fast, in the air, so the IS would be useful.

My IS version is awesome. The IS comes in very handy. It was worth the extra coin to me.

The IS won't help capture fast motion.

IS, snow boarding, warning! warning! does not compute.

But it will prevent camera shake, and allow for nice 'dragged' shots....

for sports, IS is not a big deal at all. like was said before, the IS won't help at all if you are trying to capture motion. i say go for the non-IS version and save some money. actually , with the money you save, you can buy a nice 85mm 1.8 prime that is also great for sports..

If you're going for one of the non-IS 70-200's it's hard to justify the extra $$ for the Canon when you look at the performance of the Sigma, just MHO.

I might lean toward the IS version for several reasons here. First is weather sealing. If you are shooting in snow, your lens may get snow splashed on it and it would be nice to have seals to protect it against moisture. Plus the IS can be used for panning as well.

If you use lens covers, then any of the lenses will do, but for serious heavy duty use, I think the L lenses are more robust than the Sigma version.

I just upgraded from 70-200 .28L non IS to IS. But for shooting action in bright conditions I would buy the non IS version. At 1/500th or better IS is useless.

Yeah, you probably dont need the IS for the snowboard compatition, but like you said you are moving into the pro area...dont you think you MIGHT need the IS for some other shoot...at least that way you would have it....even if you dont need it for the boarding comp...

??? surely IS won't help at all if there is anything moving?

Here's my $0.02. I agree with above posters that you don't need IS if you shoot snowboarding or most sports. However, the question you need to ask yourself is that are you going to use that lens for sports ONLY? 70-200 is a very versatile lens that you can use it for almost anything; sports, portrait, events, etc. If you can afford, I'd highly suggest to buy IS, so that you don't need to upgrade later. If the cost is an issue, then buy the Sigma f/2.8 which is an excellent lens, cheaper than Canon, but quality is very similar.

Sep 27? I'm taking this as a city street jib competition? As an avid snowboarder, who's had a lot of shots taken of myself, I think its safe to say you prob wont need the 70-200 just yet(considering the crop).

Ask the rider what type of riding he/she does most. The 70-200 would probably be great for riding around in a jib park and would be great for the pipe. But you will probably find yourself always on the far end of the zoom, and may even be a little short if they're into bigger jumps or even into backcountry, unless you can secure a SAFE spot close by, all depends on where you are in relation to your subject.

Just my opinion and observations, since I'm usually on the other side of the lens when it comes to snowboarding. So hope this helps.