MORE Telephoto Needed

This will probably be a noob question but here it goes. I've been using my Tamron 28-300 Di with my XTi since December. It takes decent pictures, happy with the quality, speed, etc. What I would really like to be able to do is get the real close up of my son's playing baseball, lacrosse etc. As close as I can get with the Di just seems not close enough. Now that I've bored you with this whats my best combination to get even closer. Keep my Tamron and add a teleconverter. Invest in a 75-300IS and a teleconverter, buy an ebay Pheniox 480-800 manual and experiment. Just need some directions from experienced users. I don't really want to spend 800.00 1000.00 and not get the closeness I'am looking for.

You won't get autofocus with a teleconverter and any of the lenses you mentioned, and you'll also get really really lousy IQ. If you have $800-1000 to spend, get a Canon 400mm f5.6L. $900 or so used and around $1100 new. You might also try the Sigma 50-500 for around $750 used or around a grand new.

I was talking to a local sports photographer who recommends the 400 f5.6 and thinks that it is fast enough for most applications. Although for school age sports photography at night the f5.6 might pose a problem. Both the Sigma 50-500 and the Canon 400 are f5.6 at length.

WMS

How about the 100-400mm?

I used to have the 70-300 f/4.0-5.6 IS and it worked well with the Kenko 1.4X teleconverter and, in good light, achieved AF without excessive hunting. There was some degradation in IQ, but it still produced acceptable IQ. If you can find the 70-300 used and get the tcon off of eBay, you can possibly get the combination for under $600 USD.

What are you willing to spend? 300 F/4 IS w/ or w/o a TC.

Thanks for all the great info. As far as spending not more than 1000.00 although that would have to include a decent flash for indoor shooting. That being said I like the idea of the 70-300Is with the teleconverter, however if my pic quality would be better with the 400 that would be the choice. Thanks Again

You could always go with the Sigma 100-300 f/4 and a teleconverter. Which would give you 420mm f/5.6 with AF. I use it for sports without the t/c, and just crop as needed. IQ is great.

Have to agree about the sigma 100-300/4 as being a better choice than the 70-300IS. I have owned both, and the AF of the 70-300 with TC will not be very good for sports. The sigma will take the TC without effecting the AF, which is faster than the 70-300IS anyway. It doesn't have IS, but you don't need that for sports anyway. You should be able to get the non-DG version for $650 to $700, which will leave you enough for a flash.

oh, I would also suggest the zooms over the 400. I love my 400 for birding or wildlife over the 100-300, but for baseball where the action moves from near to far I don't think a prime is the best choice.

I'll do a search for the Sigma great information thanks so much,

Just my 2 cents

At least in my conference flash is not allowed at a high school level for most sports.

A minimum f2.8 lens or remotely triggered strobes are what is needed to keep the officials happy.

Best of luck with your decision.

Get as fast a prime as you can afford for that length. If you end up shooting at night you'll need all the speed you can get.

Without a doubt, even a f/2.8 and ISO 3200 will struggle to get 1/125s at some stadiums.

Having shot at a couple dozen high school stadiums in Illinois and Florida, covering more than a hundred games, I've never once been prohibited from using a flash for football.

What you are trying to do is possible, and is done every day with focal lengths of around 400mm. However, if you want to do it at night, your capabilities are going to go downhill quickly with any of the lenses discussed here, and your options are going to become substantially less if you need to shoot at night. In fact, there are only a few options available to you, and they all end in f/2.8 (unless you get REALLY nuts and think about the 200 f/1.8 ).

The best buy in a sports lens at the f/2.8 aperture is the Sigma 120-300, but you'll be hard-pressed to find one of these used for less than $1,500, which is above your stated price. The good news is these lenses maintain their value very well. This lens takes a 1.4X TC without missing a beat for daylight shooting, and is just about the perfect focal length for a lot of indoor and outdoor sports.

Sorry--did not read closely enough--flash is prohibited at most indoor sports only--My bad.