Soccer or football at night

Hi all,

I want to ask what you will do to shoot soccer or football [whatever you call it] at night time under those stadiums lights?

which lens of those 2 you will use? 70-200 f2.8L IS or 300 f2.8L on 1Dmk2N

I photographed several matches during 2 months ago with my mk2N and 70-200 only, i got nice shots but i feel either they are not popping enough or i need something more [not talking about the noise ], so what i can do more to get more pro results? [not all matches at night but mostly at evening after sunset time].

Link me to night shots [Soccer] so i can see how much difference i can have if possible, please

Tareq,

A lot depends on the lighting quality of the stadium you're shooting in. Some just are not adequate to produce high quality results.

I guess I'm trying to say I struggle at night matches also

Post some up so we can check them out.

Regards,
Jeff

Ive seen a few people put their flashes ...430ex and 580's on their monopod leg with an off shoe cord and use it that way....

just a thought

Persoanlly I would take 300mm f2.8 IS over the 70-200mm f2.8.

Big Hands wrote in post #4941847
Tareq,

A lot depends on the lighting quality of the stadium you're shooting in. Some just are not adequate to produce high quality results.

I guess I'm trying to say I struggle at night matches also

Post some up so we can check them out.

Regards,
Jeff

OK, i am shooting in 2 different stadium, one is great light and the other is not so.

about posting sample shots, which stadium you would like to see results from? the good light or the bad light?

ABowers wrote in post #4941870
Ive seen a few people put their flashes ...430ex and 580's on their monopod leg with an off shoe cord and use it that way....

just a thought

I shoot without flash, and to my think they just keep those flash for portraits when the match finished for close-up victory team and so but not for the match itself, difficult sometimes to flash player far when using 300 and 400 to get them closer on viewfinder.

bobbyz wrote in post #4942224
Persoanlly I would take 300mm f2.8 IS over the 70-200mm f2.8.

Why?
I am not a pro or expert, but after i use them both, 300 giving me sharper and stronger shots, but 70-200 is more keeper, many times the players are very close to me so i can't shoot with 300, and i am moving around the pitch so i can zoom in and out when i need by 70-200 to get some actions, but with 300 i am fixed to a distance and i can't go forward or backward all the time.

But i shoot in 2 different stadium, one is little small and the other is larger, are both good for 300? i was thinking of Sigma 120-300 because i find myself i need focal length between 100 to up to say 350 or 400.

The lens really depends how far the action is from you.

Quality depends on lighting and sometimes the camera body. I shoot gymnastics last week and was limited with ISO 3200.

pagnamenta wrote in post #4943179
The lens really depends how far the action is from you.

Quality depends on lighting and sometimes the camera body. I shoot gymnastics last week and was limited with ISO 3200.

Camera is 1D MKIIN so it is fixed camera for both lenses.
Prime is sharper than zooms, and this prime 300 is one of the sharpest out there in canon Line, but also this zoom is one of the sharpest.
About IQ under certain lighting, if you have 1 camera and 2 lenses under same stadium light, which one you will go with? for indoors sport i don't go above 135 or 200 many times.

Tareq, I have the Sigma 120-300 f/2.8. It is heavy. You'll need a monopod for sure. I think the lens weighs 6 pounds by itself. I can handhold it, but only for a few shots. Guess I'm getting too old.
Mike

Tareq, looking at your gear list you have multiple bodies - why not take another body with you and use both lenses to give better coverage over the field? I'd probably put the 300/2.8 on the MkIIN and the 70/200 on one of the others for closer shots. I only have a Mk IIN so not sure which of the other bodies would be best.

MT Stringer wrote in post #4945442
Tareq, I have the Sigma 120-300 f/2.8. It is heavy. You'll need a monopod for sure. I think the lens weighs 6 pounds by itself. I can handhold it, but only for a few shots. Guess I'm getting too old.
Mike

OK, i will not buy Sigma again even they have great glasses.

cpo13 wrote in post #4946233
Tareq, looking at your gear list you have multiple bodies - why not take another body with you and use both lenses to give better coverage over the field? I'd probably put the 300/2.8 on the MkIIN and the 70/200 on one of the others for closer shots. I only have a Mk IIN so not sure which of the other bodies would be best.

In fact i am not a pro shooter, so i go there just to learn how to shoot sports, it will be .... for me to hold 2 cameras there while others only using 1 body, i will be crazy swapping bodies for each actions, i did that once and find myself ......, but i will do that for sure if i will get MKIII to work with my MKIIN, 30D is great but i want faster for some reasons.

Learning to shoot with a prime is good in the end. It will give you tight well framed shots. Use your 70-200mm on 2nd body for closeup shots. It is not that hard to juggle 2 bodies. You have to get used to it.

I am just a beginner. Last yr I tried my 30d with 500mm f4 (yes, it was long) and 70-200mm f4 on 10d. Took a while to get used to things but shots from 500mm f4 were much better than from the zoom. With zoom I was too loose in framing.

I am upgrading to 1dmk2 and I hope my 500mm f4 works outs better on it (for outdoor only).

Tareq wrote in post #4943045
I shoot without flash, and to my think they just keep those flash for portraits when the match finished for close-up victory team and so but not for the match itself, difficult sometimes to flash player far when using 300 and 400 to get them closer on viewfinder.

Actually most high school fields here in US are pretty bad as far as lightining is concerned. So folks use flash (above or below the camera) on a monopod. Thsi way they can shoot at much lower ISO settings. Companies like MaxPreps also want flash shots.