70-200L for Hockey

I currently own the 70-200 f4 non is and I am very happy with it so far. My son is starting hockey soon and was hoping to get away with this lens but from reading other posts, that may no be the case. I was considering the 70-200 2.8 but will that even be enough? Should I go with a prime? I own a 30D and 5D2 and also have the 580EX. Any input is appreciated, thanks!

A 300 2.8 or a 70-200 2.8 are probably the best for hockey.

carloman wrote in post #8608812
I currently own the 70-200 f4 non is and I am very happy with it so far. My son is starting hockey soon and was hoping to get away with this lens but from reading other posts, that may no be the case. I was considering the 70-200 2.8 but will that even be enough? Should I go with a prime? I own a 30D and 5D2 and also have the 580EX. Any input is appreciated, thanks!

I shoot hockey with a 100 f2 and find that for the darker rinks I am below f2.8. That being said, I would "make do" with a 70-200 f2.8 just fine if I had one (I have shot games with a borrowed one).

You won't find the 580EX to be very useful since you'll probably want a shutter speed faster than the synch speed. For 11-year olds, I needed at least 1/400 s, preferably faster, but if your kid is younger you might be able to get away with slower speeds.

For kids hockey, where you'll be standing at the glass, I would say that 300 mm is too long, even on your 5D. Even with 100 mm on my XSi, I miss some potentially good shots because I can't fit enough of the ice in for context.

I would say the 70-200 2.8 on your 30D for the extra reach and FPS is your best bet (unless you find your self needing to crank the ISO up or need the extra resolution from your 5D2).

Primes will give you more light for shooting indoor skating, but I find the zoom a must since the action is constantly moving back and forth and you can't always be changing your position.

580EX isn't going to help you much if you are shooting from behind the glass, would just make things worse.

I shoot figure skating which can be similar to shooting hockey and depending on the rink lights, I usually have the following settings: AV mode, aperture: 2.8, ISO 1000-1600. This will give me a shutter speed in the range of 1/200-1/640.

Thanks for the input, the 70-200 2.8 it is.

I'd take the 70-200 2.8 and crank up the ISO on the 5d MKII. I used my 2.8 to shoot hockey on my 40D and stayed at ISO1600 the whole time. Would have liked to have more ISO to play with.