Wrestling from the weekend C&C

I plan on getting either a Sigma or Canon 70-200 2.8 for use with sports, including wrestling, so thanks for posting the photos! I'll have to try bouncing off the ceiling, I shot a MS wrestling tournament today with just ambient light and the photos came out pretty good, but I had to use 1/320 1.8 and ISO1600 to get +1/3 to +2/3 over exposed.

I have had no issues with the auto focus using this lens. I use it for portraits, soccer, baseball, family photos. Everything and anything. There is a thread in the lens section I have commented in where I discuss this in great detail.

I love this lens, I sent it in to Sigma and it went to C.R.I.S. where they worked on the lens because I felt it was soft at 2.8. The only time I miss the focus is because of me. I don't know why, but I am very shaky when shooting for some reason and I am constantly telling myself to slow down and breathe when pressing the shutter.

This lens IMO focuses a hair, and I mean a hair slower than the Canon. It is very difficult to tell the difference. The difference was neglible to me in what I saved in $$$$ going the Sigma route instead of the Canon.

Sometimes it will hunt, but that is because I am pushing it to it's limit. Let's face it, if the lighting is bad, a lens will hunt. But that is why we add flash to equation right?

I had no need for IS because I am shooting sports mostly. If I am outdoors, I will use a monopod most of the time. With wrestling, I am sitting on the floor right next to the mat. Sometimes I even get on my belly and shoot from there.

I set up the camera on manual. Flash is on auto. SS is 1/250th (sync speed with the flash), iso 800, and the aperture is 2.8. Sometimes I will custom WB, others I will leave the wb on auto. WB for depends on the gym and the lighting. AI servo and center focus point.

I feel this lens is a great alternative to the Canon. The money saved on this lens can go towards a flash unit.

Focus is fast, very fast actually. It is a great lens for action photography, once you know how to use it. If you want to see more photos, let me know and I will post a few more some time tomorrow.

And search for my username in the lens section where someone was asking the age old question of the sigma 70-200 vs. the canon 70-200. It's fairly recent.