bill_george1

<p>Please take this, not as criticism, but advice that save you money, save you aggrevation and get the best photos in the long run.<br> 1) Getting permission to shoot on a college football field is much harder to get that you might imagine - call the AD at your son't college as ask him. If he's going to a major college football program - forget it'<br> 2) College football is more intense and moves at a much faster pace than high school ball - both on the field of play and the area around it. Not a place for a novice.<br> 3) There will be other photographer's around the field taking photos (for pay) for the local newspaper, the campus paper, etc -- the bigger the school the more photographers.<br> 4) If you want good photos of your son I suggest you talk to someone in the Athletic Dept and see who shoots for the school or if he has contact on the local paper and then I'd approach one or both and tell them you son't son's number and position and ask them what they'd charge to get some good photos - it will be less expensive that any of the lens that would work for you and you can sit in the stands and enjoy the game.<br> I've shot my grand-daughter's soccer games since she was 5 to the present when she play's on both a ECNL soccer team and her high school team and she will be heading to college next year of a scholarship (soccer and academics) and very few of her team mates parents bring camera's to the game anymore after they my results - I don't do it for a living but I do pay for all my gear plus traveling expenses and a team party once in awhile.</p>

<p>It depends where you can shoot from - it it's the stands you won't get much but I'd suggest a Nikon 300 f4 -- if you can get on the track around the field I'd suggest getting as fast a 85mm as you can afford.<br> You should also be aware that your local high school lights are usually not photography friendly as they actually flicker faster than your eye notices but the varaitions in the aount of light and the color temperature of the light can give you a widely diffeent look for each picture.</p>

<p>I've now used my Sport version for approx. 20 high school soccer games and about the same number of ECNL club soccer games and I'm still very happy with it. I've used it on my D3s with and without the Sigma 1.4 Tele-Converter and while I won't tell you the images are the same quality but they are more than close enough and the added reach makes up for it.<br> I've also used it with my D300 again both with and without the Tele-Converter and again I was very satisfied. The increase in "reach" using the DX body makes it 450mm on the long end (and I don't lose a stop) and then add the 1.4 TC and I have 630mm on the long end which allows me to shoot almost the length of a soccer field and still be wide enough (250 mm) when the action comes back to my end of the field,<br> I will, depending on the time of day and/or amount of light typically shoot the first half with the D300 and the 2nd half, usually under crappy high school stadium lights with the D3s.<br> Is there a drawback to the lens? The only problem I have is it's size and weight and I'm still looking for a better QR plate for my mono-pod. Of course I was born the day Jimmy D. lead a flight of B-25's off a carrier headed West so I'm not as strong or as agile as I used to be.</p>