Jump to content

Best lens for shooting High School Wrestling


christian_scarnici1

Recommended Posts

If you are going to walk around the mat during the match, a AF 85mm f1.4 (at least on a Nikon digital body) works pretty well with ISO 3200, no flash needed. The faces and muscles at work seem to be OK without a flash (or flashes) going off.<div>00JQS4-34319984.jpg.7e4cb5996bf13aae7a2ab48dbbe16b76.jpg</div>
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You shouldn't walk around the mat -- just sit matside in one position with your 70-200. Wrestling is a sport you want to be real tight, no need to have entire bodies in the shot. Even a 120-300 would be a great wrestling lens. An 85 or 24-105 is way too short.

 

The 70-200 is a great lens to have for many sports. It should be one of the first lenses you purchase.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A fast (f/2.8 or better) 70mm-200mm is a great starting lens. But a lens with a shorter focal length can be used for wrestling depending on how close you are to the athletes. I normally shoot wrestling with a 105mm f/2.8 lens. I haven't had any problem with the shorter focal length, but my credentials give me a lot of freedom to move around and shoot from different positions.<div>00JRZd-34342184.jpg.52c0039faddac85d0e667949181f8a8a.jpg</div>
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tend to use shorter lenses for indoor sports because they are better suited for my style and techniques as a photographer.

 

Since I sell my photos I do not want to crop out the any limbs while shooting, once I am back in front of the computer I can spend time fine tuning the composition.

 

I DO NOT use a flash the lighting is often harsh, un-natural and you may end up with unwanted shadows, this is why a faster lens is often needed indoors. In most cases a f/2.8 or f/1.8 will do just fine.

 

I get down and low to capture food good facial expressions. The Parents and newspaper editors that I work with want to see the athletes face. It adds drama when the athlete is making eye contact or has an expression that relates to the action taking place.

 

Once again my recommendations are based on my own style and techniques as a photographer. Different strokes for different folks, right?<div>00JRpm-34347884.jpg.8adcf53b3fc04c3f610433862a2cba6f.jpg</div>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 years later...

<p>I had an assignment to shoot a High School meet for the local weekly paper Saturday. My prime camera is a d300, and I did this with an 18-200 vr. I also had a d200 with an 85 1.8.<br>

I agree with the idea of finding your spot and staying there. Trying to run around the mat just adds to the confusion. The wrestlers are constantly moving yet many of the shots will not require high speed, as they tend to hold position for a couple seconds. I found the 85 too long for most of what I wanted as I sat on the floor at the edge of the mat. I did run two storbes on sb800 on camera and one sb 800 on a gorilla pod close to the floor. The remote didn't work for every shot as I gave it a general direction and set it to widest zoom possible. To be honest I'm not in love with available in gyms when I can use flash.<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3507/3205336477_037d4b6bd9.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="332" /></p>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...
<p>What would be a good setup for a Nikon D40. I have the kit lens 18-55 and the 55-200. Might get a 1.8 lens but not sure. I can get right up next to the mat, and Im not buying any extra lights. So apeture,shutterspeed and ISO setups would be appreciated. Im new to this, so forgive me</p>
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...