Equipment for Snowboarding photography

<p>I am new to this site as well as photography for the most part...my question is what lens and flash should i buy for photographing snowboarding... I have a Sony Alpha a330 and a limited budget. I also would like to shoot skateboarding as well and i imagine that most of the time i wont have time to really set up.Also what is the lowest temp i can shoot at?</p>

<p>On a budget, no doubt you're best off using the equipment you have. Stick with your Sony, and get lenses based on how you like to shoot. Are you able to get very close to your subjects? Get a wide zoom. Or are they further away? Then a telephoto zoom. I like zooms because they're more versatile, but some will argue for primes. Whatever. You choose.</p>

<p>I shoot sports myself (primarily sailing) and find I use a range of lenses and keep two bodies around my neck so I can switch from wide to telephoto as needed.</p>

<p>For the flash I'd also stick with what Sony makes. At the very wide end, you may need some kind of diffuser to get coverage of the whole frame. And on the telephoto end you may benefit from some kind of device like the Better Beamer.</p>

<p>Start shooting now with what you have and you'll quickly be able to identify for yourself what equipment will make the most sense for your subjects and the way you want to shoot them.</p>

 

<p>Unless you are going to be doing a lot of park stuff, you won't find a ton of use for the flash in snow photography. Yes, there are situations where it will come in handy. But if the choice was between an additional lens and a flash, I would go with the lens at this point.</p>

<p>Other than that, most people use the same sort of lenses for snow as they do for skate, with mroe emphasis on the longer end since you tend to be further away and the jumps/drops/rails/etc are bigger. A 16-35, 24-70, 70-200 are all pretty useful (all lengths in 35mm equiv). If I could just have one lens, it would be between the 24-70 and 70-200.</p>

<p>But I don't do much show shooting any more. So it might not be worthwhile to listen to me.</p>

<p>Your camera as Li-ion rechargable batteries, right? It'll do fine in the cold. -30C/-20F no problem at all. Alkaline disposables lose voltage at those temps.</p>

<p>A flash is a good thing to have. You can put it away on a sunny day or when it's snowing (backscatter), but I've seen interesting shots shooting at dusk, second curtain flash, either panning or stationary.</p>

<p>Lenses? You can use anything from a fish-eye with 180 degrees coverage, to telephoto lenses for a compressed view and selective focus.</p>

<p>Thank you for all the advice and fast response.<br>

At the moment i have a 18-55 f3.5/5.6 and a 75-300 f4.5/5.6<br>

I would like to get a fish-eye lens and one other lens. Also I will be getting very close for shots sometimes and I also plan on shooting at night. Most of my shooting will take place in the park ( rails, jumps, halfpipe, etc ). As well as indoor and outdoor skateparks.<br>

And if you have any further advise on shooting in cold weather it would be very helpful. I am wondering if the dramatic change in temperature from indoors to out will cause moisture to get in the camera/lens also changing lenses out in the cold?</p>

<p>I think some recommend to seal the camera in a plastic bag outside before bringing it inside so condensation may form on the outside of the bag instead of on the camera itself. Hopefully someone else will confirm this approach. I don't think changing lenses itself is a worry.</p>

<p>You might want a rectilinear ultra-wide like a Sigma 10-22. I imagine this would get more use than a fisheye. Unfortunately Sony mount seems a little shorter on ultra-wide choices (no Tokina 10-17 fisheye zoom or 12-24/4 for Sony), and the Sony 11-18 appears to be a clone of the Tamron 11-18.</p>

<p>As for flash, you probably will want a good Sony flashgun that supports sony's version of High-speed sync. As Sony's flashes seem a little pricey you might also consider Metz's compatible flashguns such as the 48 af-1 or 58 af-1 for more power.</p>

<p>Here's some advice: if you're waiting around in the cold, keep your fingers busy. And try to get some really thin yet warm gloves. Basically, keep warm. As regards lenses, I use Nikon, so I'm afraid I can't help you there.</p>