Lens For Ski And Snowboard Pictures

Hi, I was wondering what lens i should get for ski and snowboard

photography. I recently bought my first SLR camera (a Rebel Ti) after

using my dads old AE-1 for a while. I really love photography and i

decided to invest in my own system! Well, anyway, Right now i have

the 50mm 1.8 lens as most people i had asked suggested I buy, and its

great. During the winter, I plan on shooting a lot of snowboarding/

skiing, and i can't seem to decide on a lens.

 

My fist question is: Zoom or Telephoto? The people i will be shooting

will be about 20-60ft away.

 

Question 2: What magnification do focal lengths convert to? ie: 200mm

= 5x ?? 4x??

 

finaly: Which lens would you recomend for around $300 Canadian? Stuff

like USM is not nesecary. Just decent quality.

 

Sorry if this is a question asked many times before, but im new and

the search feature doesn't seem to want to work. Thanks in advance

for all replies!

 

-Mike

Hello Mike.

I do not know very well about the magnification of focal length. Instead, it is usually expressed in terms of angle of view, and I think it makes more sens.

Check it here, a little application that says everything... http://www.usa.canon.com/eflenses/lens101/focallength/index.html

 

A zoom seems to be a good choice for you. It gives you more flexibility and today's zoom quality is really good. Now, the budget is more of a problem, because good zooms are expensive.

There is the 100-300mm of Canon that seems to be a good choice.

It is in your budget range and I saw that Canon is giving a rebate on it now.

There is also the 75-300mm IS, a little bit more pricey, the stabilizer is a great addition.

However, I have read poor reviews about these two lenses... especially about the autofocus ability and quality of the image at 200 and 300mm, which would suck for ski action.

 

Have a look into Sigma stuff too, maybe they have good bargain.

 

You mentioned USM is not necessary, but consider this... you will be shooting action sport from a somewhat far distance and with a telephoto. This is a challenge for any autofocus system and paying a little more for USM will give you speed and comfort of shooting that will translate in more successful pictures. You will not regret it.

 

Actually, given your budget, you can consider looking on the used market. Something like a canon 70-200mm f4L would give you a profesionnal quality and is resonably priced (579 USD new on B&H).

It is a great lens, very robust and it gives you great image quality at all length and all aperture.

Well, I hope this helps.

Happy shooting,

Steph-

A little tip from another Canadian...

You can usually get a better price on a Canon lens if you buy from an american dealer (B&H or Adorama). This is especially true if you can have it shipped to a friend in the states and pick it up from them.

 

Unfortunately, CDN$300 is not very much to work with. The 100-300 USM is a good bet, but the cheapest you'll find it is about USD$240. Though it is not as fancy of a lens, the 75-300 USM is much more affordable at USD$165.

 

The advantage of the 100-300 is internal focusing, full-time manual focus, and a distance scale. Some people claim that the optics are slightly better than the 75-300.

 

But, the 75-300 is right in your price range. It's worth a trip to a dealer to try one out.

My suggestion is not to spend $300 on an okay telephoto. Spend less than $200 on an okay telephoto until you can afford a used 80-200mm f2.8 L or a used 200mm f2.8 L series I, both about $700 Cdn, less, if you can find a particularly beat up one.

 

You could get a Canon 100-300mm in the $300 range but at 300mm it is said to be quite poor, although better than the 75-300mm. I bought my wife a Canon 70-210mm f3.5-4.5 with a ding in the front element for about $80 Cdn. including shipping. It performs very well and the only time the poor glass would have any affect is when shooting directly into the sun or bright reflections. This lens is extremely light and has USM for fast autofocus and there are plenty on the used market under $200 Cdn. Check out KEH.com as well. At the distance you are shooting, I think the 70-210 would be fine.

 

Until you find what focal length and speed of lens works best for you, don't spend too much money. Good luck!

Another tip from another Canadian - don't buy from KEH. They will only ship via UPS, and their phoney "brokerage" charges will eat up a sizeable portion of your C$300 budget. <p>

 

B&H had a couple of mint, used 100-300mm f4.5-5.6 USM lenses for US$219.95 each, a few days ago; that works out to about C$300 plus shipping.

If you can get a used 80-200mm f2.8 L or a used 200mm f2.8 L, get them. If not, consider a used 100-300/5.6 L.

I agree with Yakim Peled. Instead of buying a new crappy lens you better go for an used L lense. Your quality expectations will rise pretty soon. I think especially the 80-200/2.8 L would be the right choice. You can make a pretty good deal at eBay for sure.

The 100-300mm f4.5-5.6 USM lens is not exactly a "crappy" lens, and would be a much better choice for snowboarding photos than the ancient 100-300 f5.6L. The AF on that lens is so slow, the snow will have melted before you can focus on your subject.<br>

<br>

I've tested the 100-300mm f4.5-5.6 USM against the 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS, and when both lenses are stopped down 2 stops, there is no discernable difference in sharpness. For your stated budget limits, it is probably the best lens available in the EOS line.</p>

<p>Three of the photos on this <a href="http://www.cl-photos.com/index2.htm">gallery

page</a> were taken with the EF 100-300mm f4.5-4.6 USM.  Can you tell which

ones?<br>

<br>

And if you're not shooting a good-quality fine-grained slide film, you will not likely see much difference in sharpness regardless of the lens you use. 

Thanks everyone!

 

I think if decided on the 75-300mm f4-5.6 III USM!

 

Take a look at my uploaded pictured so far and give a beginer some pointers. Thanks!

 

-Mike