Shooting with a 300

<p>I shoot a lot of HS softball and baseball this time of the year and I rented a Nikon 300 f2.8 for about a month or so. It is quit a bit different to shoot with than my 70-200, but I really like it. <br>

I plan on shooting with it as much as possible and trying all sorts of stuff out to test the lens. So what I really was hoping is to get a few pointers from those of you that have a 300 and use it daily. Now I'm not looking for settings. I'm just looking for any tips that might help me in getting used to shooting with this beast.</p>

<p>Shoot wide open and at a high shutter speed.</p>

<p>I'm not entirely sure what you mean when you say it's different than with the 70-200, so I'll assume you mean it's just strange not being able to change focal lengths when you're already so tight. If that's the case, for things like baseball I would suggest that when you find your shooting location, pan around to all the field to the different positions and make a mental note of how each one can/should be framed, where it makes more sense to shoot H rather than V, if any near positions are so close you need to decide how to crop the subject etc. I find that when I have zoom available, my first few shots of any game are WAY too loose, like I'm not confident enough in myself to be able to frame shots well if I'm appropriately tight. I need tell myself, uh hello you've been doing this for how many years? and get back to where I need to be. Point being, you may need to go through this sort of exercise at several games before you feel really comfortable going straight from the pitcher to the first baseman without having to think about what's going to be waiting for you there when looking through the 300mm.</p>

<p>It can be hand-held. But it's much heavier than your 70-200. Handholding gives you more freedom of movement. But using a monopod saves your arms, and gives you more stability. Try both techniques.</p>