What lens for sports?

[ethan_harstad]

I have just moved over to a 400d from a pentax ist dl. I am looking for a new

lens, preferably zoom that has at least 200mm range. My budget is about 700 max

for new camera equipment. I was looking at the 70-200 f4L and 70-300 f4-5.6IS

right now? Which of these would you suggest for sports and wildlife photography

(or possible another suggestion)?

[sheryl_bury_michals]

Ethan,

 

the Canon 100-400 IS USM is great for sports photography and wildlife - I've used it for both, and have had the lens about 7 years.

 

if budget is a concern (as this lens I think runs about $1300-1400), then I'd probably go for the 70-200/300 range. The IS factor is good when you don't want to use a tripod. But L glass is also good.

 

depends what kind of sports you plan to shoot. Fast action may want the 70-300 lens. If it's not fast-paced stuff, the 70-200 may be better. I'd check both out and test both and see what works best for you. I know there are posts and articles on this site that cover both lenses.

 

sheryl

[leopoldstotch]

No doubt about this one, the 70-200. IS is no good for sports, so the extra speed of the 70-200 wil lbe very handy, plus it has an optional tripod callar for attaching a monopod. Also, 200mm will be just fine for fast action, especially with the 1.6x crop factor of the XTi

[john_downie1]

Ethan,

 

At your budget, the 70-200/4 is going to give the faster AF, larger max aperture, etc. you might need for sports. It is also a very sharp lens. That's what I would get.

[corey_gardner1]

Depends on what conditions you shoot in. There is a big difference between shooting a basketball game indoors and a baseball game outside at noon. I shot my son's indoor basketball game last weekend with a 70-200 2.8 and it worked great but anything slower would have been unusable. If your need is for lower-light situations then you are going to want speed and there are several options there, the least expensive being primes.

[corey_gardner1]

And to further answer your question, in your budget I would probably suggest the 70-200 f4 as well as you will shoot wide open most of the time and it is very sharp. Anything better in a zoom is going to cost you significantly more. It's all a compromise.

[mark u]

Which sport? in what lighting conditions? How good will your access be? There's a lot of useful advice here (but bear in mind that you will probably have a need for faster lenses if you are shooting indoors or under floodlights at amateur or lower grade professional venues:

 

http://www.photo.net/learn/sports/overview

 

and likewise for nature here (where again the type of wildlife and environment has a big part to play in lens choice):

 

http://www.photo.net/learn/nature/

 

Adjust focal length, but not aperture recommendations where appropriate to allow for the 1.6 crop factor.

[ethan_harstad]

i am used to a 70-300 f4-5.6 on my pentax dslr. i shoot pretty much all sports and its high school level so i can get as close as i want. as far as nature goes i hike and canoe alot but weight really doesnt bother me as i am nearly 300 pounds.

 

are there any lenses faster than f4 out there for under 1000?

[John Crowe]

If you need a zoom it's the Canon EF 70-200/4 L. For most sports and wildlife this lens will always be at 200mm, so another alternative is the Canon EF 200mm f2.8 L. Extra speed to keep the ISO as low as possible, and superior optics. Both lenses can use the Canon EF 1.4x well, but again the 200/2.8 L would be even sharper.

[kin_lau]

The Sigma 70-200/2.8 HSM is $750- @ Sigma4Less, almost $900 @ B&H. I have one, and it's very nice.

 

The Canon EF 200/2.8L is $640 @ B&H and the EF 85/1.8 is $340-, so combined it's less than $1000-.

 

B&H also carries the Canon EF 70-200/4L for $579-, so well within your budget as well.

 

The AF speed on any of the above lenses will be quite the eye-opener compared to your old 70-300/4-5.6 :).

[awindsor]

If f4 is fast enough for you you might want to consider the Sigma 100-300/4. More reach than the 70-200/4 and with an excellent reputation. Sigma HSM motor may be slightly slower than Canon's ring USM but is certainly no slouch.

 

In dim gymnasiums you may be struggling even at f2.8. You will have to shoot at high ISO. The alternative is to use a faster prime or external lights.

[ethan_harstad]

I dont have a problem shooting with a slightly higher ISO or using strobes so f4 is fine. I found the sigma 50-500 f4-6.3, will my camera be able to use AF at the 500mm end? what is the cutoff for a rebel xti?

looking at the sigma 100-300 now, thanks

[awindsor]

Yes - these lenses lie to the camera and report they are f5.6. The Sigma has the nickname Bigma and is very heavy. If you want a long zoom I would consider the Tamron 200-500 instead of the Sigma unless you really need the 50-200 (which is certainly possible for indoor sports).

 

Are you considering shooting indoor sports without strobes (which are not always allowed)? We are not talking slightly higher ISO. People shooting basketball using f2.8 lenses and strobes still have to use ISO 400 or 800 to get high enough shutter speeds.

[ethan_harstad]

I am used to shooting with a 5.6 and most of my photos from indoor sports are for the school yearbook which even iso3200 photos are good enough (and beat the photos that the other students take).

I don't really care about weight so other than that, for mostly outdoor sports photos and wildlife pictures which lens is a better deal?

[james_cope1]

Ethan,

 

In addition to the Canon EF 70-200 f/4.0L USM which sells for $580.00 at B&H, there is also the Canon EF 70-200 f/4.0L IS USM which goes for $1,060.00. Canon also has an EF 70-200 f/4.0-5.6 IS USM, which sells for $550. Personally, I would go the the L-Series lenses because of the quaity. Remember that in a lot of indoor sports, like basketball, for example, you really never want to fire a strobe into the eyes of a basketball player while he is slam dunking a basketball. If lighting is bright enough, you should be able to shoot a f/5.6 at higher ISOs like no more than 800. You have a lot of choices with lenses and what I would recommend is when you attend a sporting event and you happen to see any photojournalists there, talk with them, ask what they recommend. Good shooting.