Best prime for Basketball? 28mm or 50mm?

[flameshots]

I have decided to move up to a prime and really want to use the low light ability to take shots of my son's basketball games. (the light in most of the gyms he plays at is horrible, even with a speedlight.)

I'm thinking a 28 will not be close enough. I prefer to take shots of my son's basketball games from just behind the goal but I think I will still need 50mm.
Anyone have experience with either or would a zoom still be better. ( I don't think I can afford a 2.8 zoom.) Thank you for the help.

 

[Hooker771]

100mm 2.8 is my favorite lens I own. May be good for your needs. I have the tokina and love it.

 

[Dao]

If you planning to get the 50mm, maybe think about the F/1.4 to take advantage of the faster AF with USM.

 

[Alphaem]

If you are shooting from behind the basket then a 50mm as fast as you can afford will be a great lens because all you have to do is wait for them to come to you and the 50mm fills the frame pretty good from under the basket.

I would also test shooting manual mode with your speedlight so that you can shoot at the fastest shutter speed that your camera will allow with flash. Once you know what your exposure is you can maintain that exposure and the faster shutter speed will keep your images from ghosting.

Experiment with ISO also till you get the exposure desired whether you want the background dark or light, in focus or out of focus. You will see that once you find the right exposure it will be close to the same in most gyms.

 

[Dao]

Just wondering ... do they allow flash in the area behind the basket?

 

[flameshots]

Just wondering ... do they allow flash in the area behind the basket?

At my son's age, yes. They are only in third grade. As they get a little older they will probably have an issue with it. The good news is, as they get older the gyms he will play in will get better also. (Better lighting ect.) When I use a flash I usually bounce off of the ceiling to avoid direct eye contact. So far it hasn't been a problem.

One other option may be a Tamron 17-50 2.8. This lens would be better than the one I have but would not be a big prime that I could use for other things.

Thanks for all the input keep it coming. What do you think about the Tamron? It says it's not compatible with full size sensors but I don't see myself buying a camera with one anytime soon. Thanks for the help again.

Marc.

 

[icassell]

Are you using a crop-sensor body?

My favorite kids' basketball lens is my Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8. I think the 28 would be too wide a lot of the time. I frequently use it between 50 and 75mm.

 

[flameshots]

Are you using a crop-sensor body?

My favorite kids' basketball lens is my Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8. I think the 28 would be too wide a lot of the time. I frequently use it between 50 and 75mm.

Yes, its an older Canon Rebel XT. I'm not sure of the crop but I think it's 1.6? Someone with more knowledge than me can probably answer that one. I would love to have a new body but I think with the $350. I have right now it is better spent on glass.

 

[icassell]

Yes, it's a 1.6 crop (as is mine). I only asked, because I wanted to compare to my experience. On my 1.6 crop, I would not be happy with a 28mm prime for basketball. There will be times where you will wish you had something longer than 50mm, but you can do quite a bit with the 50.

 

[AliasPros]

Just wondering ... do they allow flash in the area behind the basket?

No flash at the boys and girls club, I use a 70-200mm f/2.8L, 50mm f/1.4 USM and 100mm f2.0 USM. Very good shots with these 3 lenses on a full frame 5D mkII

 

[flameshots]

Just wondering ... do they allow flash in the area behind the basket?

No flash at the boys and girls club, I use a 70-200mm f/2.8L, 50mm f/1.4 USM and 100mm f2.0 USM. Very good shots with these 3 lenses on a full frame 5D mkII

What about a 50mm 1.8 macro? Sounds like the best for everything. Macro, basketball, portraits? Also is within my price range. Thanks again for the input.

Marc.

 

[Dao]

I do not think Canon made a 50mm F/1.8 macro lens. The do have a F/2.5 1:2 macro. But the lens is a non-USM lens.

 

[dhilberg]

I've been shooting a lot at my son's basketball games too. I wouldn't go any longer than a 50mm on a crop body under the basket, it gets pretty tight.

I use my 50mm f/1.4 from the baseline close to the basket, and my 85mm f/1.8 from the sideline.

I don't think you'll be able to get fast enough shutter speeds with an f/2.8 zoom, a prime is your best bet, unless you can shoot at ISO 3200-6400. Even at f/2 and 1/500 shutter on my 50mm, it still doesnt' completely freeze the fastest action.

 

[icassell]

I use my 50-150 f/2.8 and have not been particularly limited by shutter speeds. I usually shoot it at about ISO 1600-2000 for my kids' games. I brought it with me to a Suns game (2nd tier seats) and shot in combination with a 1.4X TC (lowering effective maximum aperture to f/4). It did fine at ISO 2000.

Canon makes a nice inexpensive 50mm f/1.8, but it isn't a macro.

 

[flameshots]

I was confused with an Ebay sale. I thought the 50mm 1.8 was a macro but it isn't. Thank you for the input I think I'm going to go with the 50mm 1.4 usm.