Canon EF Lenses?

[Aetos]

Just curious about a few things... First off, what's the cheapest telephoto lens I can get? I know some used ones cost less than $100CAN, but it looks like a lot are more than that. Second, what's the best type of lens to use for sports photography?

Thanks. =)

 

[Dylan]

I've seen some in the 100~200US range on KEH.com and fredmiranda.com however they are used. Not that there's anything wrong with used however you have to be careful where you buy. Also it should be noted that most lenses in that range are not very fast so you are commited to shooting in good light. Most of what I've seen in that price range comes in at f4-f5 etc. Depending on what you are shooting that may or may not be an issue for you.

 

[Alex_B]

Think you should have a fast lens for sports, ideally f/2.8 or similar. That gives you faster shutter speeds and also often a faster autofocus.

The cheap ones are mostly beyond f/4. Aslo with the cheaper and older ones you might be in trouble regarding image quality in the corners. That however might not be a serious issue ... really depends on the type of sports.

I have an old Canon 70-300, over 10 years old. It
is OK in the centre, but horrible in the edges of the images. you get a lot of chromatic abberation and a lack of sharpness in the edges there. But that might not be the case for every old cheap EF tele-zoom.

This was made using that old lens:
http://www.imagevault.eu/tpf/1996_028.jpg
You can see how sharpness drops in the corners.

It is always a good idea to try out a lens before you buy.

 

[Digital Matt]

Just curious about a few things... First off, what's the cheapest telephoto lens I can get? ... Second, what's the best type of lens to use for sports photography?

The most expensive telephoto you can get.

 

[Big Mike]

The most expensive telephoto you can get.

That's right. Shooting sports is one of those things that really requires the most expensive gear. You need to stop the action which requires a fast shutter speed. To to that, you need a wide aperture...and you will probably need a long focal length...those things in a lens make it very big and expensive.

At a typical football game for example, the photographers will most likely be using a telephoto lens that costs at least $10,000.

 

[fmw]

Whew! They have gone up, haven't they. I used to shoot for the local pro baseball team. I used a Nikkor 500mm f2.8. I think it cost me about $3000 used. Glad I don't do that any longer!

 

[Aetos]

Ouch. I don't currently have that kind of resources; I've just been messing around with my highschool's volleyball and basketball teams and haven't liked the lens I'm currently using. I'm hoping to buy a faster one tomorrow, but from what I've seen and heard, they're pretty expensive. I've also noticed, however, that faster (used) MF lenses tend to be a lot cheaper than faster (used) AF lenses. Why's that?

 

[thebeginning]

At a typical football game for example, the photographers will most likely be using a telephoto lens that costs at least $10,000.

errr not quite.

the most popular sports lenses are the 70-200 2.8 ($1600), the 200 1.8 (~$3000 used), the 300mm f2.8 ($3900), 400 f2.8 ($6500), and 600 f4 ($7000 at most).


the point is, they are expensive.

 

[thebeginning]

Whew! They have gone up, haven't they. I used to shoot for the local pro baseball team. I used a Nikkor 500mm f2.8. I think it cost me about $3000 used. Glad I don't do that any longer!

sheesh, 500mm 2.8? i didnt even think nikkor made those, just 400 2.8s and 500 f4s. nice lenses :thumbup:

 

[Big Mike]

OK, maybe $10,000 is a high estimate...but they ain't cheap...plus many might also include a teleconverter, which is another few hundred.

600mm f4.0L IS USM EF Lens Reg. Price: $10,449.00 CDN

500mm f4L IS USM EF Lens Reg. Price: $7,799.00 CDN

400mm f2.8L IS USM EF Lens Reg. Price: $9,256.80 CDN

300mm f2.8L IS USM EF Lens Reg. Price: $5,532.80 CDN

 

[thebeginning]

oh i was going by USD, that makes a difference.