Lens for Basketball

TUX424 · Oct 22, 2008

Hello There
I am looking for a nikon lens that would be ideal for basketball photography granted that i have a very limited budget like $250 at tops because i want a sb-600 and a wide angle and this telephoto will only be used till i get a 70-200 2.8 one day. There are really only 2 lens that i can think of that fall in the catorgory that is the 55-200 VR and the 70-300 non-VR which are both about the same price. So i would like to know which is a better perfromer in low light such as school gyms. I wish i had more to spend now b/c i would love any one of the 70-200 2.8 but i dont unless someone is selling for for about $250 haha good luck to me

maulrat · Oct 22, 2008

That's a tough one bro. I don't know much about the Nikkor lenses out there but that is a tough price range. We're talking $250 on a telephoto lens that will be used to photograph subjects in motion (fast shutter speeds) while shooting indoors (not so bright light). I doubt even Sigma or Tamron makes a prime telephoto that will work within your budget. Good luck finding a lens.

TUX424 · Oct 22, 2008

i really wish i had more to spend
i really want a 70-200 2.8

maulrat · Oct 22, 2008

TUX424 said:
i really wish i had more to spend
i really want a 70-200 2.8

Me too..
and a Sigma 10-20
and a 5D Mark II
and an 85 1.2
and a 24-70 2.8
and... a photography job making 6 figures.... LoL

uplander · Oct 22, 2008

Under gym lights your going to need f/2.8 or better not to get blurred shots. You can bump the iso up to get the needed 1/500th shutter speed you really need but at what noise cost. save up for the 70-200 f/2.8

maulrat · Oct 22, 2008

uplander said:
...save up for the 70-200 f/2.8

Only way I could scrape up the cash for that lens within a year would be to win the lottery, LoL

tsaraleksi · Oct 22, 2008

What level of basketball is it and what sort of arena or gym will you be working in?

TUX424 · Oct 23, 2008

ok so i guess i will fill in the rest of the story:
So the basketball couch at my highschool said that i could be the teams photographter for this years season, but i wouldn't have any deadlines or stuff like that just get photos for the team really of the player dunking and stuff like that. But the best part is that i am gonna get a varsity letter for it and i will be able to get out of pep band for the rest of the school year.
i know everyone is gonna say buy the 70-200 2.8 but that is to expensive unless someone is selling one for like $350
and if i spend that much that means no SB-600 for this winter of shooting snowboarding and i need a flash for that.

tirediron · Oct 23, 2008

Look for used gear!

rdompor · Oct 23, 2008

Do you really need the SB for snowboarding? I'd hold a quality lens in higher regard than I would a quality flash. You can get decent power out of a cheap Sunpak or Vivitar which would in turn give you more money to spend on glass. Just realize that when you go for the cheaper flashes you sacrifice power, build, and TTL. But you can still get away with using these cheaper flashes. Compare that to absolutely unusable shots taken of a basketball game because you had to shoot f/5.6 at 1/80s and ISO1600 in a horribly lit gymnasium.

Now, I realize that even if you do end up getting a Sunpak/Vivitar/something cheap, you may not yet have enough for that 2.8 glass. I'm not sure if Nikon has an equivalent, but a good alternative is to get a 70-200 f/4. If you combine the constant f/4 with a bit of light from your budget flash, you have a fast aperture with the freezing effect of using a flash **GOLDEN** - well, maybe not golden, but perhaps bronze or silver.

I've been in your situation before and in my opinion, there is no substitute for quality glass. That is where your money should go, that is what you should budget yourself around.

Hopefully I've been helpful. Goodluck!

TUX424 · Oct 23, 2008

ya i got to get a powerful flash such as a SB-600 since when are shooting snowboarding we are shooting at like 1am in the morning and it is pitch black

maulrat · Oct 23, 2008

TUX424 said:
...shooting snowboarding... 1am in the morning and it is pitch black

Does your snowboard come with a headlight or do all the boarders wear miner's headlamps? hehe, just pokin fun. I can't wait till snowboard season... the only time I'll put down my camera

jwsciontc · Oct 23, 2008

wouldn't that powerful of a flash completely blind or mess up the boarder lol

table1349 · Oct 23, 2008

TUX424 said:
ok so i guess i will fill in the rest of the story:
So the basketball couch at my highschool said that i could be the teams photographter for this years season, but i wouldn't have any deadlines or stuff like that just get photos for the team really of the player dunking and stuff like that. But the best part is that i am gonna get a varsity letter for it and i will be able to get out of pep band for the rest of the school year.
i know everyone is gonna say buy the 70-200 2.8 but that is to expensive unless someone is selling one for like $350
and if i spend that much that means no SB-600 for this winter of shooting snowboarding and i need a flash for that.

A lot depends on where you are shooting from. Stands = 70-200 f2.8 or a longish prime. You will need the range. Base line you might look for a used Tamron 17-50 f2.8, 50 f1.4 or an 85 f1.8 or something in that range.

TUX424 · Oct 23, 2008

ya i was think was thing of that get a 50 1.8 and shoot at the baseline and still have money for a SB-600 yay
then maybe, just maybe one day get that 70-200 2.8