What to do...

[EDL]

So i posted the other day asking if anyone owns or has used a Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 because I am interested in getting some photos of my son's last year playing football in high school.

I got a lot of great responses as I was initially considering the Canon 70-200mm f/4 due to price, but was looking at the third party lenses at f/2.8 for the same price range.

Well....an interesting thing has happened....let's just say I have $2500-$3000 now to spend on whatever I want....

Should be a no brainer, right? Not so fast...

Let me preface this by saying; the reason I went with Canon to begin with is that oh so lovely MPE-65MM macro lens (I love macro) and I like the work I've seen by folks using this lens and the MT-24 flash unit...it's my goal most of all in photography.

Sooo, I thought, hmmm, I could get the new Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 USD for $1500 and also the MPE-65, or I could just get the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L USM II IS....

UGH, what to do...

I've read about all the reviews of the new Tamron I can find (not too many) and it seems overall to be a pretty good lens, especially in the middle of the zoom range. I figure I'll be shooting a lot of the football out near the end of the zoom range for the most part though. At the outer ends it's pretty good, but not quite up to the Canon standards. The question is, will it be good enough? I mean, I am shooting on a T3i so the sweet spot thing with the APS-C sensor helps quite a bit.

I'm not planning to do any very large prints of the football shots. Max, maybe 8x10, but most likely 5x7 or less. This is more so for family/me mories sort of thing as sports photography is not really what I want to get into to any great extent.

I guess I've really made up my mind more or less, but just looking to get some sort of confirmation the Tamron lens will be fine. I'm pretty sure it'll be good for other uses in general as it really does rival the Canon at mid zoom ranges and smaller F stops (at least according to the reviews).

 

[Overread]

There is a Twinflash for sale in the buy and sell section here on the forums ^^

As for the 70-200mm f2.8 lenses that is a hard area for me to comment on. That said the 3rd party offerings from Tamron and Sigma do perform well; certainly in line with the performance of the Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS L original. On a crop sensor you should have no trouble at all even at the 200mm end and at f2.8. Mleek (who isn't around much these days) does sports and loves her Tamron 70-200mm - and the older Canon has many years of professional grade use behind it so they are no slouches.

The newer canon lens is better, but in the 70-200mm range on crop sensor I think that you'd be safe easily with the Tamron and letting the rest of your budget go mad on the MPE65mm macro (ps you do hav a regular macro lens right?)

 

[EDL]

No, all I have for the T3i is the kit lens so far.

I have played with macro on my old Olympus C3030 with the external "macro" lens kit. It would do somewhere around 1.3:1 to 2:1 (several lenses to choose from in the kit), so I am familiar with the razor thin depth of field, setting focus, F stop and then focusing the subject by moving the camera.

 

[Overread]

Ahh well then go for the MPE then - just remember it only does 1:1 to 5:1. For many situations the 1:1 limit can feel rather restricting. I do tend to recommend people to go for a regular macro lens first to get the hang of things and the 1:1 limit on the MPE means that a regular macro lens always remains something viable in the bag.

Also the larger sensor of a DSLR will give you a whole new meaning to the world "razor thin" in depths of field

 

[EDL]

That's why a focus rack is on the list for the tripod as well

1:1, to maybe 3:1 for hand held/flash with the MT-24...5:1 for "static" subjects, on the tripod with the focus rack....


I wish I could find all my macro shots from the Olympus from some years back. I've lost them somewhere. I think they were on a hard drive that crashed, but I can't remember. Sigh.

Photography is a funny thing with me. It's kinda like binge eating. I go through periods where it's all I want to do...usually as a result of driving down the road and seeing something that screams "you need to shoot me". I'm then all into it for a little while, then I put the camera down for a month or two, or longer, then I get the urge to shoot again.

My wife thinks I'm weird like that. She complains sometimes that I never bring the camera and take pictures of the family and stuff like that. I handed her the Olympus and told her "here, take all you want".... that didn't go over too well! :er:

Right now I have a hankering to do a "series" of old buildings in B&W (and I've never had an interest in doing B&W, never excited me). It just seems the way these need to be done though. Lots of old towns and buildings here in PA. Some pretty austere looking stuff in places.

If I get the MPE, of course, that'll be my rage for quite some time too. The football stuff I'll do for the memories and I'll do my best with it, but it doesn't "drive me".