Best lens for night football

[Torus34]

If cost is no object, see what the pros use. Their jobs depend upon their choice of equipment.

 

[imagemaker46]

Best would be a 400mm f/2.8, probably, on the 5D Mark III. If you have the budget for it, definitely get it. I'm talking about a used Mark I, not a brand new Mark II! Use that with the 5D and the 70-200 with the 7D and you'll be set.

If you are buying, as a practical lens to use 70-200 2.8, you will have a daily use lens. The most useless lens you could spend your 12k on would be the 400 2.8, it would gather more dust than use, unless you are shooting sports full time. The best sports lens for most sports would be the 300 2.8. It can be used for more than just sports as well, and is much lighter than the 400 2.8. While the 400 2.8 is a great sports lens, it is too heavy for most other fields of photography. If you are looking to rent a lens, I would still go with the 300mm, the longer the lens the more you will miss. Try using the 300mm and if in the future you want to give a longer lens a try, rent a 400mm.