Best lens for taking boxing pictures?????

[przemekmsu]

I have a Canon 50D and i will be taking a lot of boxing pictures. I am going to be standing right next to the ring and I need a lens that will preform good in low light and it will be fast enough to catch the action. Any ideas on which lens will do the trick?????? Thank you.

 

[SnapLocally]

It's all covered at the school!

Combat Sports Photography School

 

[przemekmsu]

I don' need to go to school, I just need some advise from someone who has taken pictures before and is willing to share some info. We are all here for the same reason so we all should help each other out. Thanks

 

[D-B-J]

Granted, i do not know much about canon. All i can recommend(sp?) is that you get a lens such as a 50mm 1.4 or 1.8. Also, a flash might help. Basically, a wide aperture and high iso (within reason) will do the trick.

 

[KmH]

Please, speak only for yourself because we are not all here for the same reason.

You need a zoom lens so you can capture both closeup head shots as well as full body shots of bothe boxers.

That cannot be done with a prime lens, which is what has been suggested, since you will be shooting from the apron and won't be able to zoom in and out with your feet.

Because of the lighting, you will need a constant aperture zoom, with f/2.8 being as fast as zooms get.

You really need 2 lenses but wouldn't have time to swap them out on a single camera body which is why good sports shooters have a second or even third camera body with the other lens(s) already mounted.

At any rate I would recommend the:

EOS (SLR) Camera Systems - Standard Zoom - Standard Zoom Lens - EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM - Canon USA Consumer Products

and the:

EOS (SLR) Camera Systems - Standard Zoom - Standard Zoom Lens - EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM - Canon USA Consumer Products

for shooting boxing matches from the apron.

If you can only get one, get the 17-55 and crop for the head shots.

You will still need to use a high ISO setting to get enough shutter speed (at least 1/500) to effectively stop all the action, and unfortunately the 50D is a pretty poor performer at high ISO, but that's what you have.

Of course nailing each exposure will help control noise in the final images, but plan on having to use de-noise software and expect the resulting loss of detail that will include. If you have to push or pull the exposures in post processing noise will be increased to one degree or another as will the detail loss when you de-noise the images.

Remember to shoot from various perspective levels and know that most sport shots benefit from a lower perspective as it makes the partisipants seem larger and even more powerful than they really are.

Have fun and good luck with your shoot. :thumbup:

 

[SnapLocally]

I don' need to go to school, I just need some advise from someone who has taken pictures before and is willing to share some info. We are all here for the same reason so we all should help each other out.

With all due respect I don't hand out advice anymore as it would be unfair to my students that pay for my services.

True, no one technically needs school for photography, and I didn't have any schooling myself. But it also took me a year worth of events to get any good at it, and even then my work was nowhere near where it is now. That said, I've shot 80 events in the past 3 1/2 years. If you want some solid advice and quite possibly save money on unnecessary equipment, the school is open to you.

 

[henkelphoto]

The first question I would ask, since you state you will be taking "lots" of boxing photos is, "Are you doing this for fun or profit?" Are you photographing for money, a friend who is a boxer or just because you are drawn to the field?

If you are doing this for money, my first suggestion is that I would question your ablility to provide your client with a quality product, seeing that you have to ask what lens to use. Secondly, if for money and you think you can do the job, what about renting a MkIII or MkIV and a couple of lenses to do the jobs. In the short run, it will definitely save you money instead of buying the wrong lens. It's a great way to experiment with different equipment than what you own. Later, when you know exactly what YOU want, you can buy the right equipment.

If this is for fun, well then...enjoy. In that case I would go to a few fights and see what kind of quality shots you are getting. If you find your talent is wanting, why don't you look at SnapLocally's school?

If you've never photographed boxing before, excuse me for making an assumption but that's what it sounds like, then you have no idea how fast the action is or how low the light usually is.

Having NIkon myself, I really don't know what Canon lenses I would suggest, in the Nikon line, my boxing wish list would be a couple of d3s bodies (10fps and really great hi-iso), a 14-24 2.8, a 24-70 2.8 and just for the funky shots inside the ring after the fight is over, a 10.5 fisheye.

Good luck, come back on after a few fights and let us see what you get

Jerry

 

[przemekmsu]

I have few friends who are professional boxers and I love taking pictures so I offered to take shot of their fights. I am not getting paid for this, purely for fun!!!! My paycheck for this is to sit by the stage for free, and do what I really enjoy which is taking pictures. Here is few that I took recently enjoy:

 

[obx]

Cool shots!!!!

 

[Professional]

If i will shoot those boxing then i have 3 lenses to choose from:
24-70 f2.8L
70-200 f2.8L IS
85 1.8

With 24-70 i can go from wide to standard, with 70 i can go from standard to long telephoto, with 85 for close-ups, so it depends where i will stand to shoot.

 

[SnapLocally]

I don't own any of those lenses, nor would I recommend them unless one is shooting with a 1.3x sensor. I don't.

 

[Professional]

I don't own any of those lenses, nor would I recommend them unless one is shooting with a 1.3x sensor. I don't.

Then kit lens will do the job!!!

 

[SnapLocally]

Strike two.

 

[obx]

I don't own any of those lenses, nor would I recommend them unless one is shooting with a 1.3x sensor. I don't.

What lenses do you shoot with then????

 

[Image Group]

Dude just find yourself a 24-70 2.8 and enjoy yourself. Ignore the armchair crap. You asked a simple question and you deserve a simple answer without being strung up and humiliated.