Canon Rebel XTI Lens

Little_Shot42 · Aug 7, 2007

I just got a canon rebel xti and i am looking to get a lens. I am trying to get into sport photography. I am looking for a good zoom lens, usable indoor and outdoor, and can take pictures of fast moving objects without a blur.

Price Range: Under 1,000

thanks for the help

lifeafter2am · Aug 7, 2007

Canon 70-200mm f/4L OR if you are willing to go a tad bit outside your budget, the f/2.8L version.

You can stop the blur with a fast shutter speed, which would mean a wide open aperture. If you were really worried about blur you could get the IS versions of either of them, but they jack the price up.

MPowerM3 · Aug 7, 2007

lifeafter2am said:
Canon 70-200mm f/4L OR if you are willing to go a tad bit outside your budget, the f/2.8L version.

You can stop the blur with a fast shutter speed, which would mean a wide open aperture. If you were really worried about blur you could get the IS versions of either of them, but they jack the price up.

Fast moving objects, or objects in motion, IS will not help with those. You'll want the 2.8 70-200mm. With the crop factor at 200mm you will almost be at 300mm!! I would spend the money and buy the 2.8, also a battery grip for your xti, its a little small the grip really makes a difference.

lifeafter2am · Aug 7, 2007

MPowerM3 said:
Fast moving objects, or objects in motion, IS will not help with those. You'll want the 2.8 70-200mm. With the crop factor at 200mm you will almost be at 300mm!! I would spend the money and buy the 2.8, also a battery grip for your xti, its a little small the grip really makes a difference.

Thats not completely true though. There is the panning option on the IS that will still help with motion blur from the camera shaking and such. I am thinking more of in terms of someone holding the camera, and not using a monopod or tripod. But yes, you are right, for the most part.

Big Mike · Aug 7, 2007

For sports, you will want a 'fast' lens. That is, a lens with a large maximum aperture (lower F number is a larger aperture). So for a zoom lens, you would want something with F2.8 in the name/spec. You could get a prime 'non-zoom' lens with a max aperture of F1.8 or even larger.

As to what focal length you need, that depends on plenty of factors. You could get great shots with a 50mm F1.8, which is less than $100.

For the money, the Sigma 70-200 F2.8 is a great lens. It's around the price of the Canon 70-200 F4 L. The Sigma is a rather large lens though (as is the Canon F2.8 version of that lens). You might be better off with the F4 version on that small camera of yours.

usayit · Aug 7, 2007

IS will not help with motion blur.... only camera shake. Panning option has nothing to do with it.

IS is not a replacement for tripods and monopods.

I personally don't understand why would anyone shoot sports without a monopod or tripod... for me... (in most situations) a support (usually monopod) is almost always necessary. You don't tire out as quickly.. which means a better steadier stance. A steady camera on a good support will be a lot steadier.

Yeh.. there are times that you just can't use a good support.. fine then thats when IS comes into the picture. Even then, I'll steady myself against a tree or post.. fence.

Seeing someone shoot with a big long telephoto with no support just plain is silly.

I also find the 200mm focal length to short for most sports... but thats a personal decision.

lifeafter2am · Aug 7, 2007

usayit said:
IS will not help with motion blur.... only camera shake. Panning option has nothing to do with it.

I must not be able to type today, because that is what I ment. I just couldn't think of the word.

I use a monopod when I shoot surfing. I agree that it makes it way easier, and I think I get better shots because of it.

usayit · Aug 7, 2007

Outdoors in good daylight, I shoot mainly with the Canon 100-400mm L. Wonderful lens and the longest zoom in the Canon lineup. Its just a tiny bit higher than your budget. The only complain people have is the ol'push pull zoom design. If lighting gets darker... push the ISO a bit.

Anything else, I pull out the telephoto primes which are faster and easier to handle than the Canon 70-200 f2.8 IS. In fact, I just sold mine.. wonderful image quality for a zoom but HEAVY ( I was still sad to see it go though).

Under your budget... look towards sigma as Mike suggested.... I don't have experience but people seem to be happy with it. There's also the "bigma" zoom too.

Jon, The Elder · Aug 7, 2007

Little-shot......You don't mention what sports in particular that you want to shoot.

Your XTi needs some weight to balance a larger lens. The grip helps. The 3Fps will also limit you to some extent.

I shoot horse events in the arena and a monopod is an accident waiting to happen. If you are on the sidelines of a ball game, thats a bit different.

My wife really likes her Canon 70-300 IS USM. Not the fastest but a very nice piece of glass to use. They are calling it 'the-poor-mans-L'.

Unlike some others, I carry the 70-200 f2.8 IS around all day and have no problem with the weight factor.

Learning to lock on when panning is a skill that just takes practice (and a lot of it).

Don't discount the used lens market, there are plenty of good lenses out there at reasonable prices.

MPowerM3 · Aug 7, 2007

lifeafter2am said:
Thats not completely true though. There is the panning option on the IS that will still help with motion blur from the camera shaking and such. I am thinking more of in terms of someone holding the camera, and not using a monopod or tripod. But yes, you are right, for the most part.

Well I guess were both right then!! Its all good. I did completely forget about the panning part. My IS lens now is dual part like the zoom lenses are! Together, we'll make sure he gets the right lens.

keith204 · Aug 7, 2007

Big Mike said:
For sports, you will want a 'fast' lens. That is, a lens with a large maximum aperture (lower F number is a larger aperture). So for a zoom lens, you would want something with F2.8 in the name/spec. You could get a prime 'non-zoom' lens with a max aperture of F1.8 or even larger.

As to what focal length you need, that depends on plenty of factors. You could get great shots with a 50mm F1.8, which is less than $100.

For the money, the Sigma 70-200 F2.8 is a great lens. It's around the price of the Canon 70-200 F4 L. The Sigma is a rather large lens though (as is the Canon F2.8 version of that lens). You might be better off with the F4 version on that small camera of yours.

I second most of that. I have the 70-200 2.8 Sigma with my XT. The size is fine for the small camera. 2.8 will come in handy more than you'd think. The Sigma will fit right in your budget, and will allow you to even get the Canon 50mm f/1.8 as a toy.

I purchased my Sigma 70-200 2.8 from www.Sigma4Less.com and was more than pleased. They worked with me a lot. Since then, I have purchased a few more lenses from them (canons even) and they've been great. I ordered a sigma that I simply didn't like (24-70 2.8), and they let me return it without a restocking fee...pretty good for an online business. Call them to order. Usually when I speak to them over the phone, they will go ahead and give me a Hoya filter at the "Generic" brand price. Pretty neat little bonus.