"Fast" Lens & Photography

cumi · Jan 10, 2006

Hi,

what camera/lens would you prefer for "fast" photography. What lens (+camera) should I buy, if I want to shoot fast, moving subjects (like my son :wink:

) and sports (water skiing, swimming, skiing, etc).

What parameter of an lens should I take in count (like low F number)?

Thanks,

'Daniel' · Jan 10, 2006

You should probably get a prime if it's FD because zoom lenses from back then are not the greatest. Something like 300 or 400.

Maybe something like this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-300m-f4-FD_W0QQitemZ7579251531QQcategoryZ30033QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

It's f/4 which isn't the fastest of lenses. I don't know how fast they got in the FD rang.e There is probably a f/2.8 version though.

Rob · Jan 10, 2006

The way I see it you've got two things here: You want a fast lens, and you want a long lens. The combination of those two things makes for an expensive purchase.

Waterskiiing will require a very long lens, as Daniel says a 300+ lens. To get a fast lens of this length is going to cost high three or four figures.

Up close a faster lens is much cheaper - a 135mm f2 would be quite affordable.

Generally the f2.8 28-80 and f2.8 80-200 are excellent lenses, but probably wouldn't be enough for waterskiing as they aren't long enough.

What's your budget?

Rob

Mack · Jan 10, 2006

is f 1.4 slow or fast

'Daniel' · Jan 10, 2006

Fast.

cumi · Jan 10, 2006

Rob said:
Generally the f2.8 28-80 and f2.8 80-200 are excellent lenses, but probably wouldn't be enough for waterskiing as they aren't long enough.

I also like these, but I think under Canon or Nikon they would be too expensive. I will check it under Sigma or Tamron...

Rob said:
What's your budget?

I don't want to give more than 500 euros for the lens.

Small F-numbers means automatically fast lens?

What about the camera? What would you prefer? I like the Nikon D70s and the Canon 350D.

Rob · Jan 10, 2006

A small f-number means that the lens is wide compared to being long. Width allows more light in, allowing a shorter exposure. To get a long (above 200mm) and wide (below f3) lens you need to spend a lot of money - far more than 500e. I am a bit of a brand snob, but honestly there hasn't been a single instance of me saying "wow, what was that taken with" where the answer has been either Sigma or Tamron. The answer is generally a Nikon or Canon f1.8 50mm lens when I've said that!

The Nikon d50/70, Canon EOS 300/350D and the Olympus E-300/500 are all worth considering. The kit lenses are neither long enough, nor fast enough for waterskiing, so I'd say you'd better start saving or only take pictures in mid-summer between 10am and 2pm!

Good luck!

Rob

Lumix · Jan 10, 2006

I'm no snob so I would suggest you take a look at the Panasonic FZ20. F2.8 zoom up to 432mm and the lens is made by Leica. Combine this with the image stabilizer and you have an affordable outfit capable of producing good quality 10x8 pictures. I use one and though it's not in the same ball park as some of the other camera/lenses I'm sure it will do all you need and more.

Rob · Jan 10, 2006

Lumix said:
I'm no snob so I would suggest you take a look at the Panasonic FZ20. F2.8 zoom up to 432mm and the lens is made by Leica. Combine this with the image stabilizer and you have an affordable outfit capable of producing good quality 10x8 pictures. I use one and though it's not in the same ball park as some of the other camera/lenses I'm sure it will do all you need and more.

If it were f2.8 at 432mm then we'd all be down the shops right now buying one! :mrgreen: Sadly it's only f8 at 432mm.

Still, it's a good camera and may well be the best answer for this kind of thing. It's worth comparing it to the Sony DSC-R1 as well.

Rob

markc · Jan 10, 2006

I would also consider shooting your son and the waterskiing at two separate needs. For my children pics, almost everything is with either a 85mm f1.8 or 50mm f1.4 on an EOS5 or 10D. I'd recommend something similar, whether using film or a digital with a 1.5 or 1.6 crop. Anything wider doesn't really get you close to the kid, and anything longer is tough to wield and keep them in frame while they are moving around.

Lumix · Jan 10, 2006

Rob The spec on my camera (Panasonic FZ20) is F2.8 from one end of the zoom to the other. This is one of the main features of this camera. Unlike most zoom lenses that have a decreasing aperture at the full telephoto end. Go to Panasonic's site or read the review at "Imaging Resource". Not to be confused with the later FZ30 which dose drop from F2.8 to F3.5. Where do you get the F8 from?

From the review:
Announced at the end of July 2004, the DMC-FZ20 is the flagship model of the third generation of 'super zoom' cameras from electronics giant Panasonic, and is a direct replacement for the FZ10. Like its predecessors (and the simultaneously announced DMC-FZ3) the FZ20 sports a Leica-branded DC Vario-Elmarit zoom with a whopping 12x optical range (36-432mm equiv) and a constant F2.8 aperture. It also boasts a newly-improved optical image stabilisation system and the Venus II engine, which, according to Panasonic's documentation, is now equivalent to shooting at 3 or 4 shutter speed steps faster.

markc · Jan 10, 2006

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz20/

Wow. That's one heck of a lens. Sounds like the camera may have some noise issues, but it gets a good review.

Lumix · Jan 10, 2006

There is software to remove noise but at normal 10X8 it's just not noticeable. It's not just some lens, it's one heck of a camera. You can pick them up for about £265 on eBay as I did.

Don Simon · Jan 10, 2006

The FZ20 should be available for even less now; Jessops were selling them for £200 in their sale, which is pretty great considering their usual prices. They seem to have sold out now, but I expect the price has gone down elsewhere too. I considered getting one because I wanted something pocketable, but every time I zoom in with the 3x zoom (with only 2 apertures available at each focal point) I wish I'd got the Panasonic instead. I'd say it's definitely worth considering for your needs, since you could end up paying that amount at least for a lens alone.