Lens choice for high school wrestling

[Kg1610]

Hello, I've been taking photos of my our high school wrestling team for 3 years now. I've been using an xsi with the 85 1.8 and have just upgraded to the 60D (yay). I usually take hundreds of pictures at every match. The 85 is great, but the fixed focal length is bugging me! Often its too long or not long enough. I sit very close to the action on the mat. Considering the fact I'm on a budget and don't want the hefty 70-200 which would be ideal I'm sure, which zoom lens would you suggest? I've read up on the Tamron 28-75 and have been eyeing it for some time. Do you think that would be a good choice? I've heard it hunts for focus in dim lighting, but I've also read glowing reports about it. Or maybe another prime lens would be good, like the Sigma 30 or Canon 28? I want something fast and don't use flash. Thank you so much for your input!

 

[smalltowngirl13]

Hello and welcome aboard!

 

[terri]

Welcome to the forum! I've moved your thread over to the Equipment forum, where you will get more views and hopefully some specific answers. Good luck!

 

[Dillard]

I have heard wonderful things of the Tamron 24-75! Would definitely be a nice addition!

 

[keith foster]

I have owned 3 copies of the Tamron 28-75 f2.8 and it is a very good lens in its price range. You will not go wrong with it for indoor sports, if you get close like you already do. Anyone trying to shoot from the stands or away from the field won't like it much because of the reach.

Make sure to buy it from an authorized Tamrom dealer. I bought one of my copies off Amazon who it ends up is not an authorized dealer. It showed up with a malfunctioning AF motor. Cost $140 plus $29 shipping and insurance to send in to Tamron to repair. If I add up the price I paid to the low baller on Amazon, the cost of repairs and shipping, I paid and extra $91 for the lens. Not very smart on my part and not a mistake I will make again.

On the upside Tamron service was excellent, good customer service and I had the lens back in my hand 8 days from the day I dropped it off at USPS.

You won't regret purchasing the lens. They also tend to hold their value pretty well and you don't see them on the used market very often. So if you decide to go to the Canon big boy some day you can sell the Tamron for $50-$75 less than you paid for it. Which is very cheap rent on the lens.

 

[curtyoungblood]

The 85 is great, but the fixed focal length is bugging me! Often its too long or not long enough.

If the 85 is sometimes too short, but also too long, the 28-75 is only going to solve half your problem. You need a longer lens and a shorter lens, but the 28-74 is only shorter.

My opinion is that it is far easier to back away from a wrestling match than to get closer, so you would benefit more from a longer lens than a shorter one. I think you'd be better served with a 135 or 200. I also think that you will usually get a better shot with a longer lens with sporting events.

 

[Patrice]

Seems like you want to cover focal lengths from about 50mm to 150 mm. Do a search of lenses covering that range and choose one. Remember that cheap - good - fast are seldom found together in one product.

 

[table1349]

Hello, I've been taking photos of my our high school wrestling team for 3 years now. I've been using an xsi with the 85 1.8 and have just upgraded to the 60D (yay). I usually take hundreds of pictures at every match. The 85 is great, but the fixed focal length is bugging me! Often its too long or not long enough. I sit very close to the action on the mat. Considering the fact I'm on a budget and don't want the hefty 70-200 which would be ideal I'm sure, which zoom lens would you suggest? I've read up on the Tamron 28-75 and have been eyeing it for some time. Do you think that would be a good choice? I've heard it hunts for focus in dim lighting, but I've also read glowing reports about it. Or maybe another prime lens would be good, like the Sigma 30 or Canon 28? I want something fast and don't use flash. Thank you so much for your input!

I generally shoot college wrestling with an 85 f1.8 on one body and either a 50 f1.4 or 35 f1.4 on the second body. Keep in mind that cropping in post processing is your friend.

 

[Patrice]

Keep in mind that cropping in post processing is your friend.

Kg1610,

This is good suggestion. You don't say how you use the images. Are they printed in the school rag or shown on the school's web page / facebook page? These uses don't need a lot of resolution or huge images. Get yourself a 50mm f/1.8, photograph in raw, crop for field of view wanted (digital zoom if you will), resize for web or print and then process for wb etc... and finally sharpen and you should be good.

 

[Kg1610]

Thanks for moving my post! I couldn't figure out how to start a new thread in a certain forum!

 

[Kg1610]

Wow, thank you everyone for all your great suggestions! I have a lot of options to think about now. I just post the photos on Photobucket, then the families take them from there. Using a 50 mm and cropping sounds like a good, cheap way to go, and in the meantime, I'll keep an eye open for a good deal on the Tamron.