lens for movment/sports

AmberAKAmom · Feb 18, 2008

Would the 50mm f/1.8 Nikon work? And would it fit a D40? Are there others that are comparative?

lifeafter2am · Feb 18, 2008

If you can get close to the sports then, yes, it would work. Usually with sports you want something with a little more reach.

evo5gsr · Feb 18, 2008

The Fifty is a bad idea with the D40 for sports, because you'll have to manually focus with it.

pregnantcowlady · Feb 21, 2008

try something that has more zoom.
with a fifty, you'll have to be basically on the field to get a decent shot. it would work, but you'd have to zoom and crop like crazy, and it would get frustrating.

are the sports indoor or outdoor?

sabbath999 · Feb 21, 2008

The 50 will only work close up, like if you are shooting basketball when standing behind the bucket near the lane or in the corner....

The previous poster is right on, you will need to autofocus it as well.

Having said that, I used to shoot my 50 all the time "back in the day" when I shot sports for a living at a daily newspaper, shooting basketball without autofocus (that fancy AF stuff hadn't been invented yet) and got some amazing shots. I shot a Pentax 1.2 50mm, which was fast enough with Tri-X (400 ASA) push processed to shoot in even the dimmest of gyms without a flash.

I am a dinosaur.

KVB1085 · Feb 21, 2008

lol, i just learned the importance of how "fast" a lens is last night... i was wondering a while back why i couldn't snap any good sport shots with my lens no matter how quick my shutter speed was...

so i'd def like to know some good lenses as well... i've got a d70 though...

Socrates · Feb 21, 2008

evo5gsr said:
The Fifty is a bad idea with the D40 for sports, because you'll have to manually focus with it.

One solution is to prefocus on where you expect the action to occur. Not ideal but better than attempting to focus before the athlete lands.

Socrates · Feb 21, 2008

AmberAKAmom said:
Would the 50mm f/1.8 Nikon work? And would it fit a D40? Are there others that are comparative?

Depending on the nature of the movement (i.e., is it predictable?), a long but rather slow lens might work for you. The technique is called "panning." Move the camera to match the athlete's movement while you press the shutter button. If done well, the athlete is clear while the background most definitely shows motion. This works well for track & field events.

brileyphotog · Feb 21, 2008

Lack of zoom range is not good for sports. You need to be able to cover a wide range of the field, especially with a d40. If you shoot a guy that is at the far end of even a basketball court with a 50mm lens, resolution may suffer by the time you crop it down enough to make a decent photo of it.
Also, unless you are shooting inside frequently you don't need a lens that is as fast as f/1.8. There are tons of options for the Nikon mount that can get you 200mm at f/5.6, which is a decent lens for outdoor sports, especially when you are just starting out.

However, the 50 f/1.8 is a great lens and a lot of fun to play around with. I used to get great shots when I was still shooting film with a Canon 50mm. Just not the right lens for sports.

brileyphotog · Feb 21, 2008

KVB1085 said:
lol, i just learned the importance of how "fast" a lens is last night... i was wondering a while back why i couldn't snap any good sport shots with my lens no matter how quick my shutter speed was...

so i'd def like to know some good lenses as well... i've got a d70 though...

What lens were you using? Also, how high was your ISO?