Lens recommendation please

[Dostin]

Hello, new here and am in search for a good lens for low light sports. My son plays basketball (not so great indoor lighting) and baseball (some games are at night under the lights). I have a Nikon D500 and hope to get some recommendations for a lens that will work for these low light situations.
What focal length and aperture should I get? Is a single focal length good enough or would a zoom lens be worth the extra expense?
Thank you for any help you can provide.

 

[cgw]

Google...

 

[Dostin]

Google...

Ha! I never thought of that. So very helpful of you.

 

[cgw]

Ha! I never thought of that. So very helpful of you.

Try it sometime. You might get some help with specifics after some research on your part.

 

[JoeW]

I have multiple Nikon bodies (DSLR and Mirrorless) including a D500. Love it--great for sports shooters.

You didn't say what level your son plays at (HS or a league team). That makes a difference because with a league team you can probably move around the sidelines, get under the basket, etc. With HS, unless you work a deal with the team/school (unlikely), you'll be shooting as a spectator in the stands. So the point is--much of the action won't be close to you.

Next, as you pointed out, most gym lighting is crap. And basketball as a sport is like soccer and hockey. It moves fast, except for a few set moments (like jump balls, free throws).

If it were up to me, I'd go for a 70-200mm f2.8 zoom that focuses fast when paired with your D500. I would also invest in the Topaz Labs DeNoise software (because you've got movement, at a distance, with crap light) so you'll be probably shooting at ISO 2000 (or higher) and using a shutter speed of 1/250th (and often times faster--the general rule is 1/1,000th when there is a lot of motion like running down the court, shooting, ball in flight, etc.). So you're going to get a lot of grain at those shutter speeds.

Do not get a teleconverter. It's fine for shooting still wildlife at a distance. But you sacrifice sharpness and light (which means you'll have dark, blurry photos when shooting basketball players). If you're interested in closeups (head shots in the game) and it's a regulation court and you can't move around, you'll probably benefit from a 300-400mm lens or longer. But I still think a 70-200mm is going to be your best glass for this.

Also, if you can, go shoot a practice before you get to a game. View this as scouting. You're going to have to play with White Balance (no, adjusting this in post production won't cut it--you'll make the skin tones normal (from a sickly green/yellow) but end up with a purple basketball court. And you'll get a sense (from shooting the practice) of the best places to shoot, opportunities to pre-focus (like on a breakaway, focusing on the backboard before the players get there). This matters a lot because if you have to shoot as a spectator, you want to know ahead of time the best place available to you prior to the game--as a spectator for a HS game you likely won't be able to move around all over. You'll have to pick a spot and stick to it.

And it's highly unlikely that the HS or the league will allow you to do anything other than take photos from the stands. Most HS sports have strict limits on taking photos of underage athletes. That said, it's worth a try. You can tell the Athletic Director that while you're focusing on your son, you'll shoot the entire team/game and then share all files (as Jpegs) with the school. Sometimes that works, other times not.

 

[Soocom1]

At this time many gyms are still HID which has a high UV content giving photos alot of blue hue in digital and an off creepy greenish-yellow in film.

If the gym has LED then the auto settings will help. This also has a tendency to act like an oversized flash because of the nature of the light.
So do test shot BEFORE the game starts.

Hard lighting is also a factor and youll get sharp contrasty shadows. Many times I have also seen a blue fringe similar to really wild CA in shots. But lately they seem to be getting better.

Use a shade! I cannot emphasize that enough! Flare can get really bad under such circumstances.

LED lighting is something that usually has far better results overall.

Given its a Nikon, a 70-200 as previously mentioned or even an 80-400 will work. The lens isn't as large a factor here as is shooting style and settings.
Read up on sport shooting at night. Settings at higher ISO's and larger apertures is the obvious aspect.

 

[RAZKY]

Is a single focal length good enough or would a zoom lens be worth the extra expense?

Obviously you need to do some research, Google or otherwise - your question should read "is a zoom lens good enough, or would a single focal length be worth the extra expense?"

 

[Dostin]

Try it sometime. You might get some help with specifics after some research on your part.

Yeah a lot of information out there.

 

[Dostin]

Thanks. I am researching it, found some videos on YouTube that are helpful. Just posted here to see what people have had the best results with. I’ll just move on

 

[Dostin]

I have multiple Nikon bodies (DSLR and Mirrorless) including a D500. Love it--great for sports shooters.

You didn't say what level your son plays at (HS or a league team). That makes a difference because with a league team you can probably move around the sidelines, get under the basket, etc. With HS, unless you work a deal with the team/school (unlikely), you'll be shooting as a spectator in the stands. So the point is--much of the action won't be close to you.

Next, as you pointed out, most gym lighting is crap. And basketball as a sport is like soccer and hockey. It moves fast, except for a few set moments (like jump balls, free throws).

If it were up to me, I'd go for a 70-200mm f2.8 zoom that focuses fast when paired with your D500. I would also invest in the Topaz Labs DeNoise software (because you've got movement, at a distance, with crap light) so you'll be probably shooting at ISO 2000 (or higher) and using a shutter speed of 1/250th (and often times faster--the general rule is 1/1,000th when there is a lot of motion like running down the court, shooting, ball in flight, etc.). So you're going to get a lot of grain at those shutter speeds.

Do not get a teleconverter. It's fine for shooting still wildlife at a distance. But you sacrifice sharpness and light (which means you'll have dark, blurry photos when shooting basketball players). If you're interested in closeups (head shots in the game) and it's a regulation court and you can't move around, you'll probably benefit from a 300-400mm lens or longer. But I still think a 70-200mm is going to be your best glass for this.

Also, if you can, go shoot a practice before you get to a game. View this as scouting. You're going to have to play with White Balance (no, adjusting this in post production won't cut it--you'll make the skin tones normal (from a sickly green/yellow) but end up with a purple basketball court. And you'll get a sense (from shooting the practice) of the best places to shoot, opportunities to pre-focus (like on a breakaway, focusing on the backboard before the players get there). This matters a lot because if you have to shoot as a spectator, you want to know ahead of time the best place available to you prior to the game--as a spectator for a HS game you likely won't be able to move around all over. You'll have to pick a spot and stick to it.

And it's highly unlikely that the HS or the league will allow you to do anything other than take photos from the stands. Most HS sports have strict limits on taking photos of underage athletes. That said, it's worth a try. You can tell the Athletic Director that while you're focusing on your son, you'll shoot the entire team/game and then share all files (as Jpegs) with the school. Sometimes that works, other times not.

Thank you very much for the response. This is very helpful.

 

[Dostin]

At this time many gyms are still HID which has a high UV content giving photos alot of blue hue in digital and an off creepy greenish-yellow in film.

If the gym has LED then the auto settings will help. This also has a tendency to act like an oversized flash because of the nature of the light.
So do test shot BEFORE the game starts.

Hard lighting is also a factor and youll get sharp contrasty shadows. Many times I have also seen a blue fringe similar to really wild CA in shots. But lately they seem to be getting better.

Use a shade! I cannot emphasize that enough! Flare can get really bad under such circumstances.

LED lighting is something that usually has far better results overall.

Given its a Nikon, a 70-200 as previously mentioned or even an 80-400 will work. The lens isn't as large a factor here as is shooting style and settings.
Read up on sport shooting at night. Settings at higher ISO's and larger apertures is the obvious aspect.

Thank you! This is helpful. I will need to practice with the settings. I have tried but don’t have a lens for low light yet. I’ll look for a 70-200 2.8

 

[JoeW]

Thank you! This is helpful. I will need to practice with the settings. I have tried but don’t have a lens for low light yet. I’ll look for a 70-200 2.8

Here's a suggestion (if there is a good camera store near you), try renting a 70-200 f2.8. See if it gives you the "reach" that you need for the kind of shots you want. Rent it for 2-3 days--that won't be very expensive. If it gets you close enough, then go buy one (new or used).

 

[Dostin]

Good idea. Thanks

 

[ac12]

I shoot high school sports, and an advisor to the student sports photographers.

Warning, because of the LOW light level at many public high school venues, shooting high school sports is about equipment.
Parents and teachers often don't want to hear that, cuz that means $$$$.

Here are two video that I did for my class which may help you
In the gym.

For night field games under lights. Though this is aimed at stadium games (football, soccer, lacrosse)


Bottom line for LOW light, is the old saying "in LOW light, FAST glass wins."
In very low light, sacrifice the flexibility of a zoom for the speed of a prime.

The lesson channel is

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJmDG4_o0lB6fmt42uYnnqw

I have video lessons for basketball and baseball.

Basketball:
When I shot basketball in the high school gym with my D7200, I used a 35/1.8, instead of a f/2.8 zoom. The f/1.8 prime let me shoot at ISO 3200, instead of ISO 6400.
I shoot on the gym floor. If you are in the bleachers, you may/will need a longer lens, 50/1.8 or longer.
If you are farther away, you may need the 70-200/2.8.

Baseball:
What position does he play? And are you fixed in position, or can you walk around the outside of the field? These two questions will determine the focal length of the lens.
You have two very different conditions, day and night.

During the day, with plenty of sunlight, ANY lens will work. My general suggestion are:
- one lens = Tamron 18-400
- two lens = 18-140 + 100-400
If you have LONG shots (like to or from outfield), then you want the 100-400 or 150-600.
If you are only shooting infield, then the 18-140 will be adequate.
Focal length depends on distance from you to your son.

At night, you are significantly limited, presuming the usual high school level field lighting.
- 70-200/2.8
The lack of LIGHT drive the lens, not the distance.

Gud Luk

 

[Dostin]

Thank you. For his basketball games I will be in the bleachers, probably won’t be able to move around much.

Baseball, he plays center field, pitcher and second base. For day games I have a lens to get him in the outfield. Night games I am ok with infield, batting and on the bases action.
I am going to try the 70-200 2.8 because I think (after On-Line research and from the assistance here) it will give me a good range to start for the low light shots. I’ll consider a lens with 1.8 aperture if necessary later.

Thanks for the information.