Mma fight.
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what do you know, what is your experience and what equipment do you have?
Oh - and generally when someone walks in the door, they will get a better response if they introduce themselves in some way.
Oh - and generally when someone walks in the door, they will get a better response if they introduce themselves in some way.
cgipson1
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There are a lot of variables there....
How close will you be?
What is the ambient light like?
Can you use flash or not?
What lenses do you currently have? (focal length, apertures?)
How much money do you want to spend on lenses and other equipment?
We would need to know at least this much to be able to give a close guess as to what you might need.... and a lot of this you can determine yourself, if you have adequate experience?
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With the gear you listed, I would leave the camera at home and enjoy the fights. Sports photography is one of the more demanding photographic venues on both the photographer and the gear. I shoot sports. I shoot Canon. I use mostly Canon glass. Not one of my lenses is slower than f2.8. Indoor events require fast glass for several reasons. First and foremost the light at indoor events may seem good to your eyes, but that is because your brain and eyes compensate. Your compensation for a camera is fast glass. F2.8 at least to gather enough light, even at a high ISO to allow you to obtain a shutter speed of at least 1/325th. 1/500th is better for MMA if you want to capture strikes and point of impact with take downs.
A second reason for fast glass is for the DOF. The difference between a good sports photograph and a sports related snapshot is capturing the action. That not only means being able to tightly frame the action, but to use the thinnest DOF possible to capture the action in focus but have all equipment, people etc in front and behind the action out of focus. This is what makes the action pop off of the picture.
I'm not trying to be a downer here, sports photography is a blast to shoot. But I want you to realize that with what you listed for gear it is not going to give you the ability to capture the kind of action you are probably anticipating. You should be able to get some good shots of introductions and points where the fighters are not moving much, but for action I do believe that you will find that you can not get the shutter speeds necessary in the f4.5-6 range at an indoor venue. Good luck.
A second reason for fast glass is for the DOF. The difference between a good sports photograph and a sports related snapshot is capturing the action. That not only means being able to tightly frame the action, but to use the thinnest DOF possible to capture the action in focus but have all equipment, people etc in front and behind the action out of focus. This is what makes the action pop off of the picture.
I'm not trying to be a downer here, sports photography is a blast to shoot. But I want you to realize that with what you listed for gear it is not going to give you the ability to capture the kind of action you are probably anticipating. You should be able to get some good shots of introductions and points where the fighters are not moving much, but for action I do believe that you will find that you can not get the shutter speeds necessary in the f4.5-6 range at an indoor venue. Good luck.
Before you bother with a flash you need to check with the venue. A P&S flash from the stands is one thing. A good flash unit up close to the action is another. You might want to check with the venue first before you drag a flash unit along unless you want to use it pre and or post fight.
The focal length you need is going to depend on where you will be located. When I am shooting I am always, ringside, court side, sideline. If you are talking ringside then a 50mm or 85mm would be good for a 20 foot to 30 foot ring as would a 35mm. Ring size is going to depend on which promotion is putting on the event. UFC is usually a 30' octagon whereas Pride is a 20' ring.
If you are unsure of the distance you will be at then you will want something in the zoom range, say a 70-200 f2.8 or perhaps a 24-70. Not knowing the venue is always a problem. What ever lens or lenses you choose make sure they have fast AF capabilities. While one would think that the 85mm f1.2 would be idea, it is slow to focus. That's why my sports 85 is the f1.8. Fast, sharp and quick focus.
If there is any way for you to get to the venue before hand and see what you will be working with it would be worth the effort. Good luck.
The focal length you need is going to depend on where you will be located. When I am shooting I am always, ringside, court side, sideline. If you are talking ringside then a 50mm or 85mm would be good for a 20 foot to 30 foot ring as would a 35mm. Ring size is going to depend on which promotion is putting on the event. UFC is usually a 30' octagon whereas Pride is a 20' ring.
If you are unsure of the distance you will be at then you will want something in the zoom range, say a 70-200 f2.8 or perhaps a 24-70. Not knowing the venue is always a problem. What ever lens or lenses you choose make sure they have fast AF capabilities. While one would think that the 85mm f1.2 would be idea, it is slow to focus. That's why my sports 85 is the f1.8. Fast, sharp and quick focus.
If there is any way for you to get to the venue before hand and see what you will be working with it would be worth the effort. Good luck.
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