Need telephoto zoom for indoor arena and low light fast paced horse competitons

ranchcutter · Sep 7, 2013

Just bought bought a D7100 a couple of months ago. I have an old Sigma 70-200 f2.8 (around 8 years old) that actually worked pretty good on the D50 I had. It just isn't up to par on the D7100. A Nikon 70-200 vrii isn't in my budget, so I'm trying to decide between a used Nikon 70-200 vr, a Nikon 80-200 f2.8 or a new Sigma 70-200 f2.8. I live in TX and there are tons of horse events like cuttings, ranch rodeos, ranch horse competitions, etc. Almost all of these events are in indoor arenas or are held outside beginning in the late afternoon going into night. Low light is always a factor in either case. I obviously need fast AF and sharpness. I sure would appreciate your input! I already have one horse assoc wanting me to take photos and I'd really like to give them much better and sharper shots than what I'm getting with the old Sigma. It works very well in plenty of light, but really performs poorly in low light for sharpness and chromatic abberations. Help appreciated please!! LOL

Derrel · Sep 7, 2013

You definitely want an AF-S lens for this. AF-S lenses focus faster and more-RELIABLY, so the 80-200 Nikkor is OUT, unless it happens to be one of the relatively rare 80-200 f/2.8 AF-S models, which were made for only a short time, until the 70-200 VR came on the scene and knocked it out of production. I recently saw a nice 80-200 f/2.8 AF-S in a store priced at $895. Not sure what the big dealers on the internet are getting for them. The 70-200 VR, the first version, is still pretty good on DX Nikon, and would be a nice lens to have. I still own mine. I believe that the 80-200/2.8 AF-S shoots well toward the sun; the 70-200 VR I does NOT shoot well toward direct sunlight, and it flares VERY badly when shooting right toward the sun.

Tailgunner · Sep 7, 2013

Another vote for the Nikon 70-200mm 2.8 VR. I'm about to buy one my self.

KmH · Sep 7, 2013

Compare the new, used, and refurbished lens costs in the links below.

It is my opinion, which is based on experience shooting action sports with a Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF Zoom Nikkor Lens mounted on a Nikon D300, that your D7100's auto focus motor, focus screw drive, and Advanced Multi-CAM 3500DX AF module are more than adequate for using a Nikon AF 80-200 mm f/2.8D, 2-ring zoom lens.
The D300 has the older version of the Multi-CAM 3500DX AF module.

There is no doubt a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens will focus a tad bit faster if you're willing to pay the extra cost.
Of course, the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II AF-S Nikkor Zoom Lens will cost even more for another incremental increase in AF speed.

Photographer skill and knowledge of the sport being shot have a lot to do with what % of actions shots are in focus and of high quality.