Sport lenses for keeping in memory my daughter's games

[ac12]

Bill
Would you please enlighten me, HOW do you use a 70-200 in a gym?
Are you shooting tight shots of individual players?
Unless I am shooting the far court or the other side of the court, I can't figure using a 70-200 in the gym.
A 16-80 or 24-70 on a DX body seems about right for how I shoot.
I currently shoot with a 35/1.8 and 50/1.8 (to deal with the low light in the gym), but I might get a Tamron 17-50/2.8 or one of the 24-70/2.8.

Hi
Well I shoot full frame but even then I typically shoot at 160-200 MM. And while I do get a lot of action shots not everything has to be action shots. You want to capture the emotion, the fact that they are kids and they are out there having fun. A couple of examples.

And a lot more here if you want to poke around, not all the shots are "keepers" but I try to get shots of everybody Hope that helps.

WOW, #1 is great.
I usually have trouble tracking FAST moving sports if I crop tight in the camera, so I have to crop loose in the camera and do the tight cropping in the computer.

Is #2 the playing players, or at the bench?

 

[BillM]

Thanks, I believe that second shot was on the court when they won their first set, if is a new program. Only second season

 

[SquarePeg]

I'm the sports shooter for my local high school and also freelance for the local papers. For indoor sports I use my 70-200 f/2.8 95% of the time, I also carry a 24-70, on a spare body, for group photos when needed, the other 5%. That covers everything from basketball to volleyball. For Wrestling sometimes I'd use a 120-300, but I recently sold that and will just use the 70-200 for that too in DX mode on a full frame. A 300 f/4 is a nice lighter lens to carry for outdoor sports like softball during the day. For small town high school Friday night football a long f/2.8 makes life easier but you can use f/4 to keep the cost down. But that's just my opinion, hope it helps.

Bill
Would you please enlighten me, HOW do you use a 70-200 in a gym?
Are you shooting tight shots of individual players?
Unless I am shooting the far court or the other side of the court, I can't figure using a 70-200 in the gym.
A 16-80 or 24-70 on a DX body seems about right for how I shoot.
I currently shoot with a 35/1.8 and 50/1.8 (to deal with the low light in the gym), but I might get a Tamron 17-50/2.8 or one of the 24-70/2.8.

Just because you can be on the court doesn’t mean you have to be. It may be easier and more productive to back up and use a zoom to frame the shots you want rather than being so close to the action that a 35mm is too close. I can be in the dug out for our rec softball league with my 18-55 but I’ve found if I hang back a bit I can use my 50-230 (Fuji) very effectively for both wide action shots and close ups. It’s just a matter of finding a good uninterrupted sight line and a camera that can handle high ISO well when needed.

 

[ac12]

I'm the sports shooter for my local high school and also freelance for the local papers. For indoor sports I use my 70-200 f/2.8 95% of the time, I also carry a 24-70, on a spare body, for group photos when needed, the other 5%. That covers everything from basketball to volleyball. For Wrestling sometimes I'd use a 120-300, but I recently sold that and will just use the 70-200 for that too in DX mode on a full frame. A 300 f/4 is a nice lighter lens to carry for outdoor sports like softball during the day. For small town high school Friday night football a long f/2.8 makes life easier but you can use f/4 to keep the cost down. But that's just my opinion, hope it helps.

Bill
Would you please enlighten me, HOW do you use a 70-200 in a gym?
Are you shooting tight shots of individual players?
Unless I am shooting the far court or the other side of the court, I can't figure using a 70-200 in the gym.
A 16-80 or 24-70 on a DX body seems about right for how I shoot.
I currently shoot with a 35/1.8 and 50/1.8 (to deal with the low light in the gym), but I might get a Tamron 17-50/2.8 or one of the 24-70/2.8.

Just because you can be on the court doesn’t mean you have to be. It may be easier and more productive to back up and use a zoom to frame the shots you want rather than being so close to the action that a 35mm is too close. I can be in the dug out for our rec softball league with my 18-55 but I’ve found if I hang back a bit I can use my 50-230 (Fuji) very effectively for both wide action shots and close ups. It’s just a matter of finding a good uninterrupted sight line and a camera that can handle high ISO well when needed.

Where you shoot from is driven by physical constraints, and imposed limitations.
Basketball and volleyball has very little room on the floor around the court, to the wall and bleachers. The other option is up on the bleachers. I shoot a bunch of my volleyball shots from half way up the bleachers, so I am level with the top of the net.
If I want a certain angle shot, the only place may be right next to the court line.
Sometimes the refs tell me that I can't be on a certain part of the court or field.

I agree with you.
I tell my student to move around the gym or field, to always look for new angles/views and don't do the same old thing.
Some of us are so used to shooting on the court/field that we forget that there are good shots and views from other positions.

 

[vintagesnaps]

What can't you get with the lenses you have? If you have access to courtside, move around and change your vantage point as needed. Figure out what you're trying to get and anticipate the play so you're not 'chasing' the action. If you're trying to get a specific player get positioned to be able to get that player. I don't see a need for a real long lens unless you'd be shooting from up higher in the stands.

A nice sharp lens, used if that's more budget friendly, is always a help shooting sports. I would think a 50mm length would work. I use prime lenses but whether you use a zoom or a prime, practice. I see a lot of sports photos that look to me like the photographer is zooming in and out a lot and it's throwing off the framing. I'm not sure what you mean about the focusing but if that's challenging that could indicate a need for more practice too since shooting sports takes the ability to frame and focus quickly and accurately.

This isn't just about a lens, this is about skill development. It takes a lot of practice. Go early, go to warmups. When the previous teams are out there you can look thru the viewfinder and not necessarily take pictures, just see what you can get from a certain vantage point. Notice the backgrounds you'd be getting. Notice where the light appears better and avoid darker corners as much as possible. Once you've got that figured out for a venue you probably won't need to keep doing that unless you go to an away game. But practice always helps, even long time sports photographers get in some practice.

 

[BillM]

Bottom line, be creative, work with what you have. It isn't always about having the latest and greatest gear. I know a shooter or two who could out shoot me with a Polaroid lol Capture the emotion and you'll have shots that everyone loves. Try to tell a story, include the fans and the field. Have fun doing it and it will come through in the photos.

I love this one from the other day, should have heard the noise when the catcher hit the fence. The fan never flinched

 

[Derrel]

What camera are you shooting, DX or FX format?

• For any shot, a prime is either the correct FL, too long or too short. IOW it will be the wrong FL 2/3 of the time.

IN 2004, 2005,2006 I shot sports for two local area newspapers. I usually shot 2 or 3 events per week.


I shot high school and some college sports and two semi-pro football games. I shot men's and women's basketball, soccer, night high school football, track and field, volleyball, indoor swimming, softball, wrestling, and a few other miscellaneous assignments,like weightlifting, rollerskating, and the OSU baseball national championship "key to the city" event.

At that time, I used the Nikon D1h, a 2.7 MP d-slr, and from May 3, 2005 onward, used the Nikon D2x, a 12-MP camera. Both were aps-c cameras. I used mostly the 70-200/VR, the first model, but occasionally used the 200/2 VR, the 300/2.8 AF-S II, the Sigma 100-300 f/4EX HSM, the Nikon 300/4 AF-S, and for some stuff, the 400/3.5 Ai-s, and the 80-400 VR for field sports like soccer, and very rarely, the 50/1.8 AF. I feel that the 50/1.8 AF or AF-D is faster-focusing than the newer 50mm f/1.8 AF-S G series, and the old 50mm is a decent lens for indoor basketball.

If you are TOO CLOSE, as in on the court or on the field, it is very easy to be caught with too long a lens! For indoor court sports/wrestling, a 24,28,35,or 50mm lens can be useful. Today's cameras offer tremendous crop-ability and wayyyyyy better high ISO performance than either the D1h or the D2X.