Suggestions please!

daisy · May 22, 2007

I'm a mom with kids who play sports. I have the XTi w/ the kit lens and it is crap. I want to get a nice picture of my 5 year old standing on 3rd base (hopefully when he is NOT picking his nose)... I won't be submitting the photos to Sports Illustrated. I have no delusions that he is a professional ball player. I just want some cute pictures to share with family and friends and maybe frame for around my house.

Lens suggestions? I don't want to be eating Kraft mac & cheese in order to purchase this lens, so it needs to be reasonably priced.

TIA!

Big Mike · May 22, 2007

What would you consider a reasonable price?

There are a couple things that you usually want in a lens for shooting sports. A long focal length (more 'reach') and/or a big aperture which allows a faster shutter speed to freeze the action.

If you want a longer lens, the Canon 75-300 is an affordable telephoto. However, it might be a problem getting fast enough shutter speeds for sharp photos, with this lens.

The 50mm F1.8 has a large maximum aperture which will allow a much faster shutter speed than the kit lens.

The 85mm F1.8 is a fast (large aperture) lens, with a bit of 'reach' and it's a very sharp lens...good price too.

The ideal lens might be the 70-200 F2.8 L (even better is the IS version). It's long and fast and very sharp...but very expensive.

sabbath999 · May 22, 2007

Ok, this one won't go over well with "lens snobs" but I have one, it takes great pictures (many of the closeups on my website http://www.zoopictures.net are taken with one of these...

Tamron 70-300 DI

Sharp, light to cary, and won't break the bank. Street price on them is somewhere around $150. Take a look at my website, see what you think about the len's sharpness... or... look at these critters I shot with it...

Mike_E · May 22, 2007

Nice pics Sabbath.

Daisy, you might like a Sigma 105mm f2.8 EX DG Macro for $399. (I don't own one but am told that they are nice!) The 105mm with your crop should be enough to get you out to 3rd base in a little league park. As a bonus the Macro focuses to 12.2" and gets to 1:1.

Tamron has a really nice 90mm f2.8 Macro for $489.

Tokina has a 100mm f2.8 which goes to 1:1 @ 11.8" for $399.95 which is also for full frame. IMO Tokina has the best build quality of the three.

All prices are from B&H's latest catalog.

I only mentioned f2.8 lenses because you will eventually need the speed for night or dusk applications and too, the larger aperture will give you much better Bokeh for your shots

GreenSlime89 · May 22, 2007

I'd be surprised if you weren't stopped when you turn up at a kiddies sport event with a camera and a long lens. It's sad, but it's fast becoming a problem for photographers. I went to my sister's gymnastics competition and I had to put my name, address, phone number and signature on this form so that I could just get my camera in, I was stopped by an official for taking a photo of my sister on the vault. I was subsequently chucked out and made to delete my images - all of them - in front of the official. I'm fifteen. I don't see why this should be a problem when my sister is eighteen and I wasn't pointing the lens at anyone else other than my sister.

Anyway, if you are allowed to the event with a camera, I'd buy a 30D, not the 350D or 400D, the 30D would be more balanced with a longer lens that you need. As for the lens, I'd buy the Sigma 70-200mm F/2.8 EX DG HSM Macro. I'm saving for that just now, it's had great reviews and the price isn't too high for a F/2.8 telephoto. This would be good for other photography too. I definitely think that if you buy an SLR, you'll be hooked and the above lens (should you get it) will be with you for a long, long time. Don't scrimp now, it's cheaper in the long run to buy the lens that you want, not the one you can afford at the moment and upgrade later. If it's worth getting, save for it. Your son will still be cute for a while yet.

firemedic0135 · May 22, 2007

If you are shooting during the day and you have some sunshine you should be ale to get a decent shutter speed without having to bump the ISO too much, mabye 400 tops with the 75-300mm standard zoom lens at f/5.6. Beyond that you are going to run into slower shutter speeds pretty quick.
If you are just going to take a few photos then that lens will probably be best for you.I used one with my old film slr for a couple of years and had few problems.
I would think the last thing you would need to do is switch to a 30D and a 70-200 2.8 just to take a few pics.That is a good setup for baseball as that is what I have But I am going to start an on site photography buisness by years end.

avcabob · May 22, 2007

GreenSlime89 said:
I was subsequently chucked out and made to delete my images - all of them - in front of the official.

Sorry to go off topic but did the official give you a reason as to why you had to delete them? or just say do it or else?

GreenSlime89 · May 23, 2007

avcabob said:
Sorry to go off topic but did the official give you a reason as to why you had to delete them? or just say do it or else?

He told me that I wasn't allowed to take photos of the gymnasts, and I had done that and if I didn't delete them, I would have to go to his boss. I thought that it was extreme, but I'd rather delete my photos than have more severe consequences. I think that its sad that we should now restrict people taking photos of their family at big events. You want to record those moments for later. Why should they be allowed to stop you doing that?

Mike_E · May 23, 2007

Most schools have a responsibility to protect the privacy of their students and are legally bound to do so. Quite a few have photographers under contract or at least have contracted with photographers to cover sponsored events.

You should always check with the school to see what their policy is before shoothing. (if you want to take them to court-ok -but get with a lawyer first

)

daisy · May 24, 2007

Thanks so much for the suggestions. I'm becoming a photo forum junkie! I'm here all the time. Good thing my part time job is pretty boring or else it would be getting in the way of my new hobby.

I'm working on the courage to post a few of my pictures. My biggest hesitation is the fact that most of my good shots are of my 3 kids. I'm quite sure everyone will find the subjects cute enough, but the person behind the camera may not be doing her job so well... But I'll get there! And maybe a good lens will help

As for the official making you erase the photos... Well, as a mom with 2 girls, I'm not sure how comfortable I would have been to see young man with a big telephoto lens shooting pictures of young women in bodysuits. Sad to say, but this is the world we live in. For all they knew, those pictures would be up on some porn site that very same day.

GreenSlime89 · May 24, 2007

daisy said:
Thanks so much for the suggestions. I'm becoming a photo forum junkie! I'm here all the time. Good thing my part time job is pretty boring or else it would be getting in the way of my new hobby.

I'm working on the courage to post a few of my pictures. My biggest hesitation is the fact that most of my good shots are of my 3 kids. I'm quite sure everyone will find the subjects cute enough, but the person behind the camera may not be doing her job so well... But I'll get there! And maybe a good lens will help

As for the official making you erase the photos... Well, as a mom with 2 girls, I'm not sure how comfortable I would have been to see young man with a big telephoto lens shooting pictures of young women in bodysuits. Sad to say, but this is the world we live in. For all they knew, those pictures would be up on some porn site that very same day.

Ah, but I only had a wee SLR-style compact. If they get suspicsious of me with a fairly small camera, how are they going to feel if someone shows up with a huge lens and an SLR? I'm not trying to discourage you, in fact, I would recommend you buy an SLR with a 70-200mm lens. All I'm saying is, just be prepared to have some over sensitive official confront you. They don't care if its a man or a woman behind the camera. All they see is a person with a camera taking photos at a kiddies' event. I agree that they could think the worst but that's life and there's very little you can do for that. I say get a 30D with a Sigma 70-200mm F/2.8 EX DG HSM Macro and have a ball. You might not be allowed to take photos of your children at events, but you could get some cracking wildlife shots.