Next Lens for sport??

Richard Brooks

Richard Brooks

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Hi all!
I wonder if any of you could spare some time to offer advice ?? :-)
I Iike to shoot sports, of late football. However with my current gear 5D3 with a tamron 70-200 f2.8.... Apart from focal length being a tad short during the afternoon I quite like the end results. However at night under flood lights it's annoyingly slow and im having to pump my iso right.up:-(

I would like a longer lens but (Considering an extender too) but if I'm shooting under floodlights I do need help. Funds being restricted has anyone got or used the canon 300 f4.... Or suggest another

Your opinions would be appreciated.

Thank you
 
I have just acquired a 300mm f/4 and so far (in daylight) its excellent. However, I think that a 5D3 is full frame, so you can't take advantage of the 'extra' reach a crop sensor gives you. I use a 1Dmk4 with my 70-200 and a 7D with the 300mm, which makes is over 450mm. Don't bother with an extender on a f/4 lens, I think you will lose aperture.
What's wrong with using the high iso? I regularly shoot at 8000iso and use a bit of noise reduction, works fine..
 
I use a 300 F4 (usually with a 1.4 extender on bright days) - works well with the Canon 1dx - not quite as well with 5dmkiii. I'm shooting in stadiums that usually have OK floodlights though - I've just got a 7dmkii to try out with the 300 too.

This pic is 300 F4 with 1.4 extender on 1dx taken on an overcast afternoon

screen-shot-2015-10-08-at-06-23-32.png


The 300 is reasonably fast (slows down a bit with the extender), light and sharp - I've had a couple, not as good as the 2.8 version but for the money they are very good lenses.
 
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Thank you for your help!
I was trying to capture A football match last night under floodlights... My ISO was maxed out ad the speed of the Tamron focusing wasnt great. And this was me using back button focusing. A disappointing evening and I dread looking at my images later on my computer.

People have suggested the new tamron 150-600.... Great length perfect in fact but without using in a sport environment and indoors even it's F5-6.3!!! Sends my alarm bells ringing :-/
 
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As you seem to be talking a lot about floodlights.... stay away from the 300 f4..fantastic lens.. rubbish under floodlights... stay away from any lens using an extender...that will take you in the opposite direction with lesser quality and even higher iso... no point other people posting telling you how great the 300f4 is.. we know... but its useless as you would need even more iso then your using now and thats what you say your trying to avoid.

dont waste a penny on the 150-600 or you may as well just stay in nights and overcast days :)


simple truth for your problem is... longer length but stay at f2.8 and that costs money... used older version 300 2.8 prime or a sigma 120-300 should come in at less than one thousand...
 
I have the Sigma 2.8 120-300 which I use for football. It does the job quite well
 
KIPAX said:
As you seem to be talking a lot about floodlights.... stay away from the 300 f4..fantastic lens.. rubbish under floodlights... stay away from any lens using an extender...that will take you in the opposite direction with lesser quality and even higher iso... no point other people posting telling you how great the 300f4 is.. we know... but its useless as you would need even more iso then your using now and thats what you say your trying to avoid.

dont waste a penny on the 150-600 or you may as well just stay in nights and overcast days :)

simple truth for your problem is... longer length but stay at f2.8 and that costs money... used older version 300 2.8 prime or a sigma 120-300 should come in at less than one thousand...
Click to expand...
You really need an f/2.8 lens allied to a body which offers good AF at high ISO, i shot a D3S with a 400mm f/2.8 and 99% of the time even under floodlights the body and lens combo was so good it afforded me the ability to shoot with a 1.4x attached, and sometimes with the second body D3S, 70-200mm f/2.8 as well, of course this means bumping the ISO up to between 6400/12800 to retain a decent high shutter speed

All these shot at f/4

http://gcphotography9757.zenfolio.com/p905141336

http://gcphotography9757.zenfolio.com/p473311127
 
I've been looking to get the new Sigma 120-300 2.8 Sport. Heard only good reviews about it and people say it's really sharp. Half the price of the Canon 300mm and on a crop sensor you could reach 400mm.
 
I find this situation a tad annoying :-) Clearly we would love the right tools for the job an F2.8 appears to be the way forward but at a huge expense! I'd love to pick up all the Canon L lenses but just cannot afford to do so. So i have been looking at other makes. I do have the Tamron F2.8 70-200 but its focal length is just too short and i have to wait until the action comes to me! If i get an extender become an F5.6 and under flood lights? really??

So reluctantly the budget is forcing me to look look around at the Sigma 120-300. That is until i can afford the canon version..... someday People say look around at second hand. Which i would do but everytime i use it i'd worry if this would be the day it fails on me when i dont want it too and at half the price (ish) of a new one perhaps i should have waited and saved and got a brand new one?? :-/
 
Richard Brooks said:
I find this situation a tad annoying :) Clearly we would love the right tools for the job an F2.8 appears to be the way forward but at a huge expense! I'd love to pick up all the Canon L lenses but just cannot afford to do so. So i have been looking at other makes. I do have the Tamron F2.8 70-200 but its focal length is just too short and i have to wait until the action comes to me! If i get an extender become an F5.6 and under flood lights? really??

So reluctantly the budget is forcing me to look look around at the Sigma 120-300. That is until i can afford the canon version..... someday People say look around at second hand. Which i would do but everytime i use it i'd worry if this would be the day it fails on me when i dont want it too and at half the price (ish) of a new one perhaps i should have waited and saved and got a brand new one?? :-/
Click to expand...
The first generation Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 is a cracking lensin decent light, AF slows and hunts a but in darker light but for anything between £7-900 used its a no brainer if youre on a budget
 
ALL of my kit is second hand.
Maybe I've been lucky but the only failure I've had was a £7 spring going on a shutter (which cost £200 to get fixed due to the position of it). But that's it, in about 10 years, using Sony/Fuji and now Canon gear, 30 plus lenses and 10 bodies, some very well used.
I've never had a brand new car either, always second hand.
If you're on a budget the Sigma, as Gary/Kipax and Kelack have said, is a bloody good buy to start off with.
 
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Seeing as you are VAT registered, wouldn't you be better off buying from new?
 
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