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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> Which Lens for a christmas gift.
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Showing posts 1 - 10 of 10, (reverse)
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 12/19/2006 09:20:35 AM · #1
Hi. :)
my mom has agreed to buy me a lens for christmas but i wanted to know which one should i get.. i want to capture pictures at my brother's sports games(basketball) and i was looking at the 70-300mm for that but i also saw a 28-135 mm lens. I have a canon rebel xt with the kit lens.
so i wasnt sure if the 135mm was a long enough distance for me to get good shots, because at certain games you are not allowed around the court for safety of the players.soi would be shooting from the bleachers some games.
so if anyone could please help me out i would appreciate it a lot:) thanks.
oh and if u want to see any of my pictures that i've taken u can find them here.
//shawntay07.deviantart.com/gallery/
Hopefully i cant get a membership on DP 2 in the new year. thanks again..
i should be studying for my finance test but i cant think til i know what to do..lol.
 12/19/2006 09:24:57 AM · #2
oh and i just noticed there are a few 70-300mm this is the one i'm talking about //www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=169269&is=USA&addedTroughType=search

and it's 75 sorry again.. ughhh long night..
 12/19/2006 09:34:29 AM · #3
What's the budget limitation?
The 75-300 is not particularly good quality, it's not sharp at all at the long end, which kind of makes the 300mm reach less than useful.
A 70-200 f/4 would be an outstanding choice, but it's quite a bit more expensive. i don't know if that fits the budget.
 12/19/2006 09:37:17 AM · #4
Hey Shawntay! I've shot basketball at university, and 300mm is used to go from one end of the court to the other when you're down sitting on it. If you can get seats in the first few rows, then it should be enough for you to get some shots. However, I fear you may be disappointed. The 75-300 is F4-5.6, which just isn't fast enough for indoor arenas and courts (they're too dark). You'd need an F2.8 zoom to really start to be fast enough, and they get expensive :-(

It's an okay first zoom lens if you're going to use it for other things, too, like shooting outdoors in the daylight. The 28-135 won't have nearly the same reach, but I have heard very good things about it - it's supposed to be very sharp, and it's zoom reach makes it a good walkaround lens.

I hope this helps somewhat. Now stop looking at lenses and go study! :-P
12/19/2006 09:39:10 AM · #5
I have the rebel xt .. and the Sigma 70-300 f/4-5.6 APO DG Macro ... I really like this lens for the most part ... has produced some nice sharp photos ... especially like the macro feature ... gives me the basic capability without shelling out the money for a true macro lens ... on average it goes for about $200

edited to note that this lens is also soft on the long end ... if you do plan to use it indoors you'd really need a tripod and the basketball team to stand still!

Message edited by author 2006-12-19 09:42:19.
 12/19/2006 09:42:14 AM · #6
my budget is like 300..well thats what my mom is giving me but i can always hold off til i get paid and add some additional money towards it.. so i would say about 500 if my budget..

12/19/2006 10:01:35 AM · #7
Or if i dont get either of those 2 lens. which lens would be good/fast enough for shooting indoor sports. with in my current budget.
thx
 12/19/2006 10:07:00 AM · #8
Originally posted by pamelasue:
I have the rebel xt .. and the Sigma 70-300 f/4-5.6 APO DG Macro ... I really like this lens for the most part ... has produced some nice sharp photos ... especially like the macro feature ... gives me the basic capability without shelling out the money for a true macro lens ... on average it goes for about $200

edited to note that this lens is also soft on the long end ... if you do plan to use it indoors you'd really need a tripod and the basketball team to stand still!


I'd second this suggestion. For $200 no other lens comes close in quality in this zoom range (my opinion only). The lens has surprisingly nice bokeh, does a decent job at macros and is tack sharp in the center up to 200mm. The edges are a little softer then the center and at 300mm you lose a little sharpness, but it's still very useable.
Also, macro photography at 200-300mm opens up a whole new world! You can take macros like this from 3 feet away (so you don't scare off your subject)!

12/19/2006 11:34:30 AM · #9
Originally posted by shawntay07:
Or if i dont get either of those 2 lens. which lens would be good/fast enough for shooting indoor sports. with in my current budget.
thx


Hmmm. With that budget, you could look at getting the 85mm F1.8 or the 100mm F2. Neither has a huge reach, but they'd let you get the near parts of the court, and they're both considered good lenses and fast. I use my Tamron 28-75, which definetly doesn't have the reach to go across the court. But I'm able to sit on the edge of the court right next to the basket, so it's enough zoom for any action at my end.

$560 will get you the Canon 70-200 F4. My school newspaper uses one, and a lot of photogs here on DPC rave about it. Honestly, I don't find it anything special, but it would give you the reach and is on the edge of being fast enough, although the F2.8 version would be better.
 12/19/2006 12:12:16 PM · #10
Originally posted by shawntay07:
Or if i dont get either of those 2 lens. which lens would be good/fast enough for shooting indoor sports. with in my current budget.
thx


For that budget, the Tamron 28-75 f2.8 is your best bet for a zoom.

If f2.8 isn't fast enough, then the 85 f1.8 or the 100 f2 will be your best bet. If you can stand to give up cross court reach, a 50mm f1.4 would be faster still. I believe jmsetzler uses his 50mm f1.4 a lot when he shoots HS basketball. You might consider PM'ing him to ask or search the forums for his answers when this was asked before.

Honestly, to get good results, you're going to need every bit of aperture you can get unless you're shooting in a very bright gym. I don't think you should even consider anything slower than f2.8 for indoor sports.
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