Question for CA shooters....

[ciddog91]

Hi All,

I am heading to California with my son for a gymnastics meet in a few months. The meet is at the Oakland Convention Center. I have equipment for most venues, but I have never been there.

If anyone has ever shot there, what is the lighting like? How big is it? And will a 70-200 f2.8 work?

I was thinking about renting a 300 f2.8, but was hoping to find out if I would even need it..

Any help would be appreciated..

Thanks..
Phil

[Photo-John]

I know Oaktown, but I'm not sure about the Convention Center. Is it downtown in one of the big hotels? I've been to a convention in the Hilton, and it's pretty big. If I were you, I'd do some Web research and look for photos from previous events there. That said, most convention centers are have pretty flexible setups. You can predict fairly poor and weird lighting. What you can't predict is how close you'll be able to get. I think renting a 300 f/2.8 sounds like a good idea. It's an awesome lens, regardless. Maybe rent it for a day and shoot a local meet just to get an idea. Shooting sports with a telephoto prime can be tough. If you end up too close, the 300mm lens might be a wash. Sometimes you have to move around to find a location where it will actually work. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, either. It gets you out of your comfort zone and you might surprise yourself with something completely new and different.

[ciddog91]

PhotoJohn,

Thanks for the ideas. I may have to rent it for a meet in Chicago and see how it does and the room I may need for it.

Phil