Sports Photography Forum

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  1. #1
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    sports photography & equipment help

    I posted this in another forum and was told i should ask it here...

    i have a nikon D50 for the moment and i am looking into getting a new lenses for sports photography. anything from kids tee ball to college football (basically all sports of all ages) someone suggested this lenses http://www.photographyreview.com/cat...6_3128crx.aspx
    and i am planning on using it with my D50 for a while and then hopefully upgrade my camera to a better nikon (down the road a bit). but i would like to keep the lenses as long as possible. any suggestions??? or better ideas??? or different equipment i should look at?

  2. #2
    Sports photo junkie jorgemonkey's Avatar
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    Re: sports photography & equipment help

    If you get that lens, you will never regret it

    I had the Sigma 70-200 F2.8, which worked well until I started shooting more cycling & fast paced events. Then the AF speed of the lens wouldn't hold up, and I was getting lots of OOF photos. I sent the lens in to Sigma, they said everything was fine, and once I got it back same problem. I then bought the Nikon & I haven't looked back.

    Its built like a tank (and weighs that much!). I am getting to be a firm believer of you get what you pay for when it comes to camera lenses & bodies
    Nikon Samurai #21



    Cameras:
    D700
    D300
    D200
    D2H

    Lenses:
    Nikon 35mm F1.8, 35 F2, 50mm F1.8, 70-200 F2.8 VR
    Sigma 150mm F2.8 Macro
    Tokina 12-24 F4
    SB900 & SB800 flashes

  3. #3
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    Re: sports photography & equipment help

    it will work with my D50 right????

  4. #4
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    Re: sports photography & equipment help

    Quote Originally Posted by Godfather25
    it will work with my D50 right????

    yup, it will work with it and many other Nikon bodies as well.

    JS
    Canon 1D
    Canon 1D MK II N
    Canon 70-200mm USM IS f2.8
    Canon 200mm f1.8 USM
    Canon 300mm f2.8 USM IS
    Canon 28-300mm USM IS f3.5-5.6
    Canon 50mm f1.8
    Vivitar 19-35mm f3.5-5.6

  5. #5
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    Re: sports photography & equipment help

    thnaks to everyone for the help...i think i am going to pull that trigger, i just hope my wallet doesnt get too up mad at me

  6. #6
    Junior Member Dstrickland's Avatar
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    Re: sports photography & equipment help

    For the kids baseball, you should do well with an 80-200mm lens of average speed. The games are usually in bright sunlight and you'll get a nice effect with background blur shooting wide open. The college football, you may have to go to a 500mm lens and you may want a fast one if you can spend the money. The game moves faster and light can change and therefore slow down focusing. Have fun with it though. The baseball for me is the most fun to shoot.
    JUST TAKE THE DAMN PICTURE!

  7. #7
    Senior Member retroactiv's Avatar
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    Re: sports photography & equipment help

    I use a nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 for most of my sports shoots, look into it a little more expensive than the sigma but it's made by nikon and you can send it in to the for repair if something would ever happen to it.
    Chris Johnson
    Nikon Samurai # 30 chrisjohnsonpic.com
    Nikon D2Xs, Nikon D50, SB-800, AF Nikkor 80-200 D ED f2.8, AF Nikkor 50 D f1.8, AF Nikkor 18-55 G ED f5.6

  8. #8
    Senior Member
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    Re: sports photography & equipment help

    Just wanted to added on what's been said. The 70-200 is decent range for most sports and for those where you want a little added range, just add a 1.4x converter. It will increase your f-stop to 4.0 but will give you more range and still a great DOF. I used the 70-200 strickly for about a year before I bought my 300 f/2.8. The 70-200 is great and can be used for those indoor sports, such as basketball and volleyball.

    Good Luck

    Jim
    http://www.sportsshooter.com/members.html?id=7705
    Canon 1D Mark IIn
    Canon 40D w/ Vertical Grip
    Canon 300 f/2.8L IS
    Canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS
    Canon 24-70 f/2.8L
    Canon 1.4 TC
    580Ex
    Monopod

  9. #9
    Senior Member
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    Re: sports photography & equipment help

    There really is no "magic bullet" for lenses, especially for sports. However, the advice given so far is sound. The 70-200/80-200 f2.8 is the "go to" lens for most sports photographers, the longer glass is great for more specialized use such as soccer or shooting football from one end of the field. In addition to that you will find need for a wider lens and I really like the Sigma 18-50 f2.8. Another must have is a really fast/wide prime like a 50mm f1.8 or 85mm f1.8/1.4. I wouldn't worry too much about upgrading the D50 right away. I love mine and use it all the time. If you can't get a great looking 11x16 print from a D50, it's not the camera.
    Daniel - PixElite Photography

    http://www.pixelitephotography.com
    http://www.actionphototips.com
    http://www.maxpreps.com
    I use Nikon Professional gear.

  10. #10
    Junior Member Dstrickland's Avatar
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    Re: sports photography & equipment help

    The 80-200 will do the lions share of what you want to do. I have a small website with a couple examples of what a zoom like that will do. I shot film of 100 ISO and shot wide open. Most of my shots were always F5.6 1/1000 sec.

    stricklandsports.bravehost.com
    JUST TAKE THE DAMN PICTURE!

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