My kids have started playing outdoor sports (soccer and Aussie Rules football) and I'm finding my 18-200 lens isn't sharp enough or long enough to get the kinds of shots I'm trying to get. I'm tossing up getting another lens and the choice so far seems to be between the two above. I can't justify spending the money on the 300 f2.8. I'm leaning toward buying a second hand prime lens but wonder if it will be too big. Have read pretty good things about the 70-300 and it's less expensive. No idea what to do so I thought I would come here and seek some wisdom from my fellow 365'ers!
@terryvet92 I wonder if a 300mm prime might actually be too long a lens for what you're doing. I use my longest lens mainly at airshows, it's a Nikkor AF 70-210mm f/4 - 5.6. It's very sharp at all focal lengths but I miss the wider apertures at the long end. I've also used a 70-300mm lens on a Pentax camera in the same setting and the extra bit of focal length didn't make any worthwhile difference. There was an f/4 constant aperture version of my lens and also I believe an f/2.8 too. For what I do an f/2.8 200mm would be ideal,
Realisitically I'd probably be looking at upgrading to a Tamron SP AF70-200mm f/2.8. Only downside to this lens is that it's internal focus and zoom and hence doesn't change size as you zoom and focus, which means it's pretty big all the time. All metal construction too so it's heavy, but very well made.
@smalbon Thanks for the thoughts Stephen. I think for the most part the 18-200 lens isn't too bad for the soccer because the field is a bit smaller. But have you seen the size of a full sized AFL footy field with a bunch of 8 and 9 year olds playing on it?! LOL They really get lost out there and it's not always easy to move around to keep closer to the action. That's why I thought maybe the extra length would be useful. I agree though, sometimes you don't want all that length either. Will continue to ponder for awhile.... footy season may be over by the time I decide!
I actually have the F4 lens and it is awesome because it covers 18 to 300 mm. It makes the perfect walk around lens...but it is for a cropped sensor, and while I use it on a full sensor camera I wouldn't buy one for it. It's sharp and relatively fast. My 70 to 300 is an old full frame lens which I've had since a long time before digital cameras so it has no vibration reduction but it is tack sharp and fast.
D7000 has a crop factor of 1.5
I'm quite happy with 70-200, 2.8. In addition I use a factor 2 teleconverter (TC-20E III Teleconverter), focal length will then be max. 400 at the cost of plus 2 stops. Still perfect optical quality. @swilde
I had (until I sold it) a 300 f2.8 and it is a superb bit of kit. And I used it with sports games all the time.
I guess anything will do the trick as long as it's a fast lens. When you use teleconverters etc, you lose a stop or two along the way making it trickier to be fast enough for the action, especially if it's in an indoor stadium or cloudy. I would rather a good lens than rely on those when it comes to sport.
My 55-300 4.5-5.6 normally never leaves my camera unless I want a really close macro. I use it for quite a bit. and don't really have an issue with clarity most of the time. And have been finding them in the used papers fairly cheap.
Good luck!
@terryvet92 I attended an intro to sports photography workshop, just last night, and the photographer presenting at it said for outdoor field sports such as soccer & football you need a really long lens since you can't get in as close physically as you can with some other sports. He says he shoots with a 400mm lens to get as close as he can with his shots, but still ends up having to crop quite a bit to get in closer as long as the images aren't for print. He said when he's shooting indoor sports, such as basketball, ice hockey & box lacrosse, that his 70-200 gives him a more than sufficient range.
I hope that helps....
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Realisitically I'd probably be looking at upgrading to a Tamron SP AF70-200mm f/2.8. Only downside to this lens is that it's internal focus and zoom and hence doesn't change size as you zoom and focus, which means it's pretty big all the time. All metal construction too so it's heavy, but very well made.
I'm quite happy with 70-200, 2.8. In addition I use a factor 2 teleconverter (TC-20E III Teleconverter), focal length will then be max. 400 at the cost of plus 2 stops. Still perfect optical quality. @swilde
I guess anything will do the trick as long as it's a fast lens. When you use teleconverters etc, you lose a stop or two along the way making it trickier to be fast enough for the action, especially if it's in an indoor stadium or cloudy. I would rather a good lens than rely on those when it comes to sport.
Good luck!
I hope that helps....