topic Re: Zooming for action sports in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

Zooming for action sports

pisapa — Sun, 01 Jan 2017 23:16:57 GMT

I just bought a Rebel T6s with 18-135 lens and was wondering if I should buy a lens with a better zoom for taking pictures of my boys playing hockey. I am a newbie when it comes to higher end cameras so please excuse my questions.

Thanks in advance

Re: Zooming for action sports

jrhoffman75 — Sun, 01 Jan 2017 23:22:59 GMT

You could get a 55-250 zoom, whcih would almost be twice the magnifcation. It would be a good starter lens. You want the STM version of the lens.

Re: Zooming for action sports

pisapa — Sun, 01 Jan 2017 23:26:59 GMT

Thanks John.

Re: Zooming for action sports

cicopo — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 00:20:57 GMT

Do they play indoors or outdoors? Could make a difference on recommended lenses. Also be sure to set the camera to use AI Servo for the auto focus & pick a shutter speed that freezes the action. In Tv mode 1/500 or faster should get the job done or you can try the "Sport" mode but either way slow shutter speeds need to be avoided.

Re: Zooming for action sports

pisapa — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 00:31:53 GMT

They play indoors.

Re: Zooming for action sports

ScottyP — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 00:40:36 GMT

If this is indoor hockey and not outdoor daylight pond hockey, I would be most worried about having a larger aperture lens to let more light into the camera, to deal with the need for a fast shutter to capture fast action in low light. You may not be happy with the result if you are in fact indoors and you get another, longer, variable small aperture lens.

To render a properly exposed image the camera needs light.

Shutter speed. You could get more light into the camera by using a slower shutter speed, but not if your subjects are moving quickly. For something quick like hockey you actually have to use a short shutter speed, like the 1/500th minimum Ernie proscribes, or maybe even faster. So that further intensifies your lack of light problem.

ISO. The camera can compensate by electronically boosting the gain, raising the ISO setting to make the sensor create images in less light, but that hurts image quality beyond a certain point. That point where you notice grainy static and a loss of detail may be ISO 400 or 640 or for sure 800 on a crop sensor Rebel camera.

Aperture. The inexpensive kit lenses cannot open up to let in as much light as a larger aperture lens can.

There are some affordable large aperture lenses. There is an 85mm f/1.8. Also a 200mm f/2.8. And a 100mm f/1.8 or 2.0, I'd have to look it up. If you get a lens that lets in 2x or 4x or even 8x the amount of light into the camera, you can avoid the high ISO image quality damage.

Re: Zooming for action sports

pisapa — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 01:00:13 GMT

I really appreciate all the info. Looks like I would need an intensive course to better understand the photography jargon.

Thanks

Re: Zooming for action sports

cicopo — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 01:10:40 GMT

This little article from Canon will help with some of the terms we use. It's a quick read.

http://www.canonoutsideofauto.ca/

Re: Zooming for action sports

kvbarkley — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 01:54:24 GMT

The new 70-300 will work fine, too, and give you a little more reach.

Re: Zooming for action sports

ebiggs1 — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 15:48:24 GMT

"... I should buy a lens with a better zoom for taking pictures of my boys playing hockey."

The short answer is, yes. The lens you want is a 70-200mm f2.8. There are several reasons this is the lens of choice. One is it is a f2.8 and two is, it is a constant f2.8. The 70-200mil is a far better lens IQ wise than any of the lenses mentioned above.

A hockey arena is a lousy place to shoot from. Lights are bad and there is a glass barrier between you and the players.

Which brings us to the most important thing. What is that? It is where you shoot from. Position, position, position! Are you locked into a certain fixed seat?

In the 70-200 zoom market you have three choices. One from SIgma and Tamron each. They both are very good lenses and have a more friendly price tag. And of course the best in class Canon 70-200mm f2.8L. It comes at a premium price but rest assured, there is no better.

Last thought is you don't want any prime lens. That is any lens that doesn't zoom. They would be nearly impossible to use.

Wait a minute, one more last thought! You need to get a good post editor. Post editing your shots will make a the biggest difference than almost anything else you can do. Photoshop Elements is a good one for instance.

Re: Zooming for action sports

ScottyP — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 17:58:55 GMT

I listed primes because while I agree it is a great lens, the Canon 70-200 is a $1,900.00 to $2,200.00 lens.

The fixed focal lengths are much more affordable, in case the OP is not earmarking that much money for this.

I know fixed length lenses may not be as flexible as a zoom, but I know the pro photogs use fixed long lenses (500-600mm) at football games and get good results. True they may be using 2 cameras at the same time, and one of them will be shorter than the long lens.

I would say the Canon 70-200 2.8 IS mk 2 is worth the money, if you are willing to spend that much on your camera gear. If not, as a budget-friendly alternative that will give sharp images with fast shutter speeds, the fixed length lenses liike the ones listed above will give good service.

Re: Zooming for action sports

ebiggs1 — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 19:36:03 GMT

ScottyP,

I can't argue the price difference between the ef 85mm and any of the offerings in the 70-200mil range. But what is the photo worth to you. If the OP is in a fixed seat, like most of us would be, a prime of any focal length is going to be a handicap.

A ef 85 f1.8 is around $400, I think, and a Tamron 70-200 f2.8 is around $1500. Is it worth the extra $1100 bucks? To me without hesitation, a resounding, yes. Still too steep, check the used market but the zoom is going to be the choice.

The 'pros' use a 500mm or 600mm prime mainly because there aren't high quality zooms in that focal length.

"True they may be using 2 cameras at the same time..." More like three or four!

I have come to realize you love primes. So do I; I have several but I still choose the best lens for the job. In this case it is a 70-200mil zoom. When I can control the focal length necessary, I use a prime.

The ef-s zooms are too slow to be a good choice.

Re: Zooming for action sports

jrhoffman75 — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 19:43:16 GMT

The 70-200 f/2.8 is an outstanding lens. I disagree with the advice that an admitted newbie should be attaching that lens to a Rebel. Hand holding is not easy with that lens and by the time you pick a high enough shutter speed to compensate for that the stop and a half advantage in light gathering disappears.

For someone just learning techniques a little digital noise is the last thing to worry about.

Re: Zooming for action sports

ebiggs1 — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 21:11:20 GMT

"... an admitted newbie should be attaching that lens to a Rebel"

We were all a 'newbie' at one time or another. He's no different and has to start somewhere, just like we did.

It is silly to think a 70-200mil on a Rebel is an impossible package to handle. I guarantee people all over the world do it all the time with great success.

Re: Zooming for action sports

Waddizzle — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 21:50:46 GMT

@jrhoffman75 wrote:
You could get a 55-250 zoom, whcih would almost be twice the magnifcation. It would be a good starter lens. You want the STM version of the lens.

The EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM is a pretty good lens. It doesn't have a wide aperture [not fast], and it may struggle to focus under low light conditions on subjects that are any significant distance away from you, particularly if you're focusing through the safety glass that surrounds hockey rinks.

Your T3i is not the best Canon DSLR under low light conditions. It begins to yield noisy pictures at ISO 800, and higher. However, if you're shooting distant subjects, then the noise may not be as noticeable. And, you can always invest in software like Adobe Lightroom 6, which can do a remarkable job of removing noise from images.

With advanced noise reduction, you can shoot as high as ISO 1600, or even ISO 3200, on subjects that fill less than 50% of the vertical height of the image. Shooting at a higher ISO speeds will mean that you can use faster shutter speeds, which will help to freeze the subject's motion, reducing motion blur.

If you get the sense that there is a trade-off involved with ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed, then you're catching on.

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I would suggest learning how to pre-focus by focusing manually on an area of the rink, and taking advantage of the camera's Depth-of-Field. Every lens has a range of distances where subjects are in acceptable focus. This range is called Depth-of-Field, DoF.

I would use the camera's One Shot mode, for example, to focus on one goalkeeper net, and then switch the lens to MF mode. Every time action is near the net, your camera is in focus and you will not have to wait for the camera to lock focus before it can shoot a picture. Make to sure periodically check focus accuracy in your focus zone. Remember, if you change the focal length of the zoom, then you will also lose focus, and will have to recapture it.

Using a tripod, or monopod, support, helps reduce camera shake when you hand hold the camera.