Baseball photos too far away with 24-50mm lens on EOS R8

[suzigreenburg]

Help

I’m a newbie. No idea what I’m doing. Tried watching YouTube videos but I’m still lost. I have a Canon R8 EOS. I have a 24-50 lens?  
I bought it to take photos of my son’s baseball tournaments. What I have right now is not close enough or clear enough. I cannot spend over $1k. What should I get? I know nothing about cameras or lenses I just picked this group because it said lenses. Help

[March411]

Ernie, I believe suzigreenburg understands there is work to do as it relates to exposure and both you and Rodger gave some excellent advice. I would have to agree with the majority of the advice with the exception of trying to also learn editing software at this point as mastering the basic requirements of the gear to get a good exposure and sharp image would be the first step.

When I recommend someone use/purchase the RF100-400mm it appears through your responses (multiple threads) that you don't believe this is a good option. 

I guess my question should have been more direct, if someone was looking to purchase a lens for a FF sensor (or ASP-C) and had a limited budget of $1000, needed to extend their reach what other lens options would you offer? I ask because as we attempt to assist people, keeping in mind their proposed budget and photography goals I'm interested in your thoughts. Suggesting they buy beyond their budget from my perspective isn't assisting them achieve their goal. 

In this case it may be prudent for the OP, since their target subject is baseball to use the gear that would assist them learning in the practical application. That being said, what other lens option would you offer since the additional reach is an important component is suzigreenburg success. 

Just curious.

[ebiggs1]

Again, I made my suggestions and recommend course of action. IMHO, post editing is a far greater impactor than any lens in a editor vs lens match up. You are correct I am nit a personal fan of the R 100-400mm zoom but if it fits the needs of someone else more power tothem. However, I would never buy one for myself.

BTW, I would venture a guess that 100% of your images go through a post editor. What's good for one is good for the other.

[March411]

Appreciate the response Ernie.

I would say about 40% go through an editor and a good majority of the time it's just to achieve the composition I missed in camera.  Having the wrong lens mounted or because I just missed the shot, my hands aren't as steady as they used to be.....

It's always a benefit to keep post in your back pocket and digital has made life easy but post production shouldn't become a crutch that supplants achieving good captures in camera.

Having been fortunate to have my own lab back in the days of silver bromide, from my perspective the only thing that changed, I swapped trays, chemistry and an enlarger for a computer.

Post productions has been and will always be an interracial part of photography. That being said, when I started over 40 years ago the camera gear and lab weren't part of the same learning curve. I learned the gear first, then moved to learning post.  

[mdphotography]

Honestly, I think your photo is fine as a wide angle shot.  As @ebiggs2 mentioned, it just needs a little clean up in post production.  😊   Also try cropping your images to get in "closer" - 24.2 MP isn't a lot, but it gives you a little wiggle room, especially if you're only posting on social media.

My personal opinion is that you buy cheap and learn.  Once you have an idea of what you're doing and what you'll need, you can invest in quality glass.  And I also agree with @wq9nsc: shop the used markets for savings

The RF 100-400mm is decent budget lens, so is the 18-150mm kit lens.  Just keep in mind that they are budget lenses so you'll have to keep them dry/dust-free and the image quality will be good-but-not-great.

Good luck and keep posting in the forums for feedback and help!

[ebiggs1]

“Also try cropping your images to get in "closer" - 24.2 MP isn't a lot, but it gives you a little wiggle room, especially if you're only posting on social media.”

there is a lot to say about extra room and cropping. A lot of folks make the rookie mistake and shoot too tight. That leaves little room for edits.

[ebiggs1]

“I started over 40 years ago the camera gear and lab weren't part of the same learning curve. I learned the gear first, then moved to learning post.”

There is no doubt learning how to use your camera is important but learning post editing is also of top most important. If you want the very best post editing becomes the most important part as the camera whether film or digital simply becomes a storage device. In my former life I worked for a huge company that had 10 fully equipped darkrooms. We had folks that were simply darkroom experts. As Photoshop became more and more powerful and capable slowly the darkrooms vanished. And we now had Photoshop experts. These people were separate from the actual photographers.

i had my own personal darkroom for decades. Started with three soup bowls in my grandma’s bathroom. Ended up with full color analyses equipment. Started Photoshop soon after it became available to the market. I would rather have Photoshop and an average camera than the best camera made and no Photoshop.The fact Canon offers DPP4 is a fantastic deal and value. It is a super powerful app all for free. All Canon owners should take advantage of that. Most don’t.

[March411]

i had my own personal darkroom for decades. Started with three soup bowls in my grandma’s bathroom.

I can't say that I ever used soup bowls but you do what you have to get stuff done. Cool tidbit Ernie! 

[ebiggs1]

"Cool tidbit Ernie! "

My grandma didn't think it "cool". She thought the chems stunk and left stains in the bathtub and sink. Personally, I like the smell of stop bath because it meant fun. Every time I smell vinegar today I remember those days so long ago.

Time keeps moving on doesn't it?

[March411]

Time keeps moving on doesn't it?

It does and we just keep rolling with it....

And I'm with you on the smell of the chemistry. I had a small space set up in the basement where I built a mostly dust free lab, I was able to leave chemistry in the trays for a couple days. Always loved opening that door. 

[ebiggs1]

Not only smell, I was always 'stealing' her vinegar to use as stop bath. I was about 10 years old and had an Argus 75 that used 620 film. At first I could only make contact prints because the only light source was flexible desk lamp exposure source.

I local "grocery" store sold film, along with a lot of other non-grocery sundries and was just a block down the street. I still have the old Argus 75 and it still works. I may even have a roll or two of Kodak 620 roll film.