Canon 60 Lens Recommendation

[bertotr]

Hi everyone,

I have a 60D which I have been using for the past 9 years. I am using it mostly for family events, travel and now my kids sports. My question is which lens is recommended for outdoor youth soccer day games. I am near the sideline. I have used the canon 55-250 STM and had some issues with lens. The major issue was the pictures were not in focus or sharp. I manually set the camera in TV mode with shutter speed 1/1000, auti ISO and aperture was dictated by the lens as it was variable. I also had it on AI Servo mode and center point focus. It may have been my error as to the reason the pictures were not in focus or sharp. What lens do you all recommend for my needs? I have no problem giving the 55-250 STM another change but would like other recommendations. I am not planning to upgrade camera anytime soon. If I do upgrade not sure if it will be another APSC or full frame. 

Thank you for your time and help.

Robert

[Waddizzle]

Can you post a sample photo?

What Drive Mode are you using, One Shot or Continuous?  For action photography, you would almost certainly would want to Continuous Drive Mode and AI Servo Focusing.Mode.

I would also suggest that you enable all AF points.  Keep you subject within AF point display, and bear in mind that the camera will want to focus on the nearest subject.  The camera will continuously focus for as long as you half press the shutter, or by pressing the [AF-ON] button on the rear panel.

The 55-250mm STM lens is not the fastest focusing lens.  But, it should be fast enough for the 60D frame rate.  You are using Tv mode with ISO Auto.  I do not like to allow the camera to control 2 legs of the Exposure Triangle.  I let the camera control only 1 leg at a time.

I am going to suggest using Av mode with an aperture of f/8, which should give you enough depth of field to bring a small group of players all into focus.  I suggest using an ISO of 400.  The camera will pick the fastest shutter speed.  You want shutter speeds in the 1/800 range, or faster for action sports.

Try that out, and see if you get any improvement.  BTW, you did not say what your budget is for a new lens.

[ebiggs1]

The 55-250mm zoom can work.  Matter of fact it is one of the better 'kit' lenses.  None of Canon's kit lenses are outstanding so if you want better lens performance you need to get into the "L" glass series. Now let's fix you camera settings...........

"I would also suggest that you enable all AF points."

I on the other hand would not do that.  I still prefer a single AF point right in the center. If you do want to have more, limit it to 9 surrounding the center point.

"The 55-250mm STM lens is not the fastest focusing lens." 

I agree so this will always make for compromise.

"You are using Tv mode with ISO Auto. ... I let the camera control only 1 leg at a time....

I am going to suggest using Av mode with an aperture of f/8, ... I suggest using an ISO of 400.  The camera will pick the fastest shutter speed.  You want shutter speeds in the 1/800 range, or faster for action sports."

Agree almost!  Use a fixed ISO of 1600.

You next decision is do you want a better lens?  If yes, the 70-200mm f2.8 is where you want to go.  ALso keep in mind if new is out of the question, these are great lenses to buy used. They are extremely rugged and repairable if needed.

Using one of them I would drop the Av to f4 and perhaps the ISO to 800 but that depends on what it does to the SS.

[Waddizzle]

“I on the other hand would not do that.  I still prefer a single AF point right in the center. If you do want to have more, limit it to 9 surrounding the center point.”

The 60D has only 9 AF points, which Is exactly why I suggest to enable all of the AF points.

[ebiggs1]

😊

[bertotr]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I do have it on continuous drive mode. I will change to all focus points. I thought shutter priority was better for sports but will try aperture priority. I was leaning to a 70-200 lens and you all confirmed my thoughts. Do I need image stabilization for sports? From your recommendations, F4-F8 aperture is what I need for sports. Other than the F2.8 lens being better in low light, is there a difference between the F2.8 vs F4 70-200 lenses? I do plan to buy used lenses for cost savings. Thank you again for your help.

Robert

[Waddizzle]

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@bertotr wrote:

Thank you all for your suggestions. I do have it on continuous drive mode. I will change to all focus points. I thought shutter priority was better for sports but will try aperture priority. I was leaning to a 70-200 lens and you all confirmed my thoughts.

Do I need image stabilization for sports? From your recommendations, F4-F8 aperture is what I need for sports.

Other than the F2.8 lens being better in low light, is there a difference between the F2.8 vs F4 70-200 lenses? I do plan to buy used lenses for cost savings. Thank you again for your help.

Robert

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As far as which shooting mode is best to use for sports, that is really a matter of personal preference.  The main reason that I suggested Av mode was to get you to try something different, most especially turning off the ISO Auto.  Try setting a specific ISO in Tv mode, too.  Experiment.  Personally, I like shoot sports in M mode with ISO set to Auto, which gives me complete control of both shutter and aperture.

I do not feel Image Stabilization is a must have for sports photography, most especially at focal lengths at or under 300mm. Photographers were shooting sports for decades before IS came along. Shutter speed is more important than having IS.

A general rule of thumb for shutter speed is the one over the focal length rule, 1 / FL, for reducing camera shake in your images.  This rule gives you a ballpark figure of what should be your minimum shutter speed.  If you have a 200mm lens, then your minimum SS should 1/200.  

But the rule 1 / FL formula applies to full frame sensors.  With an APS-C sensor I recommend using 1/ (2 * FL).  So once again, if you have a 200mm focal length, then your minimum SS works out to be 1/400.  Bear in mind that this rule applies strictly to camera shake, not motion blur of subjects, and it represents a minimum SS.  Personally, I like to double the minimum speed, even if I do have IS in my lens.

One of biggest advantages of having a wide aperture lens is that the AF sensor receives more light when autofocusing.  All DSLRs focus with the lens at its’ widest aperture setting.  The camera will stop down the aperture to your exposure setting when you take a photo.

Because the AF sensor is receiving twice as much light with an f/2.8 lens compared to an f/4 lens, the AF sensor can do its’ job more easily anc accurately.  An f/4 lens let’s in twice as much light as an f/5.6 lens, which is where you are at over most of the zoom range of the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens.  

Beware of buying used lenses, most especially when buying one sight unseen on the internet.  Only buy a used lens from a reputable used camera gear dealer, who offers you a “warranty” period.  Personally, I have had good experiences buying used gear from KEH.  I have found that their rating system to be on the conservative side, meaning the gear is usually in better condition than what the rating might suggest.

Another issue with buying used lenses, as compared to buying factory refurbished, is the question of fungus and mold.  How dirty is the used lens on the inside?  You cannot know  I doubt if used dealers take apart all of their lenses and clean them.  A factory refurbished lens has at least been hand tested and inspected.  i cannot say if that means cleaning the internals, but Canon’s Refurbished Store offers you the same one year warranty as brand new gear.  I have gotten lucky and picked up a couple of good L Series lenses from their.

[kvbarkley]

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@Waddizzle wrote:

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Because the AF sensor is receiving twice as much light with an f/2.8 lens compared to an f/4 lens, the AF sensor can do its’ job more easily anc accurately.  An f/4 lens let’s in twice as much light as an f/5.6 lens, which is where you are at over most of the zoom range of the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens.  

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Actually, I believe it is the narrower depth of field that helps autofocus. The control system can get confused with a wide zone that is in focus.

[Waddizzle]

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@kvbarkley wrote:

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@Waddizzle wrote:

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Because the AF sensor is receiving twice as much light with an f/2.8 lens compared to an f/4 lens, the AF sensor can do its’ job more easily anc accurately.  An f/4 lens let’s in twice as much light as an f/5.6 lens, which is where you are at over most of the zoom range of the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens.  

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Actually, I believe it is the narrower depth of field that helps autofocus. The control system can get confused with a wide zone that is in focus.

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That is an interesting point.  But you are introducing a new variable, the accuracy of the AF motors in the lens. 

I would think that having a wider depth of field should make focusing easier, which probably explains why Rebels can take such great photos on bright, sunny days with a kit lens.  For example, the EF 85mm f/1.8 USM is often accused of being soft wide open, but sharpens up when you stop it down.  

I think the problem is that the AF motors have just enough backlash to cause the OOF images wide open., It as if the motors do not stop moving as fast as the camera wants, and they over/under shoot the mark.  Of course, this small error disappears when you stop the lens down.  This amount of slop also make it not worth the trouble to do AFMA with most consumer lenses.

As far as light reaching the sensor goes, I once ran into an interesting situation when I was playing around with lenses on an indoor tripod with my Rebel T5.  I was comparing how well different camera/lens combos would focus in low light, as I dimmed the lights in the room.  I reached a point where the 18-55 kit lens could not focus without an assist, but the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM could focus.  All I did was swap lenses.  One lens was f/1.8, and the other was f/5.6, because the lens was zoomed to 55mm.

[ebiggs1]

"I believe it is the narrower depth of field that helps autofocus"

I really doubt that. A narrow DOF's only effect is less room for error.  All lenses AF wide open, that is what helps AF speed. Remember the lens does not focus at all the camera does.