EOS Rebel T7 lens recommendations for basketball

[Corey6596]

I have recently purchased the Eos Rebel T7 what is a good lens to capture basketball shots ?

 

[Tronhard]

Hi Corey and welcome to the forum:
Congratulations on getting your new camera. It's hard to give clear advice without a budget - as that really defines the range of gear we can suggest, so that would be helpful.

You might find the following video constructive and informative...

and
Note that the latter video is some years old, and the lenses referred to are for DSLR cameras that use EF or EF-S lenses.  You are using a T7 you will need to stick to EF and EF-S lenses as with Image Stabilization  to help steady your photos when you are shooting with slower shutter speeds.

Hopefully they will give you some guidance.

[deebatman316]

The OP said that they own the EOS Rebel T7 which is a DSLR camera not a mirrorless camera. So they can ONLY use EF and EF-S lenses.

[Tronhard]

Thanks Demetrius - you're right!  So, you want EF-S or EF glass.  It's still true that until we get a budget we are speculating somewhat.
That said, conventional wisdom suggest a wide-angle zoom and a moderate telephoto zoom.
Unless the OP can afford the EF 24-70L lens, then I would suggest the EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM - it is fast at a constant f/2.8 aperture..
The other lens would be the EF 70-200L IS USM - there are some choices here.  If going for f/2.8 IS USM you could possibly pick up a MkII version and that would be a great lens.  I had one.   The other is the f/4L IS USM which is smaller, lighter and is a brilliant lens and I still retain that..
Really, to be repetitive, to be more specific we need a budget value.

[Tintype_18]

I haven't taken basketball photos...yet. A friend is assistant coach at a local high school. I did take photos of X-country and baseball. Would have to backtrack to see what lens I used. Maybe a 18-55mm or 75-300mm. Last spring I got a bargain for a 28-135mm.

Just a thought: budget is what your credit card can handle?

[ebiggs1]

" Maybe a 18-55mm or 75-300mm. Last spring I got a bargain for a 28-135mm."

Beside what ever the budget can allow, what level of photos are desired as those will not be on the top of many lists  for high IQ photos. If Facebook and other social media is the goal they will probably do the job at least to a point.

Fast action in a gymnasium requires fast lenses and high ISO numbers.

[Tintype_18]

EB, fast settings are a given for action shots. As I have mentioned, nice this about DSLR is a photo can be basically reviewed after the shot(s), adjust as needed. Have taken some great (IMHO) shots of X-country meets and baseball games.

[ebiggs1]

Its all about satisfying and balancing the budget VS the quality of IQ and build of the gear. Usually at opposite ends of the spectrum.

The ef-s 18-55mm lens is a good lens but it has limits that will show up quickly as it is pushed to less that ideal conditions as well as the Rebel T7 will. If they meet your goals and budget fine, be happy. They would not meet mine although I used Rebels, I have owned five of them, all through my career as second shooter status. But they always had top glass on them.

One of the selling points of my career is advertising the use of top of the line photography gear. Sometimes its difficult to convince people to spend money, a lot of money, for a guy like me, who is using the same camera that uncle Bob has and will do it for free. You have to offer customers something they feel is well worth the expense. Of course top level gear is just one aspect but to some a very important one. I have had that question asked many times.

Once again its what do you need and what can you afford to spend. Any camera is always better than no camera! Right?