Lens Recommendation- Rebel T3

[Ballmom89]

Hi All! Looking for recommendations for my camera. I am not a photography buff, but am interested in learning. I primarily would like to have a good sports lens so I can take photos of my son and his team from the dugout during baseball games. 

edit: looking to spend less than $500. But willing to go above if it’s necessary

[Tronhard · Accepted solution]

Thanks for that information. That is  tight budget. Since Canon don't seem to sell these refurbished any longer, I would suggest going to a site like KEH.com. They rate the condition of the gear and provide a warranty.

For that budget, I would recommend one of these two:
EF-S 55-250 IS STM: $146: 
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Autofocus APS-C Lens, Black {58} at KEH Camera
EF 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM MkII: $402:  
Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II Nano USM Lens for EF-Mount, Black {67} at KEH Camera 
This would be the best bet within your budget, I think.  It's an excellent lens. (see my article on these 70-300 Canon Lenses In-Depth Analysis - Canon Community) and not too heavy or bulky for the camera or the confines of the dugout.
I took the following images of a match from an area on the side of field just outside the wire fence - so maybe 20m (66ft) away, and well within the focal range of the lens, with the original version of this lens - and the MkII USM version is even better:
EOS 60D, EF70-300@100mm, f/8, 1/1000sec, ISO-320  EOS 60D, EF70-300@86mm, f/7.1, 1/200sec, ISO-200
On the second image above, the ball is actually on the end of the bat at the moment of contact.  The test of a good lens is if it will take a significant crop, so the next image below is one such:
Cropped version of previous shot  
EOS 60D, EF70-300@185mm, f/8, 1/500sec, ISO-320

I had a look for a Sigma 150-600c lens, but the cheapest ones are $812: 
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM C (Contemporary) Lens for Canon EF-Mount {95} with TS-71 Tripod Co... 

[deebatman316]

Great choices Trevor I was about to suggest the 70-300mm F/4-5.6 IS MK II lens. Then the Tamron or Sigma 150-600mm lenses.

[Tronhard]

While I love the 150-600 range, on a crop body that is effectively providing images equivalent to 240-960mm, and that mught present challenges if one is too close to the action. As I demonstrated, one can always crop an image but it's much harder to deal with too much focal length and changing lenses is usually likely to result in the moment lost.

[deebatman316]

Very true that's why I always look to the EF 70-200mm F/2.8L IS USM lens lineup. Unless the OP has a FF camera. But I always like to ask the sports photographers to chime in. Since I don't do sports photography. The longest FL I'll ever need is 200mm. For the most part the EF 24-70mm F/2.8L II USM lens is always mounted on my camera.