Lens Recommendation for Both Sports and Wildlife

[miketerndrup]

So I have a 70-200 f /2.8 and I have been told that not good for wildlife I look at the RF800 but I'm told that not good for Baseball and I want a lens that uses for more than one subject. Any help for a lens that good for both sports and wildlife would be nice

[jrhoffman75]

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@miketerndrupwrote:

So I have a 70-200 f /2.8 and I have been told that not good for wildlife I look at the RF800 but I'm told that not good for Baseball and I want a lens that uses for more than one subject. Any help for a lens that good for both sports and wildlife would be nice

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I think the advice you are getting is correct in context. For wildlife you generally never have enough focal length, so 200mm max is on the low side. But there are going to be situations where it is adequate.

Similarly, for baseball, 800mm is much too long.

A good choice for one lens in those situations would be the RF 100-500mm.

RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM (canon.com)

[miketerndrup]

I am not a pro wildlife person I shoot mostly from my kitchen window but every time I share what lens I use they say why not get a bigger lens

[jrhoffman75]

Then use the 70-200, crop as you want the image to look, and try the free trial of Topaz Gigapixel to upscale your image. It may be good enough if you can't afford a longer lens.

[kvbarkley]

You do have an R series camera, right?

For sports you really need a zoom.

[miketerndrup]

That why I have a 70-200

[ebiggs1]

" I want a lens that uses for more than one subject."

So does every photographer on the planet. It doesn't exist. For wildlife it depends on how close you can get to your subject which will determine what FL lens will work. There will be times when 200mm is just fine and times where 800mm isn't enough.

I have never personally used the RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM so I can't really can't comment on its suitability. From the surface it looks pretty good as a compromise for both baseball and wildlife or at least as good as it gets. It's not cheap! But then again the best usually isn't.

[wq9nsc]

The RF 100-500 will work pretty well for both wildlife and sports depending upon the amount of light available but the fairly small aperture of this glass at the long end will be limiting for baseball for night games if the lighting isn't good.

I have taken a few photos with an EF 800 f5.6 (first two photos) from the outfield fence line during daylight to get some special angles but an EF 400 f2.8 is a great focal length for baseball (second 2 photos); that lens and 70-200 f2.8 are what I use for baseball. The RF 100-500 will cover that entire range for you as a 1 lens solution as long as there is enough light and you are happy with the amount of background blur. I use my 800 primarily for wildlife which is the main use for a lens when you get into that focal length range.

Rodger

[miketerndrup]

Thank you the League I work for some field have good lights some don't and I do these as a freelance so I don't make a lot of money

[wq9nsc]

Bad field lighting can really make it tough. Don't overlook well treated used camera lenses, I suspect a lot more good EF series glass is going to show up on the used market as more people switch to mirrorless bodies. I much prefer a DSLR for sports and I am very happy with the EF series glass I own.

Rodger