Lens for Indoor Basketball

[C2C]

I'm using a Canon EOS R7.  Looking for a good lens to cover indoor basketball.  I sit just under and to the side of the basket.  Looking to spend no more than $600.  Any ideas / advice?

C2C

[kvbarkley]

What lens do you have?

Do you have the RF to EF adapter?

[kvbarkley]

The RF 100-400 is $650, which would be the best bet for your budget.

[C2C]

Thx for the feedback - very much appreciated.  I'm about to buy the R7 with the adaptor.  If I use that Rf 100-400 will my pix be better than what my t8i has been producing?  I'm worried that I wont be able to shoot lower than F/5.6.

[March411]

That's the challenge you have, at your budget you are not going to pick up a fast lens. I have the RF100-400mm and its a nice lens, fast focus, sharp and light weight.

I normally use a 2.8 for indoor sports, some say f4 is fine. You will have to bump up your ISO which will result in more noise. Do you have software that can assist with noise reduction?

[C2C]

Really appreciate the feedback/mentorship.  I’m certainly new to all this.

Use Adobe LR for processing.

do you think the 100-400mm will be OK in the gym or under the lights in a football stadium?

ready to buy the R7 - just hesitant because of noise.

[March411]

C2C,

Lightroom does have a decent denoise tool so that will help you depending on the path you take when purchasing equipment.

I think the RF100-400mm is going to struggle in low light, and the R7 also has some challenges with noise. It sounds like you have a budget that you are attempting to maintain which is a good practice. Hopefully kvbarkley and others will jump in with their thoughts.

Personally I do not use my 100-400mm in low light, it struggles resulting in high ISO and quite a bit of noise.

It's a tough decision, budget over what equipment to purchase. I use my 100-400mm all the time but with no disrespected intended towards kvbarkley recommendation I am not sure this would work for low light sports that will require higher shutter speeds.

Also, if you are in the US try to look at the Canon USA site. The refurbished section has a lot to offer. I have made several purchases from there, the products are like new and the prices are reduced. There is an R6 Mk II that would be a good by @ $1760 if you can swing it.

[C2C]

Thx for this - again, very much appreciated.

I'm trying to remain south of $2K.  Would be great to grab a R6 MKII.  With an adaptor I assume I could use my EF 70-250.

[March411]

Understand and respect the budget!

Correct with the adapter you EF lens should work, It's a bit old so there is no guarantee. Which one do you own, there were three different releases in that focal length.

• Original released in 2008
• Mark II version was released in June 2011 with the same optics and image stabilization system as the original, but with a redesigned exterior.
• A version 3 released in August 2013 with a revised optical formula and Canon's STM motor.

Do you have a store or a place that does rentals near you? You could give them a call and ask if you could bring the lens to test with an adapter and the R7?

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

I started this post about 3 hrs ago...  got called away.  Late to the game, but see you got some good responses.  

I think that your current budget , camera and potential lens choice might impede or keep you from achieving your goal of indoor sports photography.  In order to capture motion, you will likely need to use a fast shutter speed.  The RF 100-400 has a variable aperture.  F5.6-8.  I think it's highly probable that you will experience challenges capturing photos indoor using a shutter speed that is fast enough to freeze motion with the minimum aperture this lens is capable of.  The R7 is not known for exceptional low light performance.  High school gymnasiums may not be well lit.

So as you can see we are of similar belief regarding this camera / lens combination for indoor sports.

Sorry I was late to post.  🙂