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Mirrorless R7 Lense for Sports

Kms1
Contributor

Hi all, 

Any insight you can give is greatly appreciated!

I have a canon mirrorless R7 and shot sporting events for my child.  What is the best lenses I should use for football?  Would the rf100-500 mm f4.5 or should I look into the new rf 200-800? Or something  else ? I currently have the RF 100-400

Thank you for your help

12 REPLIES 12

wq9nsc
Elite
Elite

It depends upon the sport but when I see sport and child I think many years of low light sports venues ahead. 

I would not consider the RF 200-800 because of its narrow maximum aperture which isn't good for low light and for most of its "zoom" range it is narrower than you need, particularly on a "crop" sensor camera like the R7.  The RF  100-500 also has a range that is longer than you need most of the time, especially on the R7.  Of the lenses you list, the RF 100-400 you currently have is your best choice of the three, if you are adding another lens then the RF 70-200 2.8 is the best option.

Rodger

EOS 1DX M3, 1DX M2, 1DX, 5DS R, M6 Mark II, 1D M2, EOS 650 (film), many lenses, XF400 video

Thank you Rodger, I do need a longer range for football due to limited access points to photograph.  That was why I was looking into a different lens.  I was also looking at the Sigma 60-600 with the adaptor for an ef.   I already have the RF 70-200 and use that frequently for baseball & basketball.

Thanks, 

kim

Kim,

Depending upon the school, IF you share your photographs with the team they may allow you to have access on the track or at least the fence that surrounds the track at most HS fields.  It doesn't hurt to approach the AD and ask in order to acquire a better place for photography. 

Some schools are very open to letting parents get on the sidelines which is generally a very bad idea because of the risk to photographers and the players and in recent years a lot of game officials put a stop to this because of people getting in their way.  I have sidelines access from the school and the area conferences but I keep both eyes open while shooting and stay out of the way of everyone and I know most of the officials. I have had to jump out of the way more than once because plays often end far beyond the sideline.  So stay aware of your surroundings no matter where you are shooting from!

I have used a Canon EF 800 f5.6 prime a few times to shoot part of a baseball game but in general a very long telephoto lens has limited use in sports and for football (and other night or indoor HS sports), a wide maximum aperture is very important. So better placement instead of a really long lens is going to be more practical and it also becomes more difficult trying to follow action with a long focal length lens.  I often shoot soccer with a Canon 200-400 f4 with built in extender that makes it a 560mm f5.6 and tracking action is notably more challenging at 560; it isn't a stabilization issue because at the shutter speed you use for sports camera shake isn't a problem-the problem with a long lens is following a play where the point of action shifts well across the field in an instant such as going from QB release to pass reception/defensive play/interception because you lose your points of reference when trying to find the new point of action when using a lens setup with a limited field of view that is also of somewhat awkward size.

Location is always critical so if you can improve your access, that would be a great thing and then your 100-400 lens should do a good job.  Attached photo from last week is sort of a worst case scenario because the football program was celebrating its 100 year anniversary at halftime with a large field ceremony at halftime and the school wanted some good high angle wide coverage photos.  The place for that was in the "crow's nest" above the press box and getting there involves climbing a sketchy ladder straight up for quite a ways and it is surrounded by sort of a cage which does little for safety but makes climbing with camera gear a real challenge.  So I left my twin shoulder harness with the 1DX III bodies and 70-200 and 400 f2.8 lenses in the press box on my way up.  Because everything started immediately at end of half to fit it all in I had to get in place before the half ended so this photo was from up high using a 1DX II with EF 24-70 f2.8 glass.  That is NOT the way I normally shoot football but it did provide an interesting angle/perspective.

The next photo shows this probably was a good spot to get an overview of the celebration but I also made a quick descent from my "nest" to catch the end of the anniversary celebration and captured some more normal shots including the last one of the current coaches talking with a head coach from many years ago.

So be creative and make the best of whatever angle you can get but try to get a little better access if possible!

Rodger

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EOS 1DX M3, 1DX M2, 1DX, 5DS R, M6 Mark II, 1D M2, EOS 650 (film), many lenses, XF400 video

I have the Sigma 60-600s and use it with three R-series bodies.  I got it when I don't want to have to switch lenses, and in the sports arena you just don't have time to do that and keep up with the play.   The lens is a fabulous optic and, if you find it heavy, use it with a monopod - actually I suggest the ProFootage Cobra monopod because of its very effective design that offers a very stable platform, but has an arrangement that offers a mini tripod as well.  I have had one for a while and it's brilliant.


cheers, TREVOR

The mark of good photographer is less what they hold in their hand, it's more what they hold in their head;
"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris

March411
Mentor
Mentor

Rodger I believe nailed it regarding lens choice. Having all of the lenses mentioned (not the RF 200-800 yet) and frequently shooting sports the RF100-500 has been my go to for outdoor sports and there have been times when I used the 1.4X for a little extra reach. It is only workable in the 300-500mm range on this lens. The 100-400 is one I use if I want to go light because I want to be mobile, this lens marries up pretty well with the 1.4X. 

The 70-200 2.8, I am a big fan this lens indoors. I can push the shutter speed on my R6 II and only have to manage minimal noise.It would be good for sports like volleyball or basketball but I am not sure how it would perform overall for swimming.

The Sigma 60-600mm is a fantastic lens and it's range for football is a game changer. If you are in real good shape you can hand hold, I use a monopod. Football games can go 3 hours and it's noticeable as the game goes on, I can see the downward tilt on some of my images.  If you haven't used or held one you may want to give it a try, it really is a beast but I got nice IQ out of the lens.


Marc
Windy City

R3 ~ R5 ~ R6 Mk II ~ R50
Lenses: RF Trinity and others
Adobe and Topaz Suite for post processing

Personal Gallery

Thank you both, really appreciate all of your feedback and pictures!

Rodger I used to be on the field but the coach no  longer allows it. I am the only photographer for the team and give all the pictures to all the other parents. I am the mom of the team captain and have been doing it for 2 years.    The pictures are fine but small and when I zoom-in during editing sometimes it is too far and the faces get grainy.   Here are a couple...

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 again thank you! Think I might buy that 1.4 x and look at the Sigma.  Appreciate your help!

Too bad about the coach, usually it is the AD that sets the standard 😞

What shutter speed are you using?  During daylight, you can usually get away with a lot of cropping because the ISO is so low that loss of detail due to noise isn't a concern.  Of course once darkness falls, ISO related noise becomes an issue.

Here are a couple of images from last Friday with normal and tight crops, the first pair comes from pre-game warmup where 1/1600 shutter speed results in a nice low ISO 800 and severe cropping is possible.  The second set is from late in the game where I have dropped shutter to my usual 1/1000 football game speed but the field lighting has pushed ISO to 10,000.  The images, both typical crop and severe crop are both still usable but the severe crop starts to reveal more noise and loss of detail with the much higher ISO.  On some fields I do have to let the camera go as high as ISO 25,600.

Rodger

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EOS 1DX M3, 1DX M2, 1DX, 5DS R, M6 Mark II, 1D M2, EOS 650 (film), many lenses, XF400 video

These shots are amazing! I usually shoot in raw at about 1200 ISO and change it depending on the light.  When the light is too much I sometimes move it to TV.  But thank you  for all of these great suggestions!!! 

Kim,

I always shoot in RAW with fixed shutter speed and aperture and set ISO to auto to complete the exposure triangle.  Except when you need greater depth of field (i.e. posed team shots), most action sports shots will be shot with aperture wide open and you really can't go below 1/640 to freeze football (and most sports) action.  Even at 1/640, there will be some situations causing motion blur which is why I generally choose 1/1,000 as my shutter speed BUT lens, lighting conditions, and camera ISO performance can force you to accept a slower shutter speed.  However, there is a lot of work that can be done with noise in post but once motion blur is baked into the image at capture, it can't be removed so I will always take noise over motion blur when that choice is forced by conditions.

Rodger

EOS 1DX M3, 1DX M2, 1DX, 5DS R, M6 Mark II, 1D M2, EOS 650 (film), many lenses, XF400 video
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