what is the best and fastest lense for indoor basketball. low light- using a canon 70D

[mariannemunn]

I shoot high school basketball games in small low lit gyms.  I use the Canon D70 with the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS.  This takes good pictures but I want sharper picture quality.  I need a fast lense!! I have been looking at the Canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS II (think 70-200 will limit what I can capture in my lenses because of space. Also looking at 24-70 f/2.8 L II but have read that the auto focus is a bit slow.  and last the Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM, but I'm afraid to go to the f/3.5-5.6. Because thats what I have now. 

Any advice would be great! 

[mrz1342]

Thank you for your advise. You scared me:) im getting my info from youtube and pro teachers in photography. However still my question is remain: 24-70 f4 is lighter, smaller, macro feature but is it higher quality than 24-105? Also combining one of these lens would be good with 50mm f1.4 or other wide angle? Tnx

[RobertTheFat]

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@mrz1342 wrote:
Thank you for your advise. You scared me:) im getting my info from youtube and pro teachers in photography. However still my question is remain: 24-70 f4 is lighter, smaller, macro feature but is it higher quality than 24-105? Also combining one of these lens would be good with 50mm f1.4 or other wide angle? Tnx

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You're not listening. A 50mm f/1.4 is not a wide-angle lens on any DSLR.

My take is that you're about to commit important money to purchase equipment whose functionality you don't understand. That's your choice to make, of course; but if it were me, I'd get busy reading photography books and Web sites until I could formulate questions that would make me sound less like a clueless newbie.

One more thing: I'm finding some of your questions unintelligible. I sympathize with your problem, because my knowledge of foreign languages is pretty rudimentary. But it would help if you'd go over your questions with someone whose command of English is better than yours. It accomplishes nothing for us to try to give you answers to questions we don't understand.

[mrz1342]

dont worry Bob, i read your previous advice about 50mm and i was answering other text from other person. however i understand you very good and i am sure you dont have any difficulty for your English comminucations 🙂 just if i dont make you angry again, i am asking which lens you recoment beside 24-70 f4 with wider aperture? chears 🙂

[RobertTheFat]

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@mrz1342 wrote:

dont worry Bob, i read your previous advice about 50mm and i was answering other text from other person. however i understand you very good and i am sure you dont have any difficulty for your English comminucations 🙂 just if i dont make you angry again,

You're not getting me angry. What you're doing is making me worry that whever I say will be misunderstood or misconstrued.

i am asking which lens you recoment beside 24-70 f4 with wider aperture? chears 🙂

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Outdoors (landscapes and street photography):

16-35mm f/4L IS (wide angle)

24-105mm f/4L IS (normal/telephoto)

These are not exactly what I'd recommend for an APS-C camera, but they'll do. I believe you said you're aiming for full-frame eventually. And for walking around outdoors with a FF camera, these are about as good as it gets.

Indoors on a full-frame camera:

24-70mm f/2.8L II (wide/normal)

70-200mm f/2.8L IS II (telephoto)

Be warned that these lenses are large, heavy, and very expensive. But for indoor event photography they're what you need.

Indoors on an APS-C camera:

17-55mm f/2.8 IS (wide/normal)

Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 (telephoto)

The Sigma came in several iterations, none of which are currently in production, so you'd have to find it used or refurbished. You want the latest iteration, which had a better reputation than its predecessors.

I have all the recommended lenses except the 24-70 (which has an impeccable reputation) and the Sigma (though I do own one of its lesser predecessors)

Just my opinion. Others may differ, with suggestions that are just as suitable.

UPDATE:  Something to think about while you plan your aquisitions: I find that for indoor event photography in a large room, two cameras are usually required, since there are few opportunities to change lenses. Suppose you have one, but only one, full-frame camera (a 5D Mark III, for example). A good indoor kit would be your 70D with the 17-55mm f/2.8 and the 5D3 with the 70-200mm f/2.8L. Both lenses are fast enough for indoor use, and their effective focal ranges match up nicely. That arrangement, substituting a 7D for the 70D I don't own, has worked well for me.

[cicopo]

I'm not angry at anyone. My bad on the link. I recently changed the permission to view status on many old albums & that was one. I've revised the permission so hopefully this works.

http://picasaweb.google.com/116179596240613012497/LensSamples?authkey=Gv1sRgCMuUps2BtYnPBw#530843386...

[ebiggs1]

"24-70 f4 is lighter, smaller, macro feature but is it higher quality than 24-105?"

IMHO, you will not be able to see any difference in real world use of either.  Neither are macro lenses.  They simply focus close.

"... pro teachers in photography."

Who are they?  I think I would seek out different "pro teachers".

[mrz1342]

ok sure, i am going to shot my mouth and just shooting very soon, pls let me first enjoy getting valuabl information from this forum 🙂 appriciated

[cicopo]

24-105 doesn't do Macro but my 24-105 is VERY sharp at all apertures. The 50 f1.4 will act like roughly an 85 f1.4 on your crop body which can be very useful in low light. I don't have a 50 but do have the 35 f1.4 & have FF, 1.3 & 1.6 bodies to get my versatility that way.  If you'd like to see what the 24-105 can do I have some full file samples you can download at the link I'll provide. You select Download Photo under the actions tab for each image. You can start with this one 

http://picasaweb.google.com/116179596240613012497/LensSamples#5308433863535373954

OR you can use the right arrow to see a 100% crop. You car find a few more examples in that section of the album too.

You haven't said anything about YOUR intended use for the longer lenses but there's more to shooting action than just clicking the shutter. Your panning skill has a lot more to do with results than test charts.

[mrz1342]

1. thanks for the link but is empty!

2. my concern for shooting is people, landscape and indoor general. but my goal is fine art photography.

3. "A skill is developed through constant practice with a passion to improve, not bought." its true, i remember 30 years ago when i was student of fine arts, a pro photographer adviced me dont think too much for choosing camera, just take photo and practice! now after long time away from photography again i am that student to you, dont be angry to me 🙂