> Greetings Canonites: > > I'm a former daily newspaper reporter/editor who's always loved > photography and > shot with limited amateur/pro equipment for years. I now do a lot > of very local > freelance work -- mostly youth and prep sports (basketball to soccer and > football, as well as professional polo and equestrian), as well > as some news, > mostly with my D30. > > My equipment is limited to the D30, Canon 28-105 3.5/4.5 and > Sigma 70-200 2.8 > EX, as well as 550EX. I'm under-employed at the moment and cash > supplies are > low. > > My dilemma: Although I really like the Sigma, I need to send it > back to the > company for the second time in six months. Something is loose > inside the lens, > and I don't believe it is focusing as smoothly as when new (it > seems to sputter > much more than the Canon lens when in servo mode). > > At the same time, I need to send the 28-105 back after dropping > it, causing a > slightly bent barrel and not-so-accurate focusing. > > Obviously I need to borrow (fat chance) or buy some new glass. > What should I get > immediately? > > Since most of the upcoming sports involve longer glass, I figure > I had better > buy at least a 200mm lens. But that might not be so smart in the long run, > considering I will eventually have the 70-200 back. I can't > afford a 300 or > longer 2.8 lens and I have an opportunity to buy a Canon 300 F/4 > (non IS) L. Is > this a smart buy, for about $700? It gets a 4.3 rating (out of 5) on > Photodo.com. But will it suit me for football (probably not at > night) and other > fast moving sports, especially with the slow-focusing D30? Is > this lens made any > more? > > Or, first, should I get a 17-35 2.8 Canon or 17-35 2.8/3.5 Sigma? > Will either of > these lenses suit me with indoor sports such as basketball. I > have also thought > about picking up a used 50 mm 2.8, 1.8 or 1.4 Canon lens for such > things as > basketball (making use of the 1.6 magnification of the D30). > > Sorry this is so long. I will appreciate any and all advice, > hopefully keeping > me on the right track as a I try to build a stock of pro equipment. > > Regards, > > ----------------------------------------- > Bob Markey II
Hi Bob, Dude you're hosed. I've shot both youth and pro basketball, mostly indoors and college and pro field sports, baseball, American football, soccer and competitive equestrian events, yachting events, motor sports like CART, Indy, NHRA, NASCAR etc. I haven't used a D30 for sports but have used EOS 5QD, EOS 1, EOS 1n, EOS 1nRS film bodies. For indoor youth B-Ball where the gyms are very often small and dark and games are often times played half court, the EF 17-35 2.8L on your EOS D30 should work well if you are positioned right under the hoop or on either side of the hoop. If you are on the sidelines it's too short to isolate the action of two or three players and if the players are older the games will be played full court and you will not be able capture many tight images. Also from the sidelines of a regulation basketball court you will be working the AF much harder going back and forth and the predictive AF of the D30 won't have the benefit of a reasonably smooth moving subject to track. Unfortunately your busted EF 28-105 3.5-4.5USM and D30 should make a good focal length for sideline shooting B-Ball but a little too slow to AF well with the D30 for most poorly lit indoor courts. Oh, did I mention that it's usually dark indoors? For shooting basketball indoors with a D30 I'd imagine that a 17-35 2.8 and 28-70 2.8 would work pretty well assuming they were ultrasonic or hypersonic at least and used under or near the hoop. For mid court images shooting from behind the hoop a 70-200 2.8 will be very good too. For field sports like American football and soccer played on a full size field the 70-200 2.8 is a good choice on a second body if you have at least a 300 2.8 and converters) on another body. With only one body a 70-200 2.8 with or without a 1.4X converter can work if you run up and down the sidelines with the game but you will get tired fast. On the sidelines in good light the EF 300 4L IS can produce very good images used in mode 2 but with only one body to mount glass on you will have to pick your shots and switch lenses a lot. For shooting from the end zone or behind the goal you'll need a good 300mm with at least a 1.4X converter on a monopod to get the best images but this will hurt the D30's AF speed even more. I know the EOS D30 can be used successfully for field sports (I see them all over the place), if used with care but this may not be the best body choice for sports on a small budget. A better option might be to sell your EOS D30 and buy a pair of used high-end film bodies, like EOS 1n or EOS 1 if you don't absolutely need the reduced turn around time of a digital body. Another idea might be to buy a nice used EF 28-105 3.5-4.5USM on eBay for the going rate of about $150-$175 to use until your 28-105 comes back from repair. Optionally you could buy a nice used EF 200 2.8L series I lens, they are very reasonably priced right now and with a converter can be very good for field sports. Then you can sell it when your lenses return from service and get your money back out of it. Have you tried to use the D30 indoors at a typical local gym to see if the AF is going to work for you or not? As I said I have not used an EOS D30 in anger and cannot report anything from the field in this regard. What are you shooting now and what sports are coming up that you will need to shoot? As to the EF 300 4L, this is a great lens! No, it's not EF 300 2.8L but in terms of pure optics it's pretty darned close. But an EF 300 4L for $700? this is a high price IMO, a used EF 300 4L IS complete can be had for $800-$850 in mint condition. I almost bought another one from Samy's Camera in L.A. last month for $800, new condition both caps, case and box/docs! The Canon EF 50 1.8 series I and series II are too slow focusing and while the EF 50 1.4USM focuses much faster, it's somewhat expensive. All three of these lenses are fantastic optically but none are what I would call heavy duty construction. The EF 50 1.8II is built the worst, as poor a lens construction as can be made, but it's pretty sharp optically. Hope that some or all of this rambling can help you figure it out! Regards, Chip Louie * **** ******* *********************************************************** * For list instructions, including unsubscribe, see: * http://www.a1.nl/phomepag/markerink/eos_list.htm ***********************************************************
