Telephoto lens for indoor sporting events?

I have a film Canon Elan. I'd like pictures of high enough quality to hang on my wall, but I don't want to break the bank.It seems that lenses are either several thousands of dollars, or cheap junk. I'm not sure what exactly I'm looking for so any suggestion is welcome.

I'm thinking, it would be ~f2.8 and >50mm. I don't know what a good length would be. The action will probably be about 30 - 50 feet from me, and I want the competitors to fill the frame.

It needs to have an aperature large enough to compensate for gymnasium lighting.Is there a good lens under $400 (better under $350) that will fit my Elan and produce great sports pictures? Do I just need to be a better photographer? Asked by Ckott72 59 months ago Similar questions: Telephoto lens indoor sporting events Arts > Photography.

Similar questions: Telephoto lens indoor sporting events.

You have several options, and you do need a fast lens. The Elan 7E is a decent Canon EOS film SLR capable of handling any of the Canon EF lenses, but not the EF-s lenses made for "crop" dSLR cameras. For indoor sports photography, you're going to need fast film (ISO1600 at least) and fast lenses to get the required shutter speeds.(A quick aside about shutter speeds: For capturing "action" shots where the subject will fill a reasonable amount of frame, you're going to need at least 1/500th of a second or faster shutter speed.

If you have to do 1/400th, you'll see some motion blur, but that might be acceptable to you. Even at 1/500th, you'll relatively freeze the players, but any ball may show motion blur.) For indoor sports (I'm assuming basketball, volleyball, maybe wrestling), you're going to want a fast focus and wide open (f/2.8 or better, with f/2 preferred) aperture. This means mostly prime lenses, except for expensive zooms.

A bunch of choices, in increasing focal length: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II (AKA "thrifty fifty") is a lightweight, inexpensive ($80!) lens that can really help out if you have a low budget. I own this lens, and it's nice to carry in a jacket pocket "just in case. " However, it has a standard autofocus motor, so it's not all that fast of focus, but good enough for slow-paced action like free-throws or a volleyball serve.It's a bit short, but doable in a pinch.

It's an all-plastic body and feels flimsy, so don't give it too hard of a time. Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM (AKA "nifty fifty") is a great lens with fast ultrasonic motor (USM) focusing and an all-metal body. Heavier than the f/1.8 above, it still suffers from a short focal length.

You can get this for around $300 usually. Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM is a pro-series "L" lens that you'd think would be great for indoor sports... except that it's not all that fast of a focus and not made for sports. For over $1000, I'm including it just for completion.

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM is a fantastic lens with fast USM focusing, a decent focal length (perfect for portraits, btw), with a nice, fast aperture. I know several professional photographers that shoot basketball (HS, college, and some NBA) with this lens on their main camera (HS, college) or backup (NBA). I own this lens, and it's on my camera 70% of the time for indoor soccer.

It is, however, a bit too short for my soccer fields, and a longer lens is planned. You can get this for around $350 usually. Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM is another pro-series "L" that sounds great, but WAAAAY too slow to focus.

At over $1200, you'd think it'd be good for sports, but alas, it's not. Canon EF 100mm f/2.0 USM is a fantastic lens, but is often either too short or too long.At $460, it's close to your budget, and may work out. Canon EF 135mm f/2.0 L USM is a pro-series "L" lens that is reputed to be one of the best lenses ever made by Canon.

For $900, it doesn't meet your budgetary requirements, but I would be amiss not mentioning this. If you want one of the best indoor sports lenses, this is on the short list. Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM is another pro-series "L" but more reasonable and a staple of indoor sports shooters.

New, this lens is around $650, but attainable used for around $500.At f/2.8, it's a bit slower than the previous lenses, but doable. If you really like the 200mm focal length and really really REALLY want a faster lens, you can always attempt to find the... Canon EF 200mm f/1.8 L USM lens, which has been out of production for years, and used lenses go for over $2500 last I checked. The price is simply supply and demand.

There is a heavy demand (professional NBA photographers, gymnastics photographers, etc. ) and not much supply. This is a dream lens for me, but I can't rationalize the purchase at this time. Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L USM is a zoom lens that is reported to be one of the optically best zoom lenses in the history of Canon.

At $1100, it's a bit out of range, but well worth looking at. If you have $600 more available, look at the IS version with Image Stabilization. Sig9.999-200mm f/2.8 EX DG APO HSM is Sigma's entry similar to the Canon zoom above.

At $900, it's $200 cheaper and still a very nice lens. The images tend to run a bit cool, though, so you may need your lab to provide some slight color correction. I recommend using your current zoom to figure out at what focal length you're more likely to need by just framing the shot and taking a note as to the focal length.

I'm sure you'll see that you're often close to one of the prime lenses listed above. I hope that's a good list for beginning. If you want to talk lenses more, drop me a private message.

As for buying lenses, take a look here (Amazon) which really is a portal for www.adorama.com, which is a very reputable camera store. Also, check out www.bhphotovideo.com which is another top-notch store with often the lowest prices around. Sources: Experience NetJohn's Recommendations Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens Amazon List Price: $119.99 Used from: $65.00 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (based on 213 reviews) Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Amazon List Price: $519.99 Used from: $294.00 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (based on 63 reviews) Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Amazon List Price: $569.99 Used from: $300.00 Average Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5 (based on 23 reviews) Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Amazon List Price: $1,899.99 Average Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5 (based on 19 reviews) Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Amazon List Price: $1,700.99 Average Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5 (based on 13 reviews) Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Amazon List Price: $1,250.99 Average Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5 (based on 4 reviews) A couple of examples.

Ignore the prices, get it at B&H or Adorama.

Big, fast, cheap - pick two That’s a tough set of requirements, especially the budget. There’s an old adage about software development: You can have it fast; You can have it cheap; You can have it good - Pick two. The situation with lenses isn’t too different - for sports photography you need a lens that is big and fast.

Those don’t come cheap. At least, not the good ones. With the exception of the 50mm f/1.8 and 50mm f/1.4 you will be hard-pressed to find any f/2.8 or larger aperture Canon lens for less than $350, or even $400.At 30-50 feet, with a 200-300mm lens you’ll be able to get their entire body filling the frame, but you won’t be able to get closer shots, like head and shoulders filling the frame.

I’m not really sure what to recommend you. About the only zoom that covers the range you’re looking for and falls within your budget is the 75-300mm f/4-5.6 that’s under $200. But I’ve got an older model and I would never recommend it for sports photography, it’s just waaay too slow.

The 70-200mm f/4 might be an option but it’s almost $600 and you will end up just a little short sometimes, especially at the further end of the 50 foot range. You can look into third party lenses - Sigma, Tokina, etc - which might be a bit cheaper but at the end of the day you do get what you pay for. Have you considered looking at second-hand lenses?

You can look around on keh.com - very reliable store. They’ve got a 200mm f/2.8 (not a zoom) for $415, but it’s in "Bargain" quality which means "70-79% of original condition. Shows more than average wear.

May have dents, dings and a goodly amount of brassing and finish loss. Glass may have marks that should not affect picture quality." I can’t give you a direct link because of the way their site is built, but Search Canon Auto Focus and Fixed Focal Lengths and 200mm in the search box on the top left of the screen.

Sorry I couldn't be the bearer of better news. A good telephoto lens just isn't cheap. Which Elan have you got?

I have Elan IIe but I don’t use it much any more now that I shoot digital. Phototakeouter's Recommendations Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Amazon List Price: $1,350.99 Used from: $550.00 Average Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5 (based on 79 reviews) .

Tough. This question has been asked a few times in that I know of in Askville. The general consensus seems to be that you can't have a cheap, fast, long lens.

Especially in zoom. I have the Elan 7 and the 18-105 lens (the nicer one) you guys mention in the discussion page, and I tell you, that lens is neither long enough nor fast enough. The particular length you need will depend a little on which sport you are talking about.

Baseball, football and soccer are bad. Volleyball and basketball are a little better. For those two, I would think about a 200 mm.At least 300 mm for the others.

When you go to pro football games, you see all the pro photographers along the sidelines? They all have long white lenses. Those are Canon lenses, series L, and they go for at least a few thousand apiece.

But they are long and fast. One thought might be to get a prime, non-zoom lens. They are cheaper to make fast, and they often outperform zoom lens.

Cheaper still would be non-autofocus, but that makes sports shots a little harder. But you can make up for that with good technique. Anticipate where the action will take place, and prefocus on that spot.

Another problem with autofocus can be that it isn't fast enough. Canon's USM (ultrasonic motors) are fast, but not all lens have them.So prefocusing might be a good idea anyway. One cheap way to go might be to get a cheap Pentax body.

There are still probably thousands of K1000's floating around out there. The nice thing about Pentaxes is that they never changed their lens mount, ever. So there are thousands of cheap lens floating around on ebay.

I got a nice 85 mm f2.8 for indoor candid work for about $90. I bet you could get a long fast lens and body for less than any Canon L. But it might be manual focus, and manual aperture or exposure as well.

Lens recommendations SO the typical lens for this situation would be a 70-200 f/2.8 zoom, and as you stated, these often go for $1000 or more (for the Canon L lens). Some options you might want to consider are the following: Primes: Canon EF 50 f/1.8 - $70 bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=8... This lens is plenty fast for indoor sports, but lacks the reach you’re looking for. But, for $70 it’s hard to go wrong.

Canon EF 85 f/1.8 - $330 bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=8... Slightly more reach, really more of a portrait lens. Canon EF 100 f/2 - $375 bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=8... This may be enough reach if you’re sitting close enough. Canon EF-L 200 f/2.8 - $644 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=8454&A=details&Q=&sku=129190&is=USA&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation This is outside of your price range, but is supposed to be a fantastic URL5 may be worth spending a little extra.

Zooms: There are a ton of 70-300mm zooms, but they’re mostly f/4-5.6, which is too slow for indoor sports, unless you’re using really fast film (1000 speed), but they’re all in the $200 range and have decent, if not great optics. I’ve personally used the Sigma 70-300 and was happy with it, until I upgraded. For sports, you want a fast lens, rather than image stabilization, so I’d consider the following: Canon EF-L 70-200 f/4 - $560 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=8454&A=details&Q=&sku=183198&is=USA&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation This is a little above your price range, and one stop slower than you would like, but again, with fast film you may be fine and it’s an excellent lens.

This is the one I most regret not buying. Sigma EX 70-200 f/2.8 - $890 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=8454&A=details&Q=&sku=435163&is=USA&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation Again, above your price range, but much less than the equivolent Canon lens. I’ve listed links to B&H, a NYC retailer that I’ve purchased from, previously.

You may find better prices on other sites (including Amazon). You might want to look to pick up a used 70-200 f/4 or f/2.8 lens. Some reputable sites for used equipment are B&H (www.bhphotovideo.com), Adorama (www.adorama.com), and KEH (bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=8...0).

You can also try ebay and craigslist and keep an eye out. A used Sigma or Tamron can be had for under $400. I just checked KEH and they have several older sigma 70-210 f/2.8s for around $400 right now.

If $400 is your limit, I think you’ll get the most bang for your buck with a used lens, such as these. Good luck! Sources: www.bhphotovideo.com, bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=8...0 .

Increase your budget. You cannot have a great lens and spend very little money. You must spend some money to get a good picture.

You should get the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 without the IS if you want to save some money, or even the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 lens if you want to save even more money, but you will definitely have to spend at least $700. Sources: OPINION: You need to increase your budget if you want what you state.

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