what is the best affordable canon lens for sports photography (particularly indoor basketball games)? the one that would give you the most value for your money... medyo di ganung kalaki ang budget eh...

thanks!

what is the best affordable canon lens for sports photography (particularly indoor basketball games)? the one that would give you the most value for your money... medyo di ganung kalaki ang budget eh...

thanks!

Hi Mark,

For indoor basketball, you definitely need a fast lens. I will assume that you have a 1.6x body. My suggestions:

- 24-70 2.8 - enough to get the action on your court and good enough to to get blocks from the other court.
- 70-200 2.8 - may be too tight when sitting under the basket. I sit at the side or at the corner when using this lens. Excellent for capturing shot blocks on the other court
- 50mm 1.8 - just right for sitting between the basket and the corner. But even with this lens, I still use 2.8 because the DOF is more forgiving

If money were no object, I would buy a 10-22, and a 24-70 to complement my 70-200. But since money is an object, I shoot under the basket with a 50mm 1.8 and a 17-40 F/4. My F/4 shots usually go through MASSIVE levels adjustment in PS and as a result, the ISO 1600 noise is amplified.

If you have a 1.3x body, replace the 50mm with an 85mm 1.8

Some of us Ateneo Sports Shooters have our EXIF data posted with our images. Try reading them to get a good indication of how good or bad indoor basketball lighting is.

I used to shoot indoor basketball with 1/250 shutter speed but for this year, I went up to 1/400. From experience 1/250 still produced motion blur which didn't give the desired sharpness. Go for a fast lens that will allow you to shoot low-light at fast shutter speeds. And from one sports photographer to another, I hope that you do not fall into the "slow-lens-pero-mag-f-flash-nalang-ako" mentality.

Hi mark, i second what nono said.
Just get the the widest aperture lens you can afford.
and never ever let your equipment control your shooting style..

A 50mm or a 85mm prime always works wonders in the baseline area.

If it need not be a Canon lens and budget is your major consideration, the Sigma and Tamron 2.8 tele-wides are good options.

it's also a plus to have USM or HSM specially if you plan to use AI Servo

btw what is your budget range and are you going to focus on basketball alone or are you also interested in other sports?

I have a Canon 30D camera and this week,I shall be buying a zoom lens for it.I am thinking of getting the Canon 70-200mm F2.8L lens but I am not sure whether to get the IS version or the NON-IS version.Anyway,would any of you,sports photographers,know if the IS version would have any advantages over the NON-IS version?If yes,what are the advantages?
THANKS.

Killer Angel

I have a Canon 30D camera and this week,I shall be buying a zoom lens for it.I am thinking of getting the Canon 70-200mm F2.8L lens but I am not sure whether to get the IS version or the NON-IS version.Anyway,would any of you,sports photographers know if the IS version would have any advantages over the NON-IS version?If yes,what are the advantages?
THANKS.

Killer Angel

the IS mode 2 for the 70-200 helps you stabilize while doing panning shots. mode 1 is for still life. :)

the IS mode 2 for the 70-200 helps you stabilize while doing panning shots. mode 1 is for still life. :)
is this correct? IS mode 1 helps in stabilizing vertical and horizontal shake while IS mode 2 stabilizes the vertical shakes?

Leni, yes that is correct. Mode 1 stabilizes both the x-axis and the y-axis. Mode 2 stabilizes only the y-axis.