Quote Originally Posted by Graydon


Quote Originally Posted by HiFiGuy1


Did you mean for the 200mm f/2.8 to be for game shots? If so, why not a 300mm? I had already been thinking a 300mm with a 1.4x would be a great combo for that. I don't see myself ever having the budget for a lens like a 400mm f/2.8, but a 300mm f/2.8 plus a 1.4x TC would be more cost-effective and would give great results with even more flexibility.






I have a 40D and a 300 f/2.8 and have shot some high school football. A 1.4x is really not needed, in fact I find the 300 to be a bit too much sometimes and switch over to a 70-200 trying to follow the action. I do seem to spend quite a bit of time moving around to get a shot (fast paced games) and wind up in the end zone to get a clear view of the action with the 300. In less than perfect field lighting conditions (like at many high school football venues) The 300 f/2.8 is almost too slow, the 1.4x would make it even worse.






Thanks for the input here. I have actually used a 400mm and a 1.5x crop body (Nikon D100) at a HS game, which is effectively 600mm, and it was too long from my perspective, but I wasn't on the field, so I wasn't sure. I also had my 40D with 28-135, but the 135 wasn't long enough, so I figured I'd need something in between, but wasn't sure what. I'd really like an APS-H body like a 1D III or 1D IV, so it mellows the FOVCF a bit. I think it would marry perfectly with the 300mm, for an effective focal length of 390mm, and it has a great focus system for action sports. I agree with the 70-200 f/2.8L IS, too, which would be part of my master lens plan anyway. Initially, at least, I could use that with a 1.4x TC, and that would be almost as long as the 300mm, albeit slower.


The 7D and 1D IV, with the Auto ISO feature, are going to come in really handy for me in this regard, I think, as they would allow a preset f/stop and shutter speed, and would vary the ISO automatically for the necessary exposure. I figure that a slightly noisy shot that is sharply in focus and catches the action is better than a creamy smooth blur of motion, right? []


Ultimately, the two bodies for my other endeavor would be pressed into action here, too, so I could quickly change from the body with the 300 to the other body with the 70-200 and still catch the shot I needed to get, I think.