Quote Originally Posted by Baker


I want to take my photography to the next level.


I'm thinking of either the 70-200mm f/4 IS or the 24-70mm f/2.8. The 70-200mm would be used for outdoor portraits and sports such as football, soccer, track & field, and baseball/softball. The 24-70mm would also be used for outdoor portraits and sports, but since it is a 2.8 I could use it for basketball, volleyball, and other indoor sports. Also, both lenses would probably find work in landscapes as well.


Here is a
list of the total price for each lens with accessories:


~ 70-200mm f/4 IS + BW 67mm CP filter + 67mm ND filter + Tripod
mount = $1,654.40


~ 24-70mm f/2.8 + BW 77mm CP filter + 77mm ND filter =
$1,654.00


~ 7D body + two 8GB CF cards + Battery Grip + Extra Battery =
$2,078.80


My question is which lens would be the best for outdoor
portraits? And which lens would offer
the sharpest images and the highest image quality?


My current setup is: T2i, 18-55mm, 55-250mm, 50mm f/1.8, 85mm f/1.8.


I would love to hear your opinions, especially if you own
either of these lenses.


-Chris<a name="_GoBack"][/URL]






Hey Chris,


I think you're on the right track with the 7D or 70-200mm. These 2 pieces of equipment will help you take your sports shooting to the next level.


The rebel is a little slow in Auto focusing (it only uses one cross-type sensor vs. 19 cross-type sensors on the 7D), fps, and it lacks a 100% viewfinder. Sports shooting is about, frame rates, auto-focusing, tracking, and wide apertures.


If you get a 7D eventually, it has some weather sealing, whereas the EF-S 17-55mm does not. The 17-55mm is a nice lens and while it's certainly too short for sports, it also won't fit on a Mk III, MKIV or FF body. if you ever go that route. But regardless of weather sealing, I think you should put your money into a 7D or a 70-200mm, because you seem to enjoy shooting sports, and therfore you will need some longer good quality glass.


I understand that there is a budget, but I would just like to point out that if you could eventually get a 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II, then you would be able to put a 1.4X extender on it and still be at f/4 and 98mm-280mm, the other benefit of the f/2.8 bare is that it will work better indoors, in some gyms with a higher ISO. With the 70-200mm f/4, this will probably not work. The 3rd benefit for a 70-200mm f/2.8 would be for shooting outdoor games at dusk or under the lights at night. In addition the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS includes the tripod mount. This lens was a few hundred dollars less a few months ago, so maybe you should wait until the price drops a bit or until the rebates start again.


Also the 1.4x on a 70-200mm f/4 lens will make it f/5.6 which is too slow for sports plus the 2X want even be an option, unless you want to manually focus at f/8.


Any of the 70-200mm lenses will be great for outdoor portraits.


I think you should keep the 85mm f/1.8 for indoor gyms.


Even though I am recommending the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II...


I will be selling one of my 7D's (I bought it approx. 1 year ago, but I haven't used it since football ended in November 2010), as I have 2 of them, in addition to the MK IV. I also have an extra 8GB card and extra battery.


If you're interested you can PM me.





Rich