Indoor sports options

[Vern]

Vern, I like the shot. I think the 135 would be a great lens for you.
In the upper left corner, looks like your sensor needs some cleaning

Good spot Mark - I'll check some other images to see if that smudge is consistently present. New 1Dx, but I remember Bryan reporting on oil spots on his out of the box.

[clemmb]

The indoor sports images you guys post look great. When I have shot indoor sports I get a yellow-brown wave that moves through the frame depending on where the 60cycle is. I have put the camera on rapid fire and you can see it in a different spot in each frame. Have you guys experienced this?
This was shot with the 100f2@ f2.5. I still have this lens but do not use it much. To get it as sharp as my 24-105 I have to stop it down to nearly f4 and the color is not as good either.

[Vern]

Hi Mark,
I have had the same problem at some locations - including the two shots I posted above. I have attributed it to what I think (speculation really) are high pressure sodium lamps that cycle with the line current. Not only does the luminance vary, but apparently the color temp does too. I do a click white balance for each shot I want to keep (using the ball or numbers on jerseys as white reference), but some colors are still off across the frame - is there such a thing as a color temp gradient to apply in post jrw? I haven't noticed this effect when the bulbs are clearly simple fluorescents.

[Vern]

btw - since I needed some sensor cleaning supplies (per Mark's comment above), I also ordered the 135 f2, seemed efficient that way

[andnowimbroke]

Lightroom 4 has kelvin temperature I believe you can use in gradients. I still have version 3 and use the preset colors for my gradients. Works great for going from incandescent in one part of the room to window lighting on the other end.
And yes, that was very efficient on your purchase Shipping cost is the same either way. Completely logical. Of course, I am an addict of canon gear and show a slight bias towards those purchases.

[clemmb]

btw - since I needed some sensor cleaning supplies (per Mark's comment above), I also ordered the 135 f2, seemed efficient that way

I'm jealous . I was at the Texas Professional Photographers Association's photography trade show in Dallas today. I got to play with a 1Dx with the 135f2 mounted. Someday I'll own this lens. Had to settle for a Suzette Allen's photoshop recipe box and a DVD photoshop design kit by Richard Sturdevant.
See if I can improve my photogrshop skills. Talking with Suzette showed me just how much I don't know

[Vern]

Here's a lens comparison from last w/e's VB tournament. The server was shot w the 135mm f2.0, 1/640 at f2, ISO 6400 w the 1Dx; blockers were shot w the 200mm f2.0, same settings; bump set with the 85mm 1.2L, at 1/1000 at f1.6, ISO 6400. All were processed in DPP w the same settings. After looking at a few hundred shots, I'm happy with the 135mm as an indoor option but the 200mm is noticeably sharper, as is the 85mm if stopped down to f2 or so. The 135 is super light (compared to the 200) and does focus much faster than the 85, as expected. With these three lenses, I think I can do a decent job in low light VB locations. If the lighting allows, the 70-200 f2.8L II can cover all these focal lengths with great AF, sharpness and contrast that is pretty comparable.

BTW - this location once again had high pressure sodium lights (not fluorescent) with the same varying brightness and color temp. I did not try the gradient color correction - just click white balance in DPP.

Thanks for the advice and feedback.