I will be shooting some high school football next year. Can I get some idea of what works in terms of a lens? I have a D50 and no telephoto lenses (well I do have a 85 1.8). What is the minimum aperture...I am assuming 2.8. What about focal lengh...200, 300, more? I have been looking at 80-200 2.8, 70-200 2.8, and 70-300 VR. Thanks.
forget 2.8 2.0 or 1.8 200/2 is prob the best lens try to stay away from iso1600 ask craig cappy, he has done the best work at night www.craigcappy.com
Well you are wanting to shoot some of the hardest sport shooting there is. I will detail my experience and setup and a few examples. After shooting 4 plus years of night H.S football I just was not pleased with the results of shooting at 2.8 at ISO 1600. As far as lens go you if you are goign to shoot without a flash you will need a f 2.8. As far as focal length goes I would recommend a 300 2.8. Less than that and cropping at the high ISO produces some bad results. My setup I am using now consist of a D2X with a 300 2.8 mounted on a monopd. to this I attach a SB29 flash cord. I use a bogen super clamp to mount the flash about 15 - 18 inches below the lens and attach the SB800 to it. this setup eliminates the ugly red eye one gets with using a flash on the cam, it also gives a nice even light. I also use the nikon battery pack for quicker recharge times, bring a ton of AA's with you Here are a few examples from on of the PA State playoff games These were shot ISO 800, f 2.8 s 1/320 s Again this is just my technique and my opinion I am sure others will offer so very good ideas also.
Great shots! Thanks for information on your technique. I like that you can see the expression on their faces. I get the feeling I have a long way to go...looking forward to getting started.
Mike, maybe you should have added an (*) at the end... :wink: * With a Nikon Unfortunately true for us Nikon guys, but not terribly difficult for Canon shooters... f/2.8 is plenty for those guys. Must be nice...
Then you need to use a flash BUT as Mike mentioned, the flash has to be BELOW the camera NOT above if you want to avoid red eye. This is not a debatable issue DO NOT place it above unless you want to spend all that time removing red eye in post-production. Here is a picture of teh set up. View attachment 95723
