What type of equipment will I need to do youth sports photography?
February 12010
I’d like to take action photos as well as team photos for youth sports in my area. I will be purchasing a canon 7D in the near future and a letter board, but beyond that I don’t know what I’ll need. If anyone has advice I’m all ears. My budget is about $5000 after I buy the 7D. I want to make the most of my money without buying things I don’t need.
Thanks in advance,
For team photos, you would need a lens that is "normal". A standard zoom, in a range of like 24-70mm, works well. A prime lens, maybe a 35mm, also works well. Is it team and individual photos? In my area, these types of photos are usually taken indoors because weather in April is so iffy. If that is your case, too, you would need to invest in some lighting equipment as well.
For action shots. you’ll find that you can get the batter and the infield with a zoom that goes to 200mm. You’ll get the batter at full length with a 200mm. To get the outfield or to zoom to get more of a headshot of the batter, you’ll want a bit more. You need to be sure you get every player on a team when you do this (or you’ll hear about it!).
So if you really are OK spending $5000, the Canon 24-70 F2.8 is excellent, though you are probably get by with a less expensive lens if needed. It is around $1,200
The Canon 70-200 F2.8 is an excellent lens for sports. It is heavy, you’ll probably want to pick up a monopod. The F2.8 non-IS version is around $1,500 and the IS version is around $2000. There are good primes in the price range, too, look at the 300mm F4 (the 300mm F2.8 is a dream but $4,200). The Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens is a good alternative with good range, but if you are going to do any night games it might be limiting (though the 7D has pretty decent ISO performance)
The lenses can be found at http://www.bhphoto.com
Look at AlienBees for lighting. You’ll need a couple of lights, lightstands, umbrellas and wireless trigger/receiver. http://www.alienbees.com. If you want to use them outdoors, they also sell the vagabond battery.
February 1st, 2010 at 9:26 am
Other than the camera it’s self you need a good lens. Go with something mid-range telephoto and image stabilizing. I prefer Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS lens which retails for around $1700. You will also need a reliable flash. I prefer the Quantum 5TD-r Flash. This is a very large flash but is VERY reliable. With this flash you would need to purchase the battery pack separately. The the entire unit will run you around $900. If you really want a high end lens let me recommend the holy grail of sports photography lenses which is the canon 400mm f/2.8 IS lens. This would be in addition to your mid range lens. These are very pricey. New they retail between 5,000 and 7,000. You may be able to pick a used one up for $3000 on ebay. Good luck.
References :
10 years experiance. Professional Photographer
February 1st, 2010 at 9:35 am
For team photos, you would need a lens that is "normal". A standard zoom, in a range of like 24-70mm, works well. A prime lens, maybe a 35mm, also works well. Is it team and individual photos? In my area, these types of photos are usually taken indoors because weather in April is so iffy. If that is your case, too, you would need to invest in some lighting equipment as well.
For action shots. you’ll find that you can get the batter and the infield with a zoom that goes to 200mm. You’ll get the batter at full length with a 200mm. To get the outfield or to zoom to get more of a headshot of the batter, you’ll want a bit more. You need to be sure you get every player on a team when you do this (or you’ll hear about it!).
So if you really are OK spending $5000, the Canon 24-70 F2.8 is excellent, though you are probably get by with a less expensive lens if needed. It is around $1,200
The Canon 70-200 F2.8 is an excellent lens for sports. It is heavy, you’ll probably want to pick up a monopod. The F2.8 non-IS version is around $1,500 and the IS version is around $2000. There are good primes in the price range, too, look at the 300mm F4 (the 300mm F2.8 is a dream but $4,200). The Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens is a good alternative with good range, but if you are going to do any night games it might be limiting (though the 7D has pretty decent ISO performance)
The lenses can be found at http://www.bhphoto.com
Look at AlienBees for lighting. You’ll need a couple of lights, lightstands, umbrellas and wireless trigger/receiver. http://www.alienbees.com. If you want to use them outdoors, they also sell the vagabond battery.
References :
February 1st, 2010 at 10:16 am
I would suggest getting the Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5 L-IS $2,400. This would be a good all-around sports lens with your Canon 7D. Don’t forget the 1.6x lens factor.
I am currently using the 5D with EF 70-200 f/2.8 L-IS for indoor gymnastics and get great shots. My camera lacks the extended ISO that the 7D has so I can’t use the EF 28-300mm lens. If you set your camera up for a Exposure Compensation of +1 to +1.5 your sensor will absorb more light for better contrast. You can also use the Custom White Balance (WB) feature to brighten the background. Most of the time I use ISO 3200 (max) for faster indoor shooting (no flash allowed). With your 7D you will have 3 stops higher than my 5D. With the 18 MP frame you will hardly notice the noise in the pictures.
There are some other lenses you may consider below some are EF and others EF-S lenses.
References :
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/319784-GREY/Canon_9322A002AA_28_300mm_f_3_5_5_6L_IS_USM.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/234444-USA/Canon_7042A002_70_200mm_f_2_8L_IS_USM.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/582444-USA/Canon_2752B002_EF_S_18_200mm_f_3_5_5_6_IS.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/543923-USA/Canon_2044B002AA_EF_S_55_250mm_f_4_5_6_IS.html