Need help with lenses

Buttons

My granddaughter has moved up from playing one over the net volleyball to where they really know what they are doing. My problem is to find a lens that will allow me to take stop action pictures without having to mortgage my boat. I was using my 50mm f1.8 lens on my Nikon D80 camera to take pictures because I could stand next to the court, but now I am having to take the pictures from the stands. Can anyone who has taken these type of pictures at a volleyball game give me any suggestions.

Thanks

Shane422

You have a couple of sub $500 choices. You could go with another prime with a bit more reach in the 85MM f1.8 (~$400). Or you could look for a f2.8 zoom from Sigma or Tamron. I have the Tamron 28-75MM f2.8 which goes for about $380. You can also search the used lenses for a Tamron 28-105MM f2.8. I have no experience with that lens, but it does seem like a nice range. Sigma also has a 24-70MM f2.8 (~$400), and a 50-150MM f2.8 (~$600)

Depending on the gym, f2.8 still may not get it done with a D80. But it will be close. I recently shot basketball in a gym and the best I could get was f2.8, 1/320th, at ISO2500 with a D90.

ziggy53

Buttons, welcome to the Digital Grin.

Shane is giving you good advice. I would add that indoor sports is about the most demanding type of photography there is in a number of different ways.

In the Nikon world the fastest AF lenses are those that use powerful AF-S motor technology. The lenses that use the screw drive AF mechanism may benefit from a Nikon body with a more robust screw-drive AF motor. The AF sensor and processor section would also impact on AF speed.

I suspect that the Nikon D300 has a somewhat better AF technology than the D80 and the D3 is better yet. On the D80 I would definitely use center focus only and I recommend the faster AF-S and AF-D lenses as well like:

Nikkor 70-200mm, f2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR
Nikkor 80-200mm, f2.8D ED


The other option, possibly not quite as crisp at f2.8, is the Sigma 70-200mm, f2.8 EX DG Apo Macro HSM II.