What lens would be better for me?

bcdefghijorge

I have a Nikon D5100. I want to be able to take pictures of all the sports in my school (basketball, football, soccer, track & field, softball, baseball, volleyball and tennis.) What would be the best lens for me, something affordable but that is able to have a really nice dof though. Doesn't have to be necessarily the Nikon brand it can be any other. Please HELP ME!!! :photo:help

Zerodog

On a budget go with a Nikon 80-200 AFS. Almost as good as a VRii for about half the price.

brianstar2000

I should prefer Nikon 80-200 AFS

daniaw

Alternative lens I have used with good dof is Sigma 70-300, or 18-200 as can be used for general purposes. I think nikon is better quality

perroneford

Yep, if I was shooting a crop body and on a budget, the 80-200 would be high on my list. I still have one, I just rarely shoot with it.

Matthew Saville

For starters, consider the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AFS-G.

Reasons:

* It's a Nikon brand lens, and one of the most recently designed, so you'll get the best possible autofocus reliability compared to an older lens like a Nikon 80-200, or a third-party lens like a Sigma 70-200
* It is f/1.8, which can come in handy compared to f/2.8 because it affords you more than a stop of extra shutter speed, (great for stopping action in low light, where stabilization cannot help you) ...and it affords you the best possible ISO performance which you'll enjoy as a crop-sensor camera owner.
* It's full-frame compatible, and will be a great long-term buy.
* It's smaller and lightweight compared to a 70-200 option.
* Even if you get a 70-200 or 80-200 in the long run, there's a (roughly ;-) 100% chance the 85 prime won't become obsolete or un-desirable, because of the above reasons. (faster aperture, smaller & lighter...)

=Matt=

Matthew Saville

Another lens to consider, if you're on a serious budget AND you don't plan to ever change sensor sizes to full-frame, would be a used Sigma 50-150 2.8. I still have mine, the original mk1 one, and I love it. It's incredibly sharp, focuses pretty reliably considering it's not a Nikon, and is built rock solid considering how many years I've owned it, and have dropped it lol...

In fact, much of my wedding career was made using this lens on my D300. I bet it would perform even more amazingly with a newer sensor like the 5100...


=Matt=

perroneford

With the exception of football, I shoot every sport he listed at either or both the HS and college level. My feelings on the 85mm as they relate to his needs are as follows:

1. Yes, the 85 will focus well. Better than the 80-200 in many cases.

2. Yes, the 1.8 will give him an extra stop. But it will cost him DOF which he is DESPERATELY going to need tracking rapidly moving subjects with a consumer body. That's not a D4 he's holding.

3. Both the 85 and the 80-200 are full-frame, so that's a wash.

4. It is smaller and lighter. However, holding up ANY camera for the duration of a basketball or football game is folly. He's going to want a monopod sooner rather than later.

5. Yes, the 85 won't become obsolete down the road, although the F1.4 would likely be my choice longer term (and it's what I bought).

Now here's why I think the 85mm simply won't work.

Basketball: The 85 is woefully short for far end work at basketball, and WAY tight near court on a DX body. It's passable on an FX body, but I still prefer my 24-70 near court if I am under the basket, and I am on my 300 for far court.

Football: He's got maybe 20 yards of coverage. 25 if he wants a wide shot. Full coverage once they are in the end zone.

Softball: He's going to be short from first to home, third to home, and infield to outfield. He's too tight from third base shooting position to third, and first base shooting position to first. He'd good from either first or third to pitcher, or either first or third to second. And since he's on a prime, he's stuck with NO options.

Baseball: He's short for nearly everything.

Soccer: Forget it. Not worth discussion.

Volleyball, he's short from the ends to the net unless he can stand on the floor right behind the serving position. If he's next to the net, he's too tight. He might be able to shoot a decent length from midcourt up in the stands if he doesn't go to far.


Tennis, he's too tight if he's between courts and play is coming to net. He's ok if he's in that position and shooting baseline. He's too short to shoot baseline to baseline since he'll need to be about 10 yards behind the baseline on a regulation court. Baseline shooting position to net or near net is pretty good.

Track and field, the 85 will work for shooting pole vault, high jump, might work for multi-lap events if he can stand next to the track. Works ok for long jump standing behind the pit. It's not long enough for shot put, sprint starts, sprint finish lines, hurdles unless he's trackside, discus, or javelin.

I'll invite him to go to my archive site: http://www.ptfphotoarchive.com/ Every sport he wants to shoot, with the exception of football, is there. EXIF is intact so he can see the focal lengths. Note the shooting positons and focal length choices. Nearly everything has some crop on it, in some cases a lot of crop, but a little experience goes a long way in knowing what will work and what won't for these sports.

-P

Matthew Saville wrote: »

For starters, consider the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AFS-G.

Reasons:

* It's a Nikon brand lens, and one of the most recently designed, so you'll get the best possible autofocus reliability compared to an older lens like a Nikon 80-200, or a third-party lens like a Sigma 70-200
* It is f/1.8, which can come in handy compared to f/2.8 because it affords you more than a stop of extra shutter speed, (great for stopping action in low light, where stabilization cannot help you) ...and it affords you the best possible ISO performance which you'll enjoy as a crop-sensor camera owner.
* It's full-frame compatible, and will be a great long-term buy.
* It's smaller and lightweight compared to a 70-200 option.
* Even if you get a 70-200 or 80-200 in the long run, there's a (roughly ;-) 100% chance the 85 prime won't become obsolete or un-desirable, because of the above reasons. (faster aperture, smaller & lighter...)

=Matt=

Matthew Saville

perroneford wrote: »

With the exception of football, I shoot every sport he listed at either or both the HS and college level. My feelings on the 85mm as they relate to his needs are as follows:

1. Yes, the 85 will focus well. Better than the 80-200 in many cases.

2. Yes, the 1.8 will give him an extra stop. But it will cost him DOF which he is DESPERATELY going to need tracking rapidly moving subjects with a consumer body. That's not a D4 he's holding.

3. Both the 85 and the 80-200 are full-frame, so that's a wash.

4. It is smaller and lighter. However, holding up ANY camera for the duration of a basketball or football game is folly. He's going to want a monopod sooner rather than later.

5. Yes, the 85 won't become obsolete down the road, although the F1.4 would likely be my choice longer term (and it's what I bought).

Now here's why I think the 85mm simply won't work.

Basketball: The 85 is woefully short for far end work at basketball, and WAY tight near court on a DX body. It's passable on an FX body, but I still prefer my 24-70 near court if I am under the basket, and I am on my 300 for far court.

Football: He's got maybe 20 yards of coverage. 25 if he wants a wide shot. Full coverage once they are in the end zone.

Softball: He's going to be short from first to home, third to home, and infield to outfield. He's too tight from third base shooting position to third, and first base shooting position to first. He'd good from either first or third to pitcher, or either first or third to second. And since he's on a prime, he's stuck with NO options.

Baseball: He's short for nearly everything.

Soccer: Forget it. Not worth discussion.

Volleyball, he's short from the ends to the net unless he can stand on the floor right behind the serving position. If he's next to the net, he's too tight. He might be able to shoot a decent length from midcourt up in the stands if he doesn't go to far.


Tennis, he's too tight if he's between courts and play is coming to net. He's ok if he's in that position and shooting baseline. He's too short to shoot baseline to baseline since he'll need to be about 10 yards behind the baseline on a regulation court. Baseline shooting position to net or near net is pretty good.

Track and field, the 85 will work for shooting pole vault, high jump, might work for multi-lap events if he can stand next to the track. Works ok for long jump standing behind the pit. It's not long enough for shot put, sprint starts, sprint finish lines, hurdles unless he's trackside, discus, or javelin.

I'll invite him to go to my archive site: http://www.ptfphotoarchive.com/ Every sport he wants to shoot, with the exception of football, is there. EXIF is intact so he can see the focal lengths. Note the shooting positons and focal length choices. Nearly everything has some crop on it, in some cases a lot of crop, but a little experience goes a long way in knowing what will work and what won't for these sports.

-P

Well if it's 100% sports, then sure a 70-200 or similar is a better off-the-bat idea. I was just thinking that general and photography might play into people's lives a little bit more, though...

=Matt=

babowc

Joined on 2/26 and never to return, haha...
I guess it all depends on his budget, and whether he'll be stepping up to FX or not.

perroneford

babowc wrote: »

Joined on 2/26 and never to return, haha...
I guess it all depends on his budget, and whether he'll be stepping up to FX or not.

Well,

Maybe it helps someone else in the future...

jmphotocraft

bcdefghijorge wrote: »

I have a Nikon D5100. I want to be able to take pictures of all the sports in my school (basketball, football, soccer, track & field, softball, baseball, volleyball and tennis.)

Matthew Saville wrote: »

For starters, consider the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AFS-G.

This lens is useful for baseketball and maybe volleyball, but doesn't have enough reach for any of the other sports.