Canon lens question

firststring74

I have two lens currently, nothing special:
Canon 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 kit lens
Canon 75-300mm f/4-5.6 lens

I shoot mostly horse shows and have been looking at the Canon 70-200 f2.8L usm lens without IS. I mostly use a monopod while shooting due to some back/neck issues so I am not concerned about the weight and I think I will be ok without IS for that reason. Am I incorrect? My only concern is that in smaller rings the 75-300 that I own sometimes is too close to the action and I am afraid that the 70 on this lens still might not allow me to fully get the horse and the jump in the entire frame. What are your opinions? Is there another lens I should be looking at? Thanks all you for putting up with my endless lens/body questions! Oh, and the 40D I think is on the way for Christmas..I must have been a very good girl!

Christina

ziggy53

The Canon EF 70-200mm, f/2.8L USM is one of Canon's finest, in either original or IS flavors.

I shot my son's football games for two years with that lens as primary. (I used a tripod with a video head.)

I would question if that lens alone could cover the entire area, and I doubt that you would be happy with a single lens that could. You might have to use more than one lens, which might require another body to be practical.

firststring74

I am getting a second body for christmas, but I feel it might be impossible to have two bodies with two different lens and using both while I am in the middle of the ring (I don't shoot from the sidelines too limiting for angles). I usually change lens for candids outside the ring, but I am looking for a lens to use in the ring with one body. I like the Canon 75-300 for that extra zoom and use that pretty much exclusively to shoot the horse shows. The smaller lens is my "snapshot" lens.

ziggy53

firststring74 wrote:

I am getting a second body for christmas, but I feel it might be impossible to have two bodies with two different lens and using both while I am in the middle of the ring (I don't shoot from the sidelines too limiting for angles). I usually change lens for candids outside the ring, but I am looking for a lens to use in the ring with one body. I like the Canon 75-300 for that extra zoom and use that pretty much exclusively to shoot the horse shows. The smaller lens is my "snapshot" lens.

I'm starting to "get the picture" and understand your situation.

If you're using the 75-300mm mostly now, and you say you appreciate the longer end, you will feel the loss going to the EF 70-200mm, f/2.8L. I do think the extra quality of the "L" lens is going to be welcome, so I would still recommend it.

As for the smaller rings/venues, a different lens might be indicated, so you need to decide which length is more important under which situation and which to purchase first.

The Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM might work well for the smaller rings, and it's of similar quality to the EF 70-200mm, f/2.8L. It might also work pretty well for your snapshot/candids.

Keep the "kit" lens for the wide end, where it works pretty well, especially stopped down to f5.6.

A tripod might work better than a monopod if you can use two camera/lens systems because you can hang the one around your neck and put the one with the longer lens on the tripod. I did that occasionally and I would lock the vertical control of the tripod and then pull the camera around my neck up to shooting position. It gets fairly fluid and quick to perform the more you do it.

rpcrowe

A possible solution...
Get the outstanding 70-200mm f/4L IS or the very good 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS lens (neither of these lenses is very heavy and they are both readily hand holdable. That should allow you to eliminate the monopod/tripod.

Pair either of these lenses up with an excellent 24-28mm to 70-75mm mid-range zoom and you should have the entire focal range you need pretty well covered.

The 24-70mm f/2.8L is a great example of a mid-range zoom but, is fairly heavy and expensive. There are serveral non OEM mid-range zooms by Sigma, Tamron or Tokina that might suit your purposes. These companies also produce mid-range zooms that start about 17mm and can go as long as 70mm. These would also suit your needs.

Regarding wide to mid-range zooms; IMO, on the top of the pile is the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS by Canon. This is a great lens in all respects and should mesh very well with the 70-200mm or 70-300mm lens. I would not worry terribly about the gap between 55mm and 70mm.

The OPTECH Reporter Strap is an excellent way to carry two cameras without the tangles that two individual camera straps might lead to.

The only problem with getting a really good mid-range zoom is that, after seeing the imagery produced by your new lens, you might no longer like the imagery your 75-300mm lens produces.

firststring74

Thanks guys, more ideas to ponder. Usually in the small rings I have to move around to get more than one or two pics per round, but I guess if I left one camera set up and felt reasonably sure it was protected then I could have one body on a tripod and another that I carried. I'll also have to look into the reporter strap.

So now the question is, do I go with the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM (or something like it) or continue with my quest for the EF 70-200mm, f/2.8L. rpcrowe, is the f/4 going to give me the "big picture that I need"? Maybe right now I need to get the 24-70 (or the 17-55) and then next year buy the 70-200. Any fears with doing this that people can point out?

Thanks!