Which sports lens for a Nikon D90 (outdoor soccer)?
I am trying to cover an outdoor soccer game played at night in a lighted stadium. I have a Nikon D90 with an 18-200 mm lens that has worked for some previous photos.
I’m interested in upgrading to a very nice lens that captures (in high quality) a player/ball while blurring the background. What are the recommendations?
Also, when I shoot, I simply put the camera in the automatic focus mode (fast action shots), and manually press the button to capture images. Is there a better approach to capturing high quality images? Should I try to set the ISO or put the camera into infinite picture mode?
Tell me anything and everything you can! Thanks!
Thanks! Another amatuer-obvious question:
When discussing the f-stop, is that a manual setting, or does it solely describe the type of lens.
For example, if I purchased one of the lenses y’all suggested, I could attach it to my camera and take pictures without much further modification. Or, would I need to manually set something at a specific f-stop?
Also, do you know how to program your camera to put a copyright on all the photographs taken? I hear there may be a code/html/process for doing that.
Thanks!
The best lens for night sports is 70-200 f 2.8 vr and second best is the 80-200 f 2.8.
Set the ISO on your camera to 3200 or 6400 (H1) if you need to.
you can set your exposure mode to any of these three:
sports mode
aperture priority & f 2.8 or smaller
shutter priority & 1/250 or higher
basically, you want to keep shutter speed above 1/250 and f-stop within the 3 largest apertures increase ISO above 3200 only if necessary. A monopod is also nice to have but not essential
If you want very nice (but not over the top) then check out the Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX APO RF HSM. It is a pretty fast lens for around $1100.00. You really like this one (you can also look into the 150-500mm for about the same price).
For best pictures, use a tripod or monopod. With a long lens, any shaking is obvious.
References :
adorama.com, bhphotovideo.com
You will probably want to look at the AF-S VR Zoom- NIKKOR
70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens.
The important number here for blurry background and sharp action stills is the aperture size – f/2.8. The smaller the f/ number the larger the lens’ maximum aperture. A large aperture lets in more light which in turn lets you set the shutter speed faster and lets you ‘freeze’ moving objects better.
A larger aperture also reduces the depth of field (DOF) which is what helps create the blurry background.
Higher ISO numbers introduce noise but also require more light and so it can become a trade-off between shutter speed and noise. Honestly with current generation sensors I don’t know that this would be a big deal for your images.
The art of "capturing high quality images" has filled many libraries with books, so I will leave that for your investigation or the other experienced photographers who answer. You are on the right track, I suggest looking at what specifically you don’t like about your current pictures and ask how to improve those.
References :
The 50-500 will not work at night given the f/4-6.3 aperture, you will not be able to exposure the picture correctly. You need an f/2.8 maximum aperture or greater to shoot at night, here are your choices: 70-200 f/2.8 which is the workhorse of journalism/sports lenses, it is a little short for soccer, but I use one for all sports I shoot and it really is one of the best investments. Your next best option is the 300 f/2.8, but it costs around $4000 where as the 70-200 costs only 1100. The 70-200 will also have more uses than a 300 f/2.8, as the 300 f/2.8 is quite a bit bigger and heavier. No one I know has ever bought a 70-200 f/2.8 and come to regret it. Beyond that boost the ISO until you get the shutter speeds needed. Unless you have D3 or the lights are super bright, you may have to just accept some noise for this.
References :
The best lens for night sports is 70-200 f 2.8 vr and second best is the 80-200 f 2.8.
Set the ISO on your camera to 3200 or 6400 (H1) if you need to.
you can set your exposure mode to any of these three:
sports mode
aperture priority & f 2.8 or smaller
shutter priority & 1/250 or higher
basically, you want to keep shutter speed above 1/250 and f-stop within the 3 largest apertures increase ISO above 3200 only if necessary. A monopod is also nice to have but not essential
References :