Express Action Sports

I have a Canon 550D and have been asked to do some drag racing photos and pee-wee football photos. Both usually take place from dusk to night, so it’s low light, though stadium lights are present for both.

The ideal choice would of course be the 70-200mmL f/2.8 IS USM, but that is kinda out of my price range right now… and even the non-IS version is still pretty expensive for me. Does anyone know of any alternatives that would work?

I’ve looked at the EF 200mm f/2.8L-II USM, which is under $1,000, but I’m concerned about it not being a zoom lens…

I’ve also looked at the EF 70-200mm f/4L USM, also under $1,000, but will it be fast enough at f/4 rather than f/2.8?

I haven’t done too much action photography, so I’m not really informed on this… any help would be appreciated!

IS will be useless for low light and you will be able to use a tripod anyways.

Theres a pretty big difference in bokeh between F4 and F2.8.

All the lens you listed don’t lose value. So you can buy them new or used and still sell them for about the same price. Just look how much they sell on ebay.

People pay a small fortune to get the 200mm F2.0. Are they concerned that it’s not a zoom? Not at all. It’s a tool for a job and they can get an aperture that they would not have otherwise. It’s the same for you, you don’t have the money for the 70-200mm f/2.8 so you can get the 200mm.

I like the 200mm f/2.8 because it’s discreet and small. You could get a rebel xt or xti + a 85mm f/1.8 and have 2 bodies (if you don’t have them already) with each lens. Now you have 2 large aperture lens with a range covering almost 70-200mm. It’s lightweight, small, fast and efficient.

What I recommend:
t2i + 200mm f/2.8
xt + 85mm f/1.8 or 50mm f/1.4 or f/1.8

Or forget the two bodies and change lens when needed.