schlotz Offline Upload & Sell: On
|
Looking at the 3 shots and your input so far I would say you're jumping the gun. That is, putting equipment in place before technique. Knowing your equipment and how to use it effectively to capture sports action is the first priority. Good solid setup, proper positioning and tracking will allow one to understand if equipment is truly the limiting factor. There has been good advice provided here for shooting soccer and if you want good results they should be followed every time you shoot.
1. Keep the shutter above 1/000, increase the ISO if necessary to keep you there.
2. Lower Aperture settings provide better separation between subject and background. Most who do this utilize L-lenses providing f/2.8 capability. BTW: F/4.0 works well in many circumstances.
3. Keep the sun at your back
4. Position yourself so the action is coming towards you. You want ball, faces and action to fill the frame.
5. Stay low, on your knees or butt, especially when shooting munchkin ball
6. Become good at activating the AF point (highly suggest use only center one) to track the subject PRIOR to taking the shot.
Even at 5.6, you should be able to achieve sharp well exposed shots such as the one CW100 provided above.
After years of observing, I can say there seems to be pattern many follow. It's most likely driven by affordability, and that is the infamous 70-300 purchase. Ok, yes you can get some good shots with it on sunny days with good technique etc... BUT, invariably many become disenchanted that they are not getting what they expected. Not every game is under bright sun, the kids are faster than you think and the generic 70-300 lenses (including Canon's) are not the fastest when it comes to AF. The "L" version is better by far than the others but still has its limitations when it comes to soccer. I'm a believer of fast glass before body upgrades but it's important to recognize that photography, in itself, is an exercise in compromise. EX) fast glass by itself won't necessarily guarantee one to get the peak action shot which can be missed with slower fps bodies. The compromise here is you become good at anticipating the action in order to get the shot.
So if I were able to catch someone on the front side of getting into capturing their kids efforts on the field, my advise would be to get what will do the job and actually save yourself some money in the long run by not having to re-purchase equipment. A used 70-200 non-IS 2.8 lens and a body that can at least do 5-fps. This rig will serve quite well up until they get on the big field at which point the next set of decisions come into play. In the interim, pick up a 1.4tc to provide you some additional reach. The "next set" starts with the understanding that it's gonna cost ya! Issues to resolve are more reach via 300 or 400 primes, 2nd body to cover close in action the 300/400 can't, faster fps bodies that also have high ISO capability.
To answer the OP's question: buy a used 70-200 f/2.8 non-IS and put a 1.4 tc on it if necessary. With the tc, you get a 98-280 f/4. This allows one to effectively cover many game conditions including those that are light challenged. The lens is still considered one of Canon's best and is very fast in the AF department. Then go shoot, shoot, and shoot some more. Refine your technique, improve your skills and get ready for the "next set" of decisions.
Good luck with your shooting.
Matt
|