p.1 #1 · Ice Hockey with the 135mm f/2 and 300mm f/2.8
Picked up a Canon 135mm f/2 L and really enjoyed using it in the corners. I miss the zoom of a 70-200mm f/2.8 but the extra stop is a godsend. A few of these images may be from the 300mm f/2.8 L but most are from the 135mm.
Any crits are appreciated. Mostly I was shooting profile pics but I stuck around to get some action.
p.1 #4 · Ice Hockey with the 135mm f/2 and 300mm f/2.8
Thanks for taking the time to comment. Setting will depend on the environment. The nice thing with the 135mm f/2.0 is that it allows me to shoot ISO 1600 f/2 1/640 in the Essar Centre instead of ISO 3200 f/2.8 1/640 with the 70-200mm f/2.8.
But that is a baseline, the setting are all over the place. Some might be ISO 2500 f/2.2 1/800 or ISO 2000 f/2 1/1000. Depends on what I was anticipating.
p.1 #5 · Ice Hockey with the 135mm f/2 and 300mm f/2.8
IQ - good
color - good
amount of body parts cropped off - not good
Just my own personal opinion, but anyone that is in focus I try to keep as much of the body in frame, and not cropped off. I'm going to assume the players are cropped because of the focal length though.
How's the lighting up there in the new barn, looks pretty nice. I used to be the team photog for the IceDogs, was gonna make a road trip with them to the soo and sudbury 2 years ago but it just never panned out.
p.1 #6 · Ice Hockey with the 135mm f/2 and 300mm f/2.8
I appreciate the thoughtful comments, Rick. I will have to watch out for the cropping, one of the problems shooting with primes and I usually shoot pretty tight in general (not just sports)... these are actually pretty loose for me. :P
I'll study some more of your threads and take not of the cropping.
The lighting is really decent. It's pretty even across the whole ice surface and the venue in general is really top notch. I shot a game at the Barrie Molson Centre this year and even though it is only a few years older than the Essar Centre there is no comparison. The lighting there was really inconstant with centre ice lit up like it had a spotlight on and dark in the corners. Really made me appreciate the facility we have up here. Only things I liked better at the BMC was the ample parking and integrated sports bar!
If you do make it to the Soo the first beer is on me
p.1 #7 · Ice Hockey with the 135mm f/2 and 300mm f/2.8
These were taken from a different game last night, before I received Rick's comments... so more cropped limbs. Would love to get more feedback if I could.
p.1 #9 · Ice Hockey with the 135mm f/2 and 300mm f/2.8
These are nice...were you shooting through a hole, or through the glass?
I've never shot hockey...my only problem is your watermark/logo. Is it supposed to be a KA? It just looks a bit odd and I can't figure out what you're trying to say or spell
p.1 #10 · Ice Hockey with the 135mm f/2 and 300mm f/2.8
Thanks for your comments, these were all shot through the glass. Sometimes I shoot from above the glass with the 300m f/2.8 and often I even add the 1.4x extender but I really prefer shooting from ice level.
There is a small cut-out in the glass in the media bench but it's too small for any of our lenses... were not sure what lens it was intended for.
p.1 #11 · Ice Hockey with the 135mm f/2 and 300mm f/2.8
So after going through my shots and taking Rick's advice very seriously I think my problem is my fear of taking focus off the centre point. Because I'm always using the centre point I am very often cropping off feet and legs. When shooting verticals if I were to use a point above the centre point I will probably have more success getting full-body shots.
I always used the centre point on my 30D and 5D for good reason, but I think my current 1D should be able to handle an off-centre point. I will update after my next game.
p.1 #12 · Ice Hockey with the 135mm f/2 and 300mm f/2.8
no worries. just so you know, i always use center point on my mkiii and rarely shoot portrait. i can blow the images up to poster size no problem. the only worry is cropping in post and the extra time it will take. personally adds about 15 minutes to an avg hockey game so realistically no worries.
p.1 #14 · Ice Hockey with the 135mm f/2 and 300mm f/2.8
I was going to comment and Rick stole my thunder exactly. Beautiful IQ and great expressions, just a little tight for my tastes, at least at this websize. Looks like the kit is performing VERY nicely.
p.1 #15 · Ice Hockey with the 135mm f/2 and 300mm f/2.8
Thanks for the comments. Looking forward to shooting some college hoops this weekend with the kit. An 85mm would probably be a better choice than the 135mm but we'll see.
