I am looking into getting one of these lenses for wakeboarding:
canon 70-200 F4 L
sigma 70-200 2.8
canon 70-200 2.8 (cheap)
The first two are more likely unless I can find a really good deal on the faster canon. What lens would be better for wakeboarding, I'd probably be doing most of my shooting either from the boat or at a cable park where I can get close to the kickers or sliders? And are there any others that I should look into? Any info would be appreciated.
Heres some shots I took the other day with the bigma. http://www.pbase.com/surfr645/wakeboarding
First time shooting it so let me know what you think.
Go with the Canon 70-200 f2.8. Your picture quality can only be as good as the weakest link and you don't want that to be your glass. Invest wisely in glass and it will last for many years to come. Invest poorly and you will kick your self for many years to come.
If watersports were all you are going to do the Canon f4 would be ok, water sports are usually done in daylight and the subject is usually a great distance from background so DOF isolation with the f4 would be OK.
However (this part always costs you more money)
When the light is best (Sunrise and Sunset) you will wish you had the F2.8 for faster shutter speeds or lower ISO's.
Previous advice was spot-on --- Save your money, buy the 70-200 2.8 Canon, consider them investments as they rarley lose value....
Alright thanks for the advice. Looks like I'll want to wait a little longer and save some money to get the canon 2.8. Noticed this on ebay, http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=4687&item=3841203473&rd=1 and though its still has 5 days left might be a good deal if it is legit. What do you all think, he's sold a few things recently, one being a monopod. He also isnt selling a bunch of other expensive items at the same time so it could be a good buy. Your thoughts?
I use a 70-200L 2.8 on a 10D. With the wakeboarder in a 75ft rope I can easily fill the whole frame at the 200 end. I do find the 70 a little long sometimes just depending on what shot I am trying to get. But overall the 70-200 I think one of the best choices.
Canon 2.8 sounds like a favorite. anyone selling theres? Guess I'll have to start up a WTB thread soon for this lens, ohh ya anyone check out my wakeboard pics? Any comments/critiques on them?
My 70-200/2.8 would be the last lens I would get rid of. It is one of the most versitile multi-use lens there is.
I know this only hits the pocketbook harder. But I have the IS version, although for sports IS may not be of much use. This lens is so versitile, you never know where you might find yourslef using it in the future. It is one lens I would hold out for IS.
Checked out your gallery. You definitely would benefit from a faster lens, particularly for those low light shots. The F 2.8 would also be useful to help blur out those not so nice to look at backgrounds @ the cable park. Wakeboarding photography is a lot of fun, and not so hard when shooting from the boat. Shooting from the bank or from a chase boat is a different story, though. Here is a link to a great article on wakeboard photography, and a link to some of my wakeboard pics (I'm learning, too.).
I had the 70-200 F4 L which is great and not so heavy, but then I got the 70-200 F2.8 L IS, which I love. I have also heard the Sigma 70-200 2.8 is a good lens, but I have not tried that one. Good luck to you.
Hey thanks for the article, you have some awesome pics too! I like the 20d with the 70-200 IS on it, lucky. And well the IS lens is out of the question right now, I'll just have to upgrade to it later!
Anyone have any thoughts on the 80-200L 2.8 lens. Would it work, or is the autofocus too slow? Can get this for cheaper but if its not gonna work I dont want to get it. What do you all think?
Will you primarily be shooting from the boat? If so, the autofocus isn't a huge consideration. I have heard the 80-200mm still has pretty reasonable AF.
I'd still go with the 70-200 f2.8 for the all around versatility, and when shooting from a chase boat or in some cases at cable parks, af performance can be important. Thats the lens I use for my wakeboarding shots and I love it. Feel free to check out my site with some pics too: http://www.sideswipeproductions.com/photos.htm
Thanks man, I appreciate it. Yeah that rail is pretty nuts.Took some building, and a lot of practice hitting it. Got some nice stuff in the mags from it too...
i took shots of a wakeboarding tourney a few weeks ago with a 70-200 f2.8 non IS lens on my 10d and had great luck with it.
i wasnt quite sure what to look for since i had found out about the tourney very late and did not have too much time to prepare. meaning studying other peoples wakeboarding pics etc etc
next time i will be better prepared and hopefully get better results...
