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R5II + 100-300 = Ultimate field sports combo [image heavy]

  
 
docusync
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · R5II + 100-300 = Ultimate field sports combo [image heavy]


A week ago I had a chance to shoot a couple of soccer games for my daughter's club.
Before getting this combo my "standard" kit was the A9III + 400/2.8GM. I had an R5 with the 70-200/2.8 for short range shots but... who am I kidding! I pretty much never had time to switch the cameras. The only "zoom" I could normally count on was a quick turn of the 400m lens into portrait orientation. It worked ok but I was missing quite a few shots due to crop.

When I started shooting the first game I kept forgetting about the magical zoom ring, but after 10-15 minutes I started developing a "zoom habit". By the end of the second game I could not imagine my life without the zoom ring. 300mm is enough for the side lines and a little short for the end lines. I had to use the 1.4x TC for the entire second game since I moved to the end line. Everything that I wanted outside of 420mm could be easily achievable by cropping.

The 100-300 is a crazy fast, sharp and flexible lens. It doesn't lose either AF speed or accuracy with a TC. At first I was using the Action mode (Soccer) and it was pure magic. I had to turn it off after a few situations when the camera was switching to the opposite team players (possessing the ball) when I wanted it to keep tracking my players instead.

Also, I was somewhat missing the ultimate subject isolation of a 400/2.8mm lens, but after reviewing the "catch" at home I realized that I'd definitely prefer not to lose any shot than having much fewer shots with slightly shallower DoF. I'd still probably use the 400 in certain situations, but overall I think the 100-300 is THE lens (and the R5II is THE camera )!



















































































































































Thanks for looking!



Aug 31, 2024 at 03:18 AM
jcolwell
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · R5II + 100-300 = Ultimate field sports combo [image heavy]


Awesome pics.


Aug 31, 2024 at 05:54 AM
dj63401
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · R5II + 100-300 = Ultimate field sports combo [image heavy]


Great job, these look very good!


Aug 31, 2024 at 05:55 AM
mogul
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · R5II + 100-300 = Ultimate field sports combo [image heavy]


Love 'em..brings back memories


Aug 31, 2024 at 07:53 AM
jcolwell
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · R5II + 100-300 = Ultimate field sports combo [image heavy]


mogul wrote:
Love 'em..brings back memories


For sure. I used to shoot my daughter's soccer games, with a motor-drive film camera.



Aug 31, 2024 at 10:45 AM
robert_in_ca
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · R5II + 100-300 = Ultimate field sports combo [image heavy]


jcolwell wrote:
For sure. I used to shoot my daughter's soccer games, with a motor-drive film camera.


Great shots... love the separation and fall off in the images. Seriously impressive combo.



Aug 31, 2024 at 01:15 PM
VKM2F
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · R5II + 100-300 = Ultimate field sports combo [image heavy]


Wonderful images, well captured!

I agree, the 100-300 is an incredible lens. I also have the 1.4x attached to it for 95% of the time (wildlife photography) and i'm constantly amazed at the lack of compromise there seems to be with the extender.



Aug 31, 2024 at 01:23 PM
lighthound
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · R5II + 100-300 = Ultimate field sports combo [image heavy]


These are all fantastic! I hope you share these with the team parents. So much emotion captured in each of them.
#6 for the win!



Aug 31, 2024 at 01:27 PM
thedutt
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · R5II + 100-300 = Ultimate field sports combo [image heavy]


superb images - the flexibility of a 2.8 / 4/ 5.6 zoom is pretty amazing. Paired with R5II, this is the ultimate field/track combo. The 400's 2.8 subject isolation is pretty impressive, but if you can fill the frame with 300, you get that too. For sports situations where subject distance is always changing, the 100-300 is becoming my clear choice. Reach limited situations, well that's another story.

For an human adult to fill the frame(2m)
300mm distance: 55feet DOF @2.8: 1.71 ft
400mm distance: 75feet DOF @2.8: 1.78 ft

400mm distance needed 75feet DOF



Aug 31, 2024 at 01:43 PM
bernardl
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · R5II + 100-300 = Ultimate field sports combo [image heavy]


Thanks for the reporting. Since owning the Nikon 120-300mm f2.8 I know that fixed 300mm f2.8 are a thing of the past, regardless of how light they may be. I am still scratching my head as to why Sony thought it was the right strategy… one of the reasons why I have decided to sell my a9III.

DPreview just published their lukewarm report about the R5II AF (https://m.dpreview.com/articles/9087144206/canon-eos-r5-ii-autofocus), but it seems you had better results.



Aug 31, 2024 at 06:33 PM
 


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CelesteForza
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · R5II + 100-300 = Ultimate field sports combo [image heavy]


I was about to say my R5 MK II's are by far the best auto focusing camera I've ever used going back to the original EOS-1 film camera but the guys at AmazonDpreview just burst my bubble. Damn Canon and their marketing team just suckered me again.


Aug 31, 2024 at 08:04 PM
bernardl
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · R5II + 100-300 = Ultimate field sports combo [image heavy]


CelesteForza wrote:
I was about to say my R5 MK II's are by far the best auto focusing camera I've ever used going back to the original EOS-1 film camera but the guys at AmazonDpreview just burst my bubble. Damn Canon and their marketing team just suckered me again.


DPreview was sold by Amazon last year.

Cheers,
Bernard



Aug 31, 2024 at 08:27 PM
RustyRus
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · R5II + 100-300 = Ultimate field sports combo [image heavy]


bernardl wrote:
Thanks for the reporting. Since owning the Nikon 120-300mm f2.8 I know that fixed 300mm f2.8 are a thing of the past, regardless of how light they may be. I am still scratching my head as to why Sony thought it was the right strategy… one of the reasons why I have decided to sell my a9III.

DPreview just published their lukewarm report about the R5II AF (https://m.dpreview.com/articles/9087144206/canon-eos-r5-ii-autofocus), but it seems you had better results.



I haven't even started trying to learn the AutoFocus on this camera yet- Because it just flipping works- No idea how you can not get stellar results out of this camera unless you are jacking around with settings all the time instead of just shooting.




Aug 31, 2024 at 10:50 PM
vbnut
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · R5II + 100-300 = Ultimate field sports combo [image heavy]


Very impressive images. There are a couple of shots where it looks like the "wrong" player is in focus (but obviously I don't know what you intended).

Can you give us an idea of your keeper rate with this combo?



Aug 31, 2024 at 11:03 PM
docusync
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · R5II + 100-300 = Ultimate field sports combo [image heavy]


Thank you guys for the kind words!

vbnut wrote:
Very impressive images. There are a couple of shots where it looks like the "wrong" player is in focus (but obviously I don't know what you intended).

Can you give us an idea of your keeper rate with this combo?


My team wears the maroon uniform, so my goal was to have the closest eyeball of a maroon player in focus. That's exactly the reason why I had to disable the action mode. The camera simply picks the player it "thinks" possesses the ball (or about to possess), but I explicitly wanted it to keep focus on my players.

The hit rate is very high, I would say like 99% or so. A camera like this one gives you a different problem because of the high keeper rate - you'd be having hard time trying to choose the best frame from each sequence. Here's a gallery from two games: https://franklinsportsphoto.com/gallery/339b810c-5bb4-4c92-8070-5e02fa314c21
You can zoom in or download individual files for analysis. The photos are denoised but no sharpening applied.

bernardl wrote:
Thanks for the reporting. Since owning the Nikon 120-300mm f2.8 I know that fixed 300mm f2.8 are a thing of the past, regardless of how light they may be. I am still scratching my head as to why Sony thought it was the right strategy… one of the reasons why I have decided to sell my a9III.

DPreview just published their lukewarm report about the R5II AF (https://m.dpreview.com/articles/9087144206/canon-eos-r5-ii-autofocus), but it seems you had better results.


I agree, I had the EF300/2.8II for a few years and I used it two or three times total before I sold it. The zoom is another story. I wish Sony would make a 300mm lens with a TC. It could be a decent alternative to a zoomable lens. I mean, they figured out how to make a 300/2.8 lens light, why not to make it 200g heavier but much more versatile? I'm surprised you're selling the A9III. IMHO nothing beats GS for strobe work outdoors.

I just read the DPR article. The eye-controlled AF didn't work for me either. It may work for something slow and imprecise but not for sports. Regarding the author's complaint about tracking a rider from a bunch - I had no problem with that. My "subjects" did not wear helmets and glasses though.

lighthound wrote:
These are all fantastic! I hope you share these with the team parents. So much emotion captured in each of them.
#6 for the win!


Thank you, it's my favorite too! I did share the whole gallery with parents.
Those 10 y.o. girls are ferocious soccer players. I haven't seen this level of aggressiveness from the older MLS Next boys teams



Sep 01, 2024 at 03:52 AM
patotts
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · R5II + 100-300 = Ultimate field sports combo [image heavy]


I did 14 yrs of travel and varsity soccer with 3 boys. State Cup chams, Conference league champs, regional champs, went to Nationals, etc. Many memorable years shooting sidelines.

Why not ditch the Sony rig and get 2 R5II's and more RF glass? Even if you can afford double set ups and playing with high-end gear from multiple brands, why not make it easier if Canon meets the need?



Sep 01, 2024 at 04:47 PM
RustyRus
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · R5II + 100-300 = Ultimate field sports combo [image heavy]


I am eyeing this lens-

Can I ask a silly question-

How do you get past the feel of running around with a massive lens on a monopod? I feel awkward enough at times with just a 70-200 or a big prime. I can't imagine with this one.

Its one main reason I love carrying a Leica M with a Summilux.

I need a lens like this though and will just have to get over it but intrested in your thoughts.



Sep 01, 2024 at 07:05 PM
mb126
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · R5II + 100-300 = Ultimate field sports combo [image heavy]


Is there any benefit to this setup vs the 200-400 f4 for daytime field sports?

If one shot a mix of field sports and indoor (gymnastics, basketball volleyball, etc.) I totally get the appeal of the 100-300.

But for field sports, I'd expect the 200-400 is a more suitable focal length (paired with a 70-200) and they are available for a song these days!



Sep 01, 2024 at 08:50 PM
jedibrain
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · R5II + 100-300 = Ultimate field sports combo [image heavy]




docusync wrote:
A week ago I had a chance to shoot a couple of soccer games for my daughter's club.
Before getting this combo my "standard" kit was the A9III + 400/2.8GM. I had an R5 with the 70-200/2.8 for short range shots but... who am I kidding! I pretty much never had time to switch the cameras. The only "zoom" I could normally count on was a quick turn of the 400m lens into portrait orientation. It worked ok but I was missing quite a few shots due to crop.

When I started shooting the first game I kept forgetting about the magical
...Show more
I shoot a lot of soccer as well. I'm out of reach of a 100-300 2.8 lens, but maybe in reach of an R5II or used R3.

Have you used an R3? How does the AF compare to o the R5II? If you have the grip for the r5II (regular battery grip) how does it feel compared to the R3? I rented an R3 and it was so nice in the hand. The 24mp is enough for me. But I've got FOMO on pre-capture and the fancy new AF modes.

Thanks, Brian



Sep 01, 2024 at 11:06 PM
docusync
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · R5II + 100-300 = Ultimate field sports combo [image heavy]


thedutt wrote:
superb images - the flexibility of a 2.8 / 4/ 5.6 zoom is pretty amazing. Paired with R5II, this is the ultimate field/track combo. The 400's 2.8 subject isolation is pretty impressive, but if you can fill the frame with 300, you get that too. For sports situations where subject distance is always changing, the 100-300 is becoming my clear choice. Reach limited situations, well that's another story.

For an human adult to fill the frame(2m)
300mm distance: 55feet DOF @2.8: 1.71 ft
400mm distance: 75feet DOF @2.8: 1.78 ft

400mm distance needed 75feet DOF


Thank you! These creatures are tiny though, about 1.2m/4ft tall. So it's like a sports macro
Still no problem filling the frame from the side lines (junior size pitch).


patotts wrote:
I did 14 yrs of travel and varsity soccer with 3 boys. State Cup chams, Conference league champs, regional champs, went to Nationals, etc. Many memorable years shooting sidelines.

Why not ditch the Sony rig and get 2 R5II's and more RF glass? Even if you can afford double set ups and playing with high-end gear from multiple brands, why not make it easier if Canon meets the need?


I do like global shutter (A9III) for "active" outdoor portraiture with strobes, and my 400/600 are Sony. It would be ~$4-5k loss to switch the lenses. Also, I started my photography journey with Sony (the good ol' A99!). I don't mind shooting two systems, I think they complement each other really well.

RustyRus wrote:
I am eyeing this lens-

Can I ask a silly question-

How do you get past the feel of running around with a massive lens on a monopod? I feel awkward enough at times with just a 70-200 or a big prime. I can't imagine with this one.

Its one main reason I love carrying a Leica M with a Summilux.

I need a lens like this though and will just have to get over it but intrested in your thoughts.


I never use a monopod because it's limiting my agility. I usually sit cross-legged on the grass and if I get tired of hand holding - I raise the left knee and rest my elbow on it (while still holding the lens), so it gives me some extra support. I had to shoot 3 games in a row a couple of times this way, and it wasn't bad.

For each long lens I have this handle: https://www.camvate.com/products/camvate-carbon-fiber-handgrip-support-stabilizer-with-1-4-20-mounting-screw-for-dslr-camera-video-flash-light-black-locking-ring-2758 and this clamp: https://leofotousa.com/products/leofoto-dc-24-dm-47-24mm-47mm-screw-knob-clamp-arca-compatible (DM47). They add very little to the system weight but make my life much easier:





For the 100-300 the handle must be close to the front of the foot so I would be able to reach the zoom ring with my thumb and index fnger. For the primes the handle position doesn't matter.

jedibrain wrote:
I shoot a lot of soccer as well. I'm out of reach of a 100-300 2.8 lens, but maybe in reach of an R5II or used R3.

Have you used an R3? How does the AF compare to o the R5II? If you have the grip for the r5II (regular battery grip) how does it feel compared to the R3? I rented an R3 and it was so nice in the hand. The 24mp is enough for me. But I've got FOMO on pre-capture and the fancy new AF modes.

Thanks, Brian


I did, but briefly, just for a week, for MLS Next games. It was no worse than the A9III in terms of hit rate, and way better than my old R5. Ergonomics was also great but my battery didn't last two games. Could be a bad battery, it was a rental after all.... I was surprised because the tiny A9III battery could survive two games easily. The new R5II battery also lasts two games (12k shots, pre-capture on). If you don't need to crop a lot it's a great camera. Plus, it should drive the ring-USM based lenses faster. I appreciate having pre-capture on the R5II since it allows me to "travel back in time" a little bit when I was too slow to react. If you're an experienced shooter you may never need it though. Regarding the fancy AF modes - see my notes above. They are great if you don't care who's possessing the ball. If you do care - it's better to turn the action mode off.

mb126 wrote:
Is there any benefit to this setup vs the 200-400 f4 for daytime field sports?

If one shot a mix of field sports and indoor (gymnastics, basketball volleyball, etc.) I totally get the appeal of the 100-300.

But for field sports, I'd expect the 200-400 is a more suitable focal length (paired with a 70-200) and they are available for a song these days!


The 200-400 would cover the entire field, especially if you engage the TC, but it's harder to handhold (I think it's the same weight as the 600/4II), and it can't go lower than f/4. It has its pros and cons... The biggest con for me if I buy it today - Canon will release the long promised 200-500 tomorrow



Sep 02, 2024 at 01:13 AM
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