Canon RF200-800/f6.3-9 Lens under the Friday Night Lights!

I purchased the Canon RF200-800/f6.3-9 lens about a year ago mainly to use for airshows, marching bands and wildlife. But one can't have a lens with this kind of reach without trying it for sports. My first attempt at using this sports was at a night-time high school football game last fall (nothing like diving right into the fire, huh!). Pairing this lens with the R3 body, I set my ISO to auto, set the max ISO to 51200, set the lens to f6.3 at 200mm, set my shutter speed to 1/800 and let 'er rip! I had no commitments for the images and zero expectations. I just wanted to try the lens under the lights.

To my surprise, this lens performed very well and I came away with more than enough usable images. While I was using the 200-800 lens, my son was using the Canon EF200-400/f4 lens, also on an R3 body with the same settings (except the aperture was at f4). I knew that lens would work just fine as I have used it for nighttime sports countless times.

What are my takeaways? 

• The key is--and I can't emphasize this enough--one can NOT be afraid of shooting at high ISOs. But hey, you're a sports photographer so high ISO is a thing we always deal with, right? Today's bodies like the R3 are simply incredible at how well they handle high ISOs. Every one of these images was shot as a JPEG with in-camera noise reduction only. NO external NR was applied to these images. None.
• Another point to make about these excercist is shutter speed. I cringe when someone suggest to "never" go below some random shutter speed they think is best. Of course, one needs fast enough shutter speeds to stop action (assuming that's usually the point), but it's completely possible to shoot below, 1/1000, for example to capture sports action. These images are examples. The key thing to always know, IME, is to understand exposure settings and know how far you might have to adjust to capture the images you need. You may have to lower your shutter speed to 1/640, you may have to crank up your exposure. You'll almost always have to shoot as wide open as possible under the lights. But it's up to YOU to decide what will work best, not someone else's random "NEVER shoot below 1/1000 shutter speed" comment

Below are images from that night with settings below each images. Thoughts? Have you used the 200-800 lens for nighttime sports and how did it work for you? 

 

Canon RF200-800mm F6.3-9 IS, Aperture: 8, Shutter: 1/800, ISO: 51200

Canon EF200-400mm f/4L, Aperture: 4, Shutter: 1/800, ISO: 12800

Canon RF200-800mm F6.3-9, Aperture: 7.1, Shutter: 1/500, ISO: 32000 (photo by Scott)

Canon EF200-400mm f/4L, Aperture: 4, Shutter: 1/800, ISO: 12800 (photo by my son)

Although the college basketball season is officially underway, I'm still in football mode. However, it's that time of the year where there are overlaps and I'll shoot football one Saturday, then basketball a few days later, then back to football, then....well, you get the idea.

Here are a few shots from the Loyola-Chicago at Kansas State game from Monday, November 14, 2011 at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kan.

Thanks for looking.

Volleyball Samples

I find volleyball one of the most difficult sports to shoot. Lots of bodies in a very small area with half of the athletes on the court behind a net--tough to find focus and capture peak action.

If the facility allows for it, I prefer to shoot from an elevated angle. I find this helps me focus on players a little bit and helps clean up the backgrounds, which are mostly the floor and not rafters or people in the stands. Of course, shooting from such an elevated position almost requires longer (and fast) glass such as a 300/f2.8 or 400/f2.8 lens.

Here are a few samples. I believe these were all shot with a Sigma 120-300 lens on a Canon 1dMk2n body.

Pride of Wildcat Land Marching Band.

Here are a few of my favorite photos of the Kansas State University Pride of Wildcat Land Marching Band from October 29, 2011 in Manhattan, Kan. The first seven images were taken with a Canon 400/f2.8 lens on a 1dMk2 body and none of them have been cropped. The remaining six images were taken with a 15/f2.8 lens on the same body.

Thanks for looking.


A lens like the 400/f2.8 allows me to capture images of just about any musician on the field.

As the new band photographer for the Kansas State University Pride of Wildcat Land Marching Band, I'm excited to start the 2011 marching season. Last Saturday, August 20, 2011, the band marched across campus after their evening rehearsal and performed in the streets of Aggieville. It's always a fun time and means one thing..that it won't be long until their performing on the field before and during a K-State football game!

Thanks for looking.

Think Tank Gear

In the event anyone is looking for a new bag. Think Tank gear is top-notch! Don't hesitate to let me know if you have questions. I'm using a bunch of this stuff and never hesitate to recommend it.

Click on the image below if you're thinking about ordering something and you'll receive a free bag with any order of $50 or more.

2011 NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka

Here are a few images of the 2011 NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka. This track is only minutes from my house so I always enjoy the opportunity to get a little rubber in my hair, have some nitro burn the nostrils and shoot a few really REALLY fast cars.

Thanks for looking!