I'm looking for a new zoom lens to use for my sons sporting events (baseball, basketball, wrestling). I know this lens is good for close ups of things like flowers and insects, but would it also work for my purpose? If not, do you have any suggestions that are at a similar price point? I'm looking for a new zoom lens to use for my sons sporting events (baseball, basketball, wrestling). I know this lens is good for close ups of things like flowers and insects, but would it... » Read More I'm looking for a new zoom lens to use for my sons sporting events (baseball, basketball, wrestling). I know this lens is good for close ups of things like flowers and insects, but would it also work for my purpose? If not, do you have any suggestions that are at a similar price point? « Show Less
1877494
This lens would be great for baseball and basket ball, but may be a bit too zoom-y for wrestling. If you want someone more versatile about the same price you could get the 24-70mm
1877495
I would not use my 85mm for sporting events, I would use my AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED. And use the sports mode on the dial.I am not a pro though.
1877496
This is not a zoom lens, its a short telephoto. For your purposes a 18-200 f/3.5 will do nicely.
1877497
No, I would not recommend this lens for sporting events. It doesn't zoom, which will limit your ability to compose when you have limited ability to move yourself closer to subject. Plus the apertures aren't super great for low light of a gym. (Although tripod will help with that). In same price range I think you would be better served by the 18-200 f/3.5-5.6 with a tripod. (Or if you can spend a bit more go with the 80-200mm f/2.8)
1705909
I think this is a wonderful lens for sports. Same as Nikon only better build quality and smaller body.
1160044
I have the same lens bro and it went well.But you'll have to use the lens on its longest zoom (135mm) to get the macro effect.It's not a macro lens, but it's quite handy if you need to shoot a big closeup.
2058092
I am using this lens primarily for sports - synchronized swimming. So far only outdoors (wish you would ask it a few months out -the indoor meet is coming up then). It is a beautiful lens for landscaping or nature shots, but so far i cannot say i am 100% satisfied with it for sports. Based on what i see, i can imagine it might be problematic with low-light conditions and sports as even outdoors it still hunts that focus point. But off course reflections can be the cause, at least for me. It probably as good as we can go at this price point, but definitely do not expect flawless photos. As to comparing it against Tamron - sorry, no experience there. I am using this lens primarily for sports - synchronized swimming. So far only outdoors (wish you would ask it a few months out -the indoor meet is coming up then). It is a beautiful lens for landscaping or nature shots, but so far i cannot say i am 100% satisfied with it for sports. Based on what i see, i can imagine it might be problematic with low-light conditions and sports as even outdoors it still hunts that focus point. But off course reflections can be the cause, at least for me. It probably as good as we can go at this price point, but definitely do not expect flawless photos. As... » Read More I am using this lens primarily for sports - synchronized swimming. So far only outdoors (wish you would ask it a few months out -the indoor meet is coming up then). It is a beautiful lens for landscaping or nature shots, but so far i cannot say i am 100% satisfied with it for sports. Based on what i see, i can imagine it might be problematic with low-light conditions and sports as even outdoors it still hunts that focus point. But off course reflections can be the cause, at least for me. It probably as good as we can go at this price point, but definitely do not expect flawless photos. As to comparing it against Tamron - sorry, no experience there. « Show Less
417819
The lens is really great for almost everything, however, if you are trying to take photos of birds or other comperably small easily startled things, or like the moon, then a larger lens would be something to think about. However for almost all intents and purposes, what it comes with will be just fine. Hope that was helpful
1577269
It will work well for action. If you go with the kit lens(es), try to keep the f stop above 5.6. They are sharper in that area. Also, set your focus point to center (most likely). I used it extensively for my daughters indoor volleyball
623352
i wouldn't recommend it for any sport photography,because it's wide angle and because it's manual focus. i would rather get a telephotolens
1547551
This lens is not a sports lens. You'll be too far from any action to even when cropped. The 70-200 f2.8 is one of the best sport lenses for up close. If you want even closer I'd recommend buying the 300mm or 400mm but its might be easier to buy a tube extender that will increase the range of your lens. This lens is great for landscape, portraits, and Weddings.
1629775
I love mine. I have caught birds in flight (Grand Canyon, Warwick Castle, England). I do not know how it would work at sporting events. I have taken evening shots w/o flash, indoors and outdoors. I had two lenses before and it was a pain. Now I can go from wide angle to zoom and I love it.
1409500
I have had great results on auto and sport as I am mainly photographing birds. A hint you will loose focus if you zoom in to close, also when you make your first click wait for the green border to make sure your in focus with the right object. I am totally satisfied with the great results and clarity I get...I am putting together my photos into a book. Hope this helps
1681728
This is an outstanding, fast lens used by photojournalists, sports photographers, and enthusiasts the world over. It is one of three zooms carried by nearly every Nikon-shooting professional. it would depend on several factors: your camera body, is it APS or Full Frame, what is it's resolution (if you want to crop), and how well does it control digital noise at high ISO. Also, the actual distance you are from your subject. This lens should meet most of your expectations. If it doesn't, you might need a much more expensive, longer lens, say a 300mm.
1547553
I don't take a lot of sports photos but I find that on my 40D it focuses quickly and produces sharp images. With the wide aperture, you should be able to use a faster shutter speed, which would help stop the action. So I would think this would be a good lens for sports if you were close. If not, then your 70-200 mm would be better.
141798
I've used this lens on a D7000 for middle school basketball with pretty good results. You'll need to set the aperture for 4.0 for all focal lengths. I use Auto Area (Auto A) or use Auto with 9 focus points and follow the action. It focuses fairly quickly. I needed to shoot at ISO 3200 on Aperture priority to get a decent shutter speed. You'll need sharpen the files slightly due to the high ISO. You can see examples here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/60554852@N07/
1260706
This lens is only to be used with tripod (a very stable one) this is the only use for indoor sports I recommend to use a lens with stabilization or you will seriously struggle unless you can deal with cranking up the ISO and the shutter speed above 1/500 or even more and see how lucky you get you will seriously struggle for that kind of activity. as much as you can try to use a 70G200 or a 18 to 200 mm if you use Sony or above they will not be as cheap option as this one but to be honest this kind of lens is kind of going back to the 70`s and the definition you will get will not be as good and you will have to manually fine tune for each shot. I got it to experiment a bit though I feel like a paparazzi when I used it :-S I will only use this on daylight, outdoors, on a tripod and to a fix distance otherwise will do my head in. I hope you find it useful. P.S. This Opteka is the same cheap lens and Samyan, Rokinon, etc....so to me it is like a white label product cheaply manufactured in China with very simple design, not bat quality build but not a proper lens. Put your money on a piggy bank and get a proper lens for the desired activity. Cheers!
1694407
Hello. Unfortunately, neither of these will be very good for soccer. It is not a question of zoom, so much as response time. These types of cameras have to clear the sensor before they capture a shot, so none of them are going to be great for sports. They can work ok, but you're likely to miss "the moment". If that is acceptible, try the SX200 (or one of the new Lumix models with the super fast auto focus might be a bit better). But for best results shooting sports, you'd want something that didn't have to clear the sensor, like a DSLR (Canon Rebel, Nikon D40, etc.) Or if you want a small hybrid, you could consider the Lumix GF1, but they aren't cheap.
240914
The camera is basically used for vacation shots/scenery and people, so am not really sure how it would do for sporting events. So far the camera takes awesome pictures for what it is being used for, not sure that helps you or not though!!!
2075463
It works good at a macro but because it is a zoom with AF, it can be difficult to use it as a 'true' macro lens. I prefer to use this for wildlife and landscapes but I have used it for macro. Use the MF if going to use for macro. I hope this makes sense.