Top Lenses for Sports Photography

[Reyed Mia (Apprentice, DIU)]

Top Lenses for Sports Photography

Whether you're shooting with a DSLR or a high-end mirrorless camera, there's a plethora of choices when it comes to lenses. But which ones are best for catching the action?

There is a wide range of lenses that can be used for sports and action photography. If you're just dabbling, a lower-cost lens may be sufficient (until you gain experience), but if you want to shoot publishable sports pictures, there are lenses specifically made for this purpose.

Best Sports Photography Lenses:

If you're looking for a good lens for sports photography, we've compiled a list of lenses that can help you take amazing sports photos. Whatever camera you may have and whatever your skill level may be, you're sure to find something here that fits your needs.

Beginner Lenses for Sports Photography

A low-cost sports photography rig based on an APS-C DSLR should give you a combined range of around 18-200mm (35mm equivalent: approx. 28-300mm). This can include one, two, or three zoom lenses. A kit lens and a lower end tele-zoom will do you fine and should cost in the $300 range, while an all-in-one superzoom will cost a bit more.

The advantage of kit lenses is that most of them now have built-in image stabilization, and they're lightweight. The disadvantage is that they're slow—the widest apertures are around f/3.5-4.5, and they get smaller as you zoom to longer focal lengths. To compensate, you need to choose higher ISO settings, so you can still use action-stopping shutter speeds. This setup is not comparable to those of professional sports photographers, so don't expect too much. It will not produce the kind of superior image quality you see on sports magazines—but it will certainly be sufficient enough to allow you to capture your kid's soccer or basketball games with ease.

DSLR cameras

Kit Lenses:

Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM
Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G with Vibration Reduction
Pentax 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8
Consumer tele-zooms generally cost between $200 and $450. However, off-brand lenses are about the same quality as the manufacturer's lenses, so you can save by buying a Sigma or Tamron.

Tele-Zoom Lenses:

Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 II
Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II AF-S DX
Pentax 50-200mm f/4-5.6 ED Weather Resistant
Tamron SP AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DI VC

MILC Cameras

MILCs rock! I shot this action at the US Open with an Olympus Pen-series mirrorless compact and an Olympus M.Zuiko 40-150mm (80-300mm equivalent) f/4-5.6 lens. It was a tiny rig, and the pros sitting next to me were giving me jealous looks. Sigma's pro sports lens alternative, the 40-150mm f/2.8, matches well with OM-D series cameras.

Mirrorless cameras are the fastest-growing camera category, with a wide selection of cameras with built-in, eye-level viewfinders and fast burst rates. Focus speeds have improved greatly. Shutter lag, once a problem in this category, has been virtually eliminated in the mid-range and advanced cameras such as the Olympus OM-D E-M10, the Nikon 1 AW 1, the Sony Alpha a6000, and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.



Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 IS USM ($1,299.00)

Features:

Standard to telephoto zoom lens
Maximum aperture of f/2.8
Four UD glass elements
18 elements in 15 groups
Inner focusing system with USM
Compatible with tele-extenders (EF 1.4x II and 2x II) for increased range
Rotating type zoom system

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM

Features:

Super telephoto zoom lens
Image Stabilizer with two modes
Maximum aperture of f/4.5
Fluorite and Super UD glass elements
Floating lens system
17 elements in 14 groups
Compatible with tele-extenders (EF 1.4x II and 2x II) for increased range

https://www.adorama.com/alc/0008443/article/100-in-100-Part-II-Sports-lens-buying-guide