Which lens ?

[tweedieau]

Hi i have a 450d canon i would love to purchase a new lens. I take lots of photos at sport with my son ( SOCCER ) the current lens i have is the are just the kit lens that came with my camera. I have been advised in getting the 70-200 f2.8 is usm lens but i dont like the weight so maybe the 70-200 f4 is usm being lighter with me being just at entry level at the moment but with time and practice hoping that one day will change. So having said that sport is not the only thing that i will photograph i would be taking portraits of the kids and landscape fingers crossed. Can any one advice me on a multi - functional lens that maybe i could use ?

[private]

If the sole reason for that lens is to take pics of your kiddo playing soccer, you REALLY do not even need to have a 2.8 aperture. I am assuming that he will play in good light so the f4 is a good option. I chose the f4 b/s its rare that I need a telephoto when its not super bright outside.

Although - the 2.8, you can photograph in almost any situation - buts HEAVY!!!!

And if money is a concern there is also the 75-300 lens...

[ilookalot]

i would go for the f2.8 for the extra speed and a monopod .VRII gets rave results from the reviews i read yesterday, great colour and sharpness perfect for soccer.i hope this helps

[inkista]

If you really want to use a telephoto zoom as a portrait lens, then yeah, one of the EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS USMs is going to be the best tool. But if you just want to shoot sports, you could probably spend a lot less and just get the non-IS f/4.

If you're outside in good daylight, f/4 is fine. And if you're shooting sports, your shutter speed is probably going to be faster than 1/200s, anyway, so IS becomes moot.

And you could use a tripod/monopod for the landscape shot stabilization instead of IS.

The reasons for using an f/2.8 IS version for portraits are the ability to shoot in lower light without a flash, the ability to handhold at slower shutter speeds, and the shallower depth of field you can achieve with f/2.8.

[lputman]

The 70-200 IS f/4 would be a great lens to use for sports and portraits. It is so much lighter than the 2.8 IS, I mean so much so that I plan on getting one for myself. I used one on the Worldwide Photowalk and didn't even notice that I was carrying around the hefty 1DIII. If, at whatever point you decide that you would want to upgrade from an f/4, then you would probably be have no problem selling it. Or, you could just keep it.