2 replies to this topic

[kennedysek73]

Hello, 

 

My wife and I purchased a D3000 years ago to take photos of our athletic son (baseball, football and basketball).   We've struggled to capture consistent pictures of him during action shots.    We currently have two lenses (18-55 ; 55-200).   It was recommended by some friends that we could simply upgrade/purchase a new lens instead of a new camera.  

 

Full disclosure, we don't know much about the settings but I've been learning and trying to play with the manual modes which may explain why our pics look the way they do.    My wife would like to just point and shoot in an auto mode if possible.    Any recommendations for a lens that could help us capture these shots?   We'd like to stay in the $500 range if possible but willing to spend more if anyone has experience and can suggest one.  

 

Appreciate any feedback.   Thank you

[Merco_61]

Can you get close enough that the 55-200 can do the composition you want without cropping? If that is the case, a used 70-200, either f/4 or a third-party f/2.8 shouldn't be too far outside your budget. If you need longer, things get expensive fast! Outdoors in the daytime, the AF-S 70-300 VR should work, but it needs more light than is usual in the evenings or for indoor events if you want to freeze action with the usable ISO of the D3000.

[TBonz]

I don''t know where you are shooting from, that info would help quite a bit.  You also don't indicate your son's age...I will assume High School.  You probably need less if he is younger, but why not get ready and have what you need for that time...

 

As a quick reference, I have shot MLB and NFL as well as a variety of college and high school sports all the way down to T Ball for the local Little League at the time.

 

One of the problems you may be running into (or will run into if he is young) is low light.  The fields and gyms may look well lit and they aren't bad for the eye, but they are a pain for shooting.  You need high ISO - maybe even higher than the D3000 will go, depending on the lighting of the fields and gyms where he plays.  The lenses you have don't help either.  The 70-200 f4 would be the minimum I would choose and you would be better off with  a 70-200 f2.8.  

 

Give me some more info as to his age and where you are shooting from and I will be more than happy to provide more info...