[TWiTCHY]

Originally Posted by scollins

I've got one (Bogen 3021), but I'd really like to get a Gitzo CF to get the weight down. I find that I don't bring the tripod along because it is relatively heavy....

Best Buy is selling a pretty good carbon fiber tripod called the Velbon El Carmagne 530 for $199. Got one recently and it's pretty good, besides the head. It's smooth and all, but I'd like to have a quick-release capable head. It's possible to switch it out with another I think.

If you're thinking about a CF tripod, go try one out.

[ANILE8]

Originally Posted by scollins

Here is a shot that I took of my daughter playing basketball indoors. Lighting was very difficult, and combined with slow glass, meant I had to run at ISO 3200.

Your results are perfectly acceptable for the lens you were using and the conditions at hand. Not the best but the 18-200mm is a not a sports lens, so don't try any make it into one.

If you are going to shoot sports use a fast lens designed for action photography.

Not a fan of Tamron lenses. Nikon make excellent lenses and they have always served me well without any problems.

For the next game, I think I'm going to rent the 70-200 VR f/2.8 and also play with the autofocus settings. I was shooting in single point AF mode, which may not have been the right choice.

Your results will be better, but be prepared to not be content on using your 18-200mm for action ever again after trying the Nikon 70-200mm/F2.8 for the first time will change your reference standards and what you consider a good lens is.

I've got one (Bogen 3021), but I'd really like to get a Gitzo CF to get the weight down. I find that I don't bring the tripod along because it is relatively heavy....

The Bogen 3021 is a good tripod, great purchase. For stability, you actually want a heavy tripod, not a light weight one.

99% of sports shooters use a monopod, not a tripod.

[scollins]

Yeah, I know enough technical stuff about photography to be dangerous! I'm trying to keep my eye out for a used good condition 70-200 or 80-200 to be the next lens. I probably should have setup the budget to get the following:
12-24
24-70
70-200

Toss in a teleconverter and I'd have a pretty good setup. That just wasn't in the budget. So the 18-200 will serve as a general purpose lens, and I'll rely on rentals for the best glass in the mean time.

And that Bogen? I've had it for at least 15 years. Built like a tank, which is why it still works well today. I think I'll go check out monopods too. Man, I need to win the lottery.....

[ANILE8]

Originally Posted by scollins

Yeah, I know enough technical stuff about photography to be dangerous! I'm trying to keep my eye out for a used good condition 70-200 or 80-200 to be the next lens. I probably should have setup the budget to get the following:
12-24
24-70
70-200

You can save money by purchasing used.

Just be patient and keep your eye out.

The 70-200mm/F2.8 is AF-S where the current 80-200mm/F2.8 is not. The Autofocus is much faster.

Nikon Super Telephoto Primes are twice the difference in auto focus speed again from the 70-200mm/F2.8, you don't want to go there unless you are committed to getting the best results at any cost. They are instant, zero lag time from close-up to infinity, it's frightening.

What many on here do not consider is not just the low light ability of a fast lens to give you a faster shutter speed but the focusing speed and tracking ability of a lens to keep an erratically moving subject in focus in low light conditions.

This makes just as much difference to your results as anything else.

There is a world of difference between the two afore mentioned lenses in AF speed.

Toss in a teleconverter and I'd have a pretty good setup. That just wasn't in the budget. So the 18-200 will serve as a general purpose lens, and I'll rely on rentals for the best glass in the mean time.

I agree the kit you mentioned will be an awesome start for you.

And that Bogen? I've had it for at least 15 years. Built like a tank, which is why it still works well today. I think I'll go check out monopods too. Man, I need to win the lottery.....

I have always bought the best quality stuff available at the time of purchase and found it to be cheaper way of doing things in the long run.

Rather then getting on the constant up-grade treadmill from buying cheap equipment. If you are not happy with your purchase you have just wasted 100% of your money instead of buying what you could have got in the first place.

It has taken me many years to build-up my equipment kit, it didn't happen overnight but if you are determined you can do it too.

[TurboFan]

Originally Posted by scollins

Here is a shot that I took of my daughter playing basketball indoors. Lighting was very difficult, and combined with slow glass, meant I had to run at ISO 3200.

Body: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon 18-200 VR
ISO: 3200
Shutter: 1/100
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal: 52mm




Full size image here: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3111/...b84759d2_o.jpg

I'm not showing this as an example of a great picture (it isn't), but to highlight the tough lighting conditions. Even at ISO 3200, I was barely able to get 1/100th shutter speeds due to the slow glass. That isn't fast enough to freeze action, thus things are blurry like my daughter's fingers.

With glass able to run f/2.8, I could have bumped up the shutter speed to 1/250 at ISO 3200, or dialed the ISO back down to 1600 and shoot at 1/160.

When I was closer to the action (this shot was taken from a walkway above the court), I might have been able to use a flash to improve lighting conditions. But I didn't want to use flash (distracting), and right now I've only got the weak built in flash and not something like an SB-600 or SB-900.

For the next game, I think I'm going to rent the 70-200 VR f/2.8 and also play with the autofocus settings. I was shooting in single point AF mode, which may not have been the right choice.



I've got one (Bogen 3021), but I'd really like to get a Gitzo CF to get the weight down. I find that I don't bring the tripod along because it is relatively heavy....

This is a perfect example of when you need the faster aperture. Shooting action indoors. In this case, there is no magic replacement for a fast lens.

As far as the comment that money is better spent on glass than bodies, I used to agree 10000%. I still say that glass is VERY important, but with the recent developments in CCD/CMOS technologies being used in the latest camera platforms, there is something to be said for the new bodies. They are producing sharper, more vibrant images than ever before. The case for glass over bodies was pretty easy in the film world, where the camera was nothing but a light tight box with a hole in it. But back then, you put in a different type of film depending on your needs. In the digital world, one sensor must produce the same results that could be obtained by swaping between your favorite shot-specific films.

[TurboFan]

Originally Posted by scollins

Yeah, I know enough technical stuff about photography to be dangerous! I'm trying to keep my eye out for a used good condition 70-200 or 80-200 to be the next lens. I probably should have setup the budget to get the following:
12-24
24-70
70-200

Toss in a teleconverter and I'd have a pretty good setup. That just wasn't in the budget. So the 18-200 will serve as a general purpose lens, and I'll rely on rentals for the best glass in the mean time.

And that Bogen? I've had it for at least 15 years. Built like a tank, which is why it still works well today. I think I'll go check out monopods too. Man, I need to win the lottery.....

I may be selling a very gently used 12-24 f/4 nikkor lens in the near future. I'm waiting for the next gen body (D700x? D800?) with full frame, but then I'll unload my DX lenses.

Try a monopod. I love mine, its a very lightweight Bogen. Not the same as a tripod, but coupled with a good f/2.8 lens, you'll have a great action setup for kids sports contests.

[TurboFan]

Originally Posted by ANILE8

You can save money by purchasing used. Just be patient and keep your eye out.
.....
It has taken me many years to build-up my equipment kit, it didn't happen overnight but if you are determined you can do it too.

+1 and +1. I've bought lots of used stuff over the years. Adorama has a good used site, and if you buy Nikkor gear, it's a pretty stable investment. They don't depreciate much.