okay so I just got this new camera called the Canon R1 because my brother told me it was the best thing for taking pictures of sports but it literally came in a box without a lens and I feel so stupid. I have a really big tournament I have to shoot next Friday for my nephews high school and I realized I have no idea what I’m doing or what lens to buy.
everything looks so expensive and I dont understand the numbers at all like what does 70-200 mean versus 400? I just need something that can see the players from the sidelines and not look all blurry when they move fast. I tried looking on the canon website but there are so many options and I’m drowning in all the jargon. like is a prime lens better than a zoom? I thought zoom meant it could just go far away but people are saying primes are sharper?
here is what I’m dealing with:
- budget is maybe $8000 or $10000 max if I really have to but man that seems like a lot for glass
- I need to shoot football outside at night and basketball inside a gym
- I need it by next Thursday so I can practice for one day
- it has to fit the R1 without any weird adapters if possible unless thats normal?
I'm really worried about the low light because the gym is kinda dark and the football field has those old yellow lights. someone mentioned a 400mm lens but its like twelve thousand dollars and looks like a bazooka?? do I really need that much? can I just get one lens that does everything or do I need two? I’m literally shaking because I spent so much on the camera body already and I dont want to mess this up for the kids. please help me pick something that is easy to use for a beginner but still works for professional looking shots...
Honestly, since you already dropped six grand on the R1, you really shouldnt cheap out on the glass now or youll just get blurry shots. For those dark high school gyms and football fields, the most important number for you is the f-stop. You need f/2.8. Anything higher like f/4 or f/5.6 is gonna struggle when the sun goes down or those crappy gym lights start flickering. If you want to keep it simple and stay under budget, I would suggest looking at these:
- Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
- This is your workhorse for basketball and when football players are on your side of the field. It is super fast and relatively light.
- Canon RF 100-300mm f/2.8L IS USM
- This is basically the dream lens for what you are doing. It is expensive (around $9,500), but it replaces that $12k bazooka while still letting in tons of light. Be careful with prime lenses (the ones that dont zoom) for now. They are sharper, yeah, but as a beginner you are gonna feel stuck if the action moves too close or too far. Stick with RF lenses so you dont need any adapters. One big tip tho... make sure to set your shutter speed to at least 1/1000 or faster. If you dont, the players will be blurry no matter how much you spend on the lens. Its a lot to learn in a week but that R1 will help you out a ton with the autofocus.
