Canon telephoto lens ~ skiing

gataki

gataki

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Name
Liz
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Hi,

I am very new to this forum but have spent a while reading through threads to try and find information about telephoto lenses. I have a Canon 1000d which I use mainly for astrophotography (it's not been modded) and just taking pics of cats / people / things which are reasonably near to me.

Last week I took lots of shots of my niece and nephew skiing but can't get very close with the 'nifty fifty' I was using.

Since we ski every week during winter and my little nephew has started jumping I would love to be able to take close up shots of him (not sure his parents are so keen!) 'in the air'! :lol:

I have found references to a company that hire lenses and reckon this would be a great way to try out a lens or two - but where do I begin?

Could anyone suggest which lens might be suitable for this purpose? Any help very gratefully received!

Thank you,

Liz :)

 
Welcome to the forum Liz

Questions.... Are you in the UK or aboard, if UK have a look at lenses for hire, Stewart very helpful www.lensesforhire.co.uk ,

are you skiing indoors or outdoors, as this will have some bearing on lens recommendations.

Having a stab in the dark, but I would think a 70-200mm f2.8 lens would probably suit your needs and worth a hire, it depends how close you can or want to get to the little tyke as to the range of lens. Obviously a 50mm doesn't get you close enough.

Obviously you know about the rule of thumb about focal length and shutter speeds, 200mm lens on a cropped body would require a shutter speed of 1/250-320 sec when hand holding the lens, to start with anyway, you can slow down the shutter speed as you feel for comfortable, and to use TV (aperture priority) and AI Servo for moving subjects etc....
 
It is also possible to use a really wide angle close up for some unusual shots, good if he's jumping right beside you.

And welcome to the forum!!
 
Hi & Welcome :wave:

Depends how far away you are, a 70-200 L (F4 or 2.8) or 70-300 IS lens should pull him in a lot nearer, there is also 100-400 L. A lot depends on your budget when you are going to purchase - If I'm looking for a new lens, I try not to borrow / hire something as a try out if I can't afford to buy it once the trial is over -> makes you even more depressed :lol:

If you know anyone who takes photos where you are doing so, have a word and find out what size lens they generally use - could make your choice easier.

Also don't forget Sigma / Tamron etc as another option.

Good luck with your search, be nice if you posted a couple of shots up once your sorted as well :thumbs:
 
Hi Liz welcome to the forum. I've got a 1000D as well and for my first telephoto I bought the Canon 55-250mm IS (for about £170) which is a cracking little lens. I also rented the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 non-IS from lensesforhire and it was a fantastic lens, the image quality and build were excellent.

Just one warning, renting good 'L' glass gives you the bug to buy some which can harm your bank balance! Good luck though and post some photos with whatever you decide on.
 
Hi,

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome and for all the advice!

There's a lot here for me to research ~ I agree about the harm that is likely to come to my bank balance!! But it is so addictive isn't it?

the little tyke
Click to expand...
I love it!! :lol: We ski in both the UK and Switzerland so I'd have to check if taking hired lenses abroad would be a problem - though it would be insured so shouldn't be.

I will try and post a pic later.

Thanks again for all your help.

Liz :D
 
I would look at the 70-300IS
why??? it's a decent price
you don't need to get THAT close
when you ski there is loads of light so that's fine
it's also very light compared to the 70-200 and 100-400 lenses.
I've run around airsofting with this lens and it's great for the job
 
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