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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Nkon 200-400 f/4 ?
William Guerro, Photographer
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Galloway | NJ | USA | Posted: 3:56 PM on 01.03.10 |
->> With the Higher ISO capabilities of the D3 & especially the New D3s. Is the Nikon 200-400 f/4 a usable lens for shooting night High School games?
I would guess that it is usable for shooting night MLB games. If anyone has used this lens with either of these cameras what are your thoughts. |
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Eric Canha, Photographer
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Brockton | MA | United States | Posted: 5:17 PM on 01.03.10 |
->> Will I had a loaner for two weeks...... MY honest answer for the locations that I shoot is NO. It's a GREAT lens if you are covering locations that are lit to NCAA D1 standards or at pro arenas with 'TV' lighting. I used the lens on a D3 at Gillette Stadium in blizzard conditions and loved every minute of it. Two days later at the hockey rink I was back to the 300 2.8 the zoom at f4 just couldn't get me the shutter speeds that I wanted and could get with the 300.
It will really depend on the lighting that you encounter at the high schools in your area. Around me there are 2 or 3 high schools that will put down enough light to be able to pull it off. Most of the schools around me just don't have enough light and of those that do...... it will only be on the football field so for night baseball I'm back to a prime.
In the end it's a lens that I'd 'like' to have but not one that I would be expecting to use daily like a 300 or 400.
my 2 cents |
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Robert Hanashiro, Photographer
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Los Angeles | CA | | Posted: 11:12 AM on 01.04.10 |
->> The Nikkor 200-400 zoom was worth making the switch from Canon to Nikon.
I use this lens a lot, needless to say. Even with the 1.4 tele-converter.
The 200-400 is my standard "down court lens" for basketball. At times I've used it as my primary lens for football (again also using it with the 1.4 tele-converter). During the World Series it was my lens of choice shooting in either the ground-level 1st baseball and 3rd base shooting positions. And heck, during the Beijing Olympics it was my primary lens shooting gymnastics.
It is light (I handhold it for hoops), incredibly sharp and the range makes it extremely versatile.
But I have not used this lens at a very dark high school venue, so I cannot really say whether it would be good to use under those conditions. |
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Joel Hawksley, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Kent | OH | USA | Posted: 11:44 AM on 01.04.10 |
->> We had a loaner copy here at OU last year, and it was pretty popular among the sports photographers. What a lot of people forget is that the f/4 aperture also hurts AF performance, as less light is reaching the AF sensor (compared to 2.8 glass).
It's incredibly versatile, when you have the light. When you don't it can be a pain. |
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Bryan Hulse, Photographer
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Nashville | Tn | USA | Posted: 12:36 PM on 01.04.10 |
->> I have been using my 200-400 for several years and with the D3 for the past year and a half.
I shot night high school football, with no flash, for the first time with that combo this past season. I have used it a lot with flash, but this was the first time with available light.
It was a bit slow for my particular high school stadiums. That was at iso 6400 on the D3. Usually high school stadiums have OK light in the middle of the field, and terrible light in the end zone.
I recently shot the Music City Bowl at LP Field in Nashville with the D3/200-400 combo and was getting 1/640 to 1/2000 at iso 4500 in that great light.
I shot the Liberty Bowl last weekend and was borderline with light with that same combo at iso 6400. Better light than high school stadiums, but not as good as LP Field.
So, the answer is... maybe... depending on the stadium.
I usually take my 200mm f2.0 and 1.4tc to available light night games in case I need more speed, although that's a bit short on the full frame body. And until I moved to Nashville, I would just rent a 400mm f2.8 for certain games if I needed that reach and speed (can't do that here in Nashville for a reasonable price).
You have to remember, a lens is just a tool, and no particular lens is a one stop solution to every lighting problem. The 200-400 is a great tool, with certain limitations.
If you are JUST buying a lens for ONLY high school night football with available light, I would say the 200-400 isn't the best option. But your only other options would be less reach (200mm f2.0 or 300mm f2.8), or significantly more price (400mm f2.8).
If you will also use flash, and consider the 200-400 an investment understanding its limitations, then I say go for it. |
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Kirt Winter, Photographer
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San Diego | CA | USA | Posted: 1:15 PM on 01.04.10 |
->> Ditto Eric's observations. I have the lens and a D3, love the combo, but for high-school football shooting I leave the lens at home. Even at the local section HS football finals at Qualcomm this year, when it got dark I put away the 200-400 and got out the trusty 'ol 400 2.8. In the middle of the field it probably would have been fine but there are a couple banks of lights that would normally illuminate the end-zone that weren't on.
Assuming a full stop improvement with the D3s, I might have tried to stick with it for the night games.
Still, Qualcomm, even without all the lights is nothing near as dark as the high-school stadiums I shoot. At least for MaxPreps, I still have to use flash.
I do use the 200-400 for daytime football, baseball and softball almost exclusively. LOVE it. |
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