# what lens??



## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

You might want to try a zoom. Here is a link to a Canon 55-250 zoom. If you are outside, in the sun, it should be fine. You can get action shots with it at a pretty good distance. Only $259.00.

Amazon.com: Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS II Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras: CANON: Camera & Photo


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## Vhuynh2 (Feb 13, 2012)

I would try to get the fastest lens I could afford for action shots and indoor lighting. Like this 70-200 with a fixed 2.8 aperture. It would do well indoors but is probably way too heavy to be practical. 






The 700-200 IS USM F/4L may also be a good choice, and a lot lighter. There is one without the IS (internal stabilization) that is a good price. 

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Canon-70-200mm-Telephoto-Zoom-Cameras/dp/B000053HH5/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1388538294&sr=8-5&keywords=Canon+700-200+f%2F4[/ame]

You may be able to pair a slower lens with a good flash, but I have no idea about that. Ninety-nine percent of the photos I take are outside. 

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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

The Canon 70-200 F2.8 is a fine, much faster and probably sharper lens, however, it is more than $1000.00 more expensive. Almost triple the cost of the T2i.


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## Vhuynh2 (Feb 13, 2012)

It all depends on what the individual feels is important. I used the 18-55mm kit lens for awhile and it was way too slow for most indoor photos and action shots indoors would definitely not have worked. So I would not waste money on another lens that is too slow, even though I personally don't take many photos indoors. Nothing is worse than ending up with a bunch of blurry photos. Light is the most important factor. Even on cloudy days outside, I am glad for the 2.8 aperture on my lens when taking photos of Molly running around. 


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## goldenca (Jan 31, 2011)

I'm not too sure about a big zoom lens to 200....it would be mostly for outdoor action shots...would a fixed lens at 135 work? I don't want to spend a ton of money....it's after Christmas and I am broke.


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## Vhuynh2 (Feb 13, 2012)

I thought about a suggesting a prime lens, but with the dogs constantly moving around, I think a zoom lens would be better. And dog shows can be crowded, you may not be able to find the perfect spot to set up your camera or move around. 


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

You will probably have a difficult time finding an inexpensive 135. Most of the prime lenses available are manufactured with the faster apertures and can be quite expensive. The major camera makers, such as Nikon and Canon have zooms that use slower apertures, such as 4.0 to 5.6 and are inexpensive available, because consumers want a relatively inexpensive zoom lens.

The Canon zoom I linked, at $259 is about as cheap as you will find. It is not very usable indoors. Vivian is right about the Canon 70-200. It is a great lens and superb in low light. It is also great when you do not have the room to move around to get your shot. My son has one, and it his favorite. But it is very pricey. He got his as a free, long term loan, from a friend.

You may be able to find a used fixed focal length or zoom on eBay. But then, no warranty.


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## soxOZ (Dec 13, 2007)

Lot of good advice given and the only thing that I would add is that you check out the how quick the lens you are looking at will obtain focus and hold it on a fast moving subject.
Most consumer level lenses are slower at obtain focus than the Pro versions, but this is not to say that they wont work well, it just means that you have to be aware of it when using it, and you just have to change your style in shooting fast moving subjects to obtain the results you are looking for..!!!.


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## mddolson (Jul 10, 2012)

*Lens*

It will depends on the distances you need.
I have just picked up the Canon 18-135mm EF-S zoom, auto focus lens for Christmas.
It is stabilized & has better performance than my brother's 50-250mm un-stabilized zoom lens.

It is a great & versatile walk around lens, handling close up wide angle to about 3.5 X telephoto.
Shop around, I got mine for just under $300
It is not as fast as a USM lens for sure, but I had no problems shooting my grandson's hockey game.
Grant it, 4 year-old's don't move that fast.

Mike D


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## rik6230 (Jan 8, 2008)

soxOZ said:


> Most consumer level lenses are slower at obtain focus than the Pro versions, but this is not to say that they wont work well, it just means that you have to be aware of it when using it, and you just have to change your style in shooting fast moving subjects to obtain the results you are looking for..!!!.


I agree with Wally. If your lens doesn't focus fast enough you can choose a point in the agility course, focus and as the dog arrives; take the picture. If your lens is slow in terms of shutter speed keep in mind that if you double your iso your shutter speed halves. 
As a Nikon user I don't know much about Canon, only that they make beautiful camera's and lenses. This site maybe can help you.


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## goldlover68 (Jun 17, 2013)

Max's Dad said:


> The Canon 70-200 F2.8 is a fine, much faster and probably sharper lens, however, it is more than $1000.00 more expensive. Almost triple the cost of the T2i.


*This is the 'top choice' lens*, but can cost as much as $1,800, but off market lens manufactures like Tamron, and others have the lens for $700-$800 and from my research most of these are good lens, with quality parts.

Some of the non OEM lens can also be found at online photo suppliers like KEH.com, fredmiranda.com, etc. 

You can also find them used on Ebay....


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## 4goldengirls (Jun 10, 2014)

Although this is an older post, I'd like to chime in. I agree with the 70-200 f/2.8. Been down that road numerous times at dog shows inside where the lighting can cause a slower lens to lag. I asked Santa for one this year and he came thru for me. I just used it at my first dog show today. It's expensive but it works! I have a Nikon camera and got the Tamron lens. Costly, but still less expensive then the Nikon lens. Check the third parties for their lenses.


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## goldlover68 (Jun 17, 2013)

4goldengirls.....Nice pictures, can you tell me if your lens had vibration reduction? I see that some do and some do not? My Sony Alpha has vibration reduction, but I am still trying to figure out if this is necessary in a telephoto lens...

What F/stop did you use on the picture of the dog working in the ring above?

Thanks for sharing...


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## kellyguy (Mar 5, 2014)

"I am still trying to figure out if this is necessary in a telephoto lens."
Like most things in photography, the answer is "it depends".
Image stabilization is "more necessary" in a telephoto lens than it would be in shorter focal lengths. If you are shooting from a tripod, camera shake is much less of an issue. IS allows you to use 3 to 4 stops slower shutter speed while hand holding to get the shot. It is well worth the extra cost in my opinion.
FWIW, since this thread is over a year old and the OP has probably already bought something by now, I would guess the information might still be valuable to others contemplating buying a lens. For Canon users that can't swing the 2 to 3 grand price tag for "L" glass, the newer 55-250 STM lens for around $299 is extremely good.
It is made for the smaller APS-C sensor cameras and actually focuses faster than some "L" lenses costing ten times as much.


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## Coopsmom (Jan 13, 2015)

the Canon 70 - 200 (2.8) is an excellent lens, super expensive, very heavy and might be difficult to handle with your particular camera as it might feel unbalanced. The lens is part of Canon's "L" series. The 70 - 200 (4.0) is lighter, and easier to handle. Tamron's 70-200 (2.8) is much less expensive and has received excellent reviews - see Digital Photography Review: Digital Photography Review for all kinds of camera, lens, equipment reviews!
One thing that you should definitely do with your camera is use the SERVO focusing mode. If you are not familiar with this, it essentially helps the camera to focus better on a moving object vs. "one shot" which assumes a stationery object.
Likewise, practice with some higher ISO speeds to see how high you can go before seeing "grain" in your photos. A higher ISO buys you some extra light so you might not need a super fast (i.e. low f stop) lens.
Good luck!


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## rik6230 (Jan 8, 2008)

4goldengirls said:


> Although this is an older post, I'd like to chime in. I agree with the 70-200 f/2.8. Been down that road numerous times at dog shows inside where the lighting can cause a slower lens to lag. I asked Santa for one this year and he came thru for me. I just used it at my first dog show today. It's expensive but it works! I have a Nikon camera and got the Tamron lens. Costly, but still less expensive then the Nikon lens. Check the third parties for their lenses.


That Tamron lens is a great. I like the picture of the dog working. It is a panned picture. The background is blurred but the woman and the dog are in focus.
(1/60 f2.8 and iso 2000. That shutterspeed is much to slow to freeze this situation )
Panning: Taking a photograph while rotating a camera horizontally or vertically while keeping a moving subject in view.
Indoor action photography is challenging even with a fast 2.8 lens. 

Tips for indoor action photography


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## goldlover68 (Jun 17, 2013)

rik said:


> That Tamron lens is a great. I like the picture of the dog working. It is a panned picture. The background is blurred but the woman and the dog are in focus.
> (1/60 f2.8 and iso 2000. That shutterspeed is much to slow to freeze this situation )
> Panning: Taking a photograph while rotating a camera horizontally or vertically while keeping a moving subject in view.
> Indoor action photography is challenging even with a fast 2.8 lens.
> ...


Thanks and good stuff here! One Question...

I see some of the lens available do not have vibration reduction, and are less expensive (Tamron 70 x 200 f/2.8 $700-800). Where the Sony lens is twice as expensive but has vibration reduction....do you really need this added functionality? Especially when my Sony Alpha Camera body has a "Super Study Shot" setting?


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## 4goldengirls (Jun 10, 2014)

Yes, it was a panned shot. However, the Tamron will freeze action, as you know. Settings for this shot (posted at an earlier time in the another topic):

Exposure: 1/2500 (to freeze the action)
ISO: 500
F/3.2


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## goldenca (Jan 31, 2011)

mddolson said:


> It will depends on the distances you need.
> I have just picked up the Canon 18-135mm EF-S zoom, auto focus lens for Christmas.
> It is stabilized & has better performance than my brother's 50-250mm un-stabilized zoom lens.
> 
> ...



Is that the STM lens? with f/3.5-5.6?
I know this is an old post....but I still have not purchased a zoom lens for my Canon T2i.


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## 4goldengirls (Jun 10, 2014)

It's the Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (for Nikon) 
Di - Digitally Integrated
VC - Vibration Compensation
USD - Ultrasonic Silent Drive 

I'm not a Canon user, but I believe STM stands for Stepper Motor which eliminates noise (auditory) while doing video recording.


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## rik6230 (Jan 8, 2008)

4goldengirls said:


> Yes, it was a panned shot. However, the Tamron will freeze action, as you know. Settings for this shot (posted at an earlier time in the another topic):
> 
> Exposure: 1/2500 (to freeze the action)
> ISO: 500
> F/3.2


Another great shot. But as we are talking about lenses, VR, IS or however they call it has no use for action (indoor) photography. 

For this hand hold picture VR was great. Nikkor 70 200 
shutter speed 1/20. 200mm




VR (IS) does not effect this panning shot
Shutterspeed 1/50



or this action shot
1/1500



Indoor action shots are so difficult. It needs more than only a fast lens. Your panning photo is an example


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## 4goldengirls (Jun 10, 2014)

I totally understand what you mean. I was just showing the poster some shots I'd taken with the lens. Indoor action in low light can be a challenge.


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## rik6230 (Jan 8, 2008)

4goldengirls said:


> I totally understand what you mean. I was just showing the poster some shots I'd taken with the lens. Indoor action in low light can be a challenge.


Englisch is not my first or even my second language. We misunderstood. I want to say your panning photo is beautiful. A great lens like your Tamron is not a guarantee for a good shot.Even with a great lens you need skills. You have these skills


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## 4goldengirls (Jun 10, 2014)

rik said:


> Englisch is not my first or even my second language. We misunderstood. I want to say your panning photo is beautiful. A great lens like your Tamron is not a guarantee for a good shot.Even with a great lens you need skills. You have these skills


You are very knowledgeable with photography. Thank you for the compliment. You're very correct in that many folks believe if they get the best camera or the best lens then they all of their photos will be perfect - but it comes down to knowledge in all aspects of photography - camera, settings, lenses, etc. and putting it all together. I love photography and continue to learn all I can.


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## Melfice (Aug 4, 2012)

I plan on buying this lens for my Rebel T3i in the near future. Also, I see all the very nice options in this thread, but wow they are very costly. 

Something to save up for indeed! But this lens below is a good deal I think.


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## rik6230 (Jan 8, 2008)

Melfice said:


> I plan on buying this lens for my Rebel T3i in the near future. Also, I see all the very nice options in this thread, but wow they are very costly.
> 
> Something to save up for indeed! But this lens below is a good deal I think.
> 
> Amazon.com : Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens : Camera Lenses : Camera & Photo


That Canon or Nikkor 50mm 1.8 are great lenses. But you can not compare them to a 70 200 2.8 lens. Different lenses, different needs. For Ice hockey you need a puck, for soccer you need a ball.


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## kellyguy (Mar 5, 2014)

The "nifty-fifty" 1.8 is a good lens, at a great price. It has a couple of limitations that made it worthwhile to me to choose the more expensive 1.4 USM "50".
The 1.8 has a very slow and noisy focusing motor, and has no manual focus ability.


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## Melfice (Aug 4, 2012)

kellyguy said:


> The "nifty-fifty" 1.8 is a good lens, at a great price. It has a couple of limitations that made it worthwhile to me to choose the more expensive 1.4 USM "50".
> The 1.8 has a very slow and noisy focusing motor, and has no manual focus ability.


I'm still very new to photographs, and I plan on using that 1.8 for learning and one day investing in better lens.

I think it's a good lens to have, and to learn with etc


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## Coopsmom (Jan 13, 2015)

most "pros" recommend starting with a 50 mm lens as it will help you learn a lot about composition, f-stops, iso speed, aperture, depth of field, light, etc. A great/expensive lens does not make a great photographer and I think you are wise to start with something reasonably priced before jumping in to buy expensive "glass". You might find you want to upgrade your camera and lens in the future - or - you might find that your current combination serves you perfectly well for what you want to capture.


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## 4goldengirls (Jun 10, 2014)

I know alot of people that love this lens. I have the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 and I do use it, but not as often as other people. Couldn't pass it up for the price.


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## Melfice (Aug 4, 2012)

Thanks for the feedback all


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