Fast telephoto lens for sport/action

Hi Everyone.
I have a K20D and K100D plus 18-55,50-200 Pentax and Tamron 70-300. Although I have had good results from all lenses, they have struggled in certain situations. I was at football game and my Pentax was totally out done by the Canon 1D with 100-400 lens which I borrowed for one game. So the penny dropped and I realise that I need a faster lens - 2.8 I guess. I've been looking around and have come across the Sigma 2.8 70-200. Just wondering if anyone recommends this? or any other models. I do know of the Pentax 50-135 from the magazine but I need one with a longer focal length. Any help and advice on 'cheapest' prices would also help.

Cheers

Neil

Neil,

There's not many fast f2.8 lenses out there for the pentax. I too shoot a lot of sports. Football being the main one at the moment and I really struggle. Just got myself the DA*60-250f4 si I'll have to see how that copes under floodlights.

Also I think I'll have to see how the K7 performs in low light as this could be useful. Though I can't justify the outlay at present. I'll just have to plod on with what I've got.

There are several alternatives, these are the main ones. I've left out the Sigma 70-300 versions as they are close to the Tamron 70-300 in price, but they are better at PF control but not as sharp, I've included the DA 55-300 as it performs better than it's price point would suggest.

Slowish AF, external zoom, but high IQ, small, light and cheap, better colours and less PF than the Tamron 70-300 - Pentax DA 55-300 - About £190

Reasonably fast screw AF, f2.8, big lump, internal zoom, and the sharpest of this type available - Tamron 70-200 f2.8 - About £650

Faster silent AF (HSM only), f2.8, biug lump, internal zoom, but not quite as sharp as the Tamron (by a small amount) - Sigma 70-200 EX DG HSM Macro - About £740

Fast silent AF (SDM and screw AF), very very sharp all the way and at any aperture, external zoom, small when packed, long when at 250mm with hood, the best colours and a decent focal range - Pentax DA*60-250 - About £899

Big, sharp, long range, internal zoom, huge, heavy and loved by many, fast screw AF but not HSM - Sigma 100-300 f4.0 EX DG - About £1120

I've owned all but the Sigma 70-200 EX, but I've used one. I've also owned the Tamron 70-300 Di. I still have the 55-300, the Tamron 70-200 f2.8 (sold, but not paid for as yet ) and the DA*60-250.

My favourite is the last, with the Tamron 70-200 a very, very close second (the size was the issue, nothing else) and I have a soft spot for the DA55-300, but might sell it on. Both the Sigmas are rather too big and heavy for me, definitely the 100-300!

The IQ differences between the Sigma's, Tamron and DA*60-250 are fairly small, in my book the Sigma's hit 8.5/10, the Tamron 9.0/10 and the 60-250 a high 9.5/10 (the DA 55-300 is 7.5/10 against the Tamron 70-300 at 6/10).

Sadly there's nothing in between the price of the DA 55-300 and the Tamron 70-200 f2.8. If the buyer of my virtually brand new Tamron 70-200 f2.8 doesn't pay up soon, that will be available!

Hi,

I bought a Tamron 70-200 a few months ago and it has turned out to be a great lens. It has survived use in some pretty wet conditions where friends with much more expensive Canon and Nikon lenses failed.

I would have bought the Pentax 60-250 had it been available as I thought that I would need a bit longer than 200 and I knew that I was going to be shooting in poor weather. I went with the Tamron 70-200 with Tamron 1.4x TC over the Sigma equivalent as the Sigma combination wouldn't autofocus on a Pentax body. I think if I was going through the decision again I would probably still go with the Tamron as the 2.8 aperture has helped me out a couple of times in difficult conditions. However, it is horses for courses. Also, Richard is right when he says it isn't the smallest (or lightest) lens on the market but it isn't too bad.

I would definitely keep an eye open in case Richard's Tamron 70-200 comes back on the market.

Cheers,

Annette

Thankyou for your comments. So for the delay in replying but I have had a family bereavement to deal with. I will decipher your information and get back to you.
Richard - I am only in Cheltenham so if you have a shoot somewhere let me know please!!
Annette I'm sure the Sigma should auto focus on the Pentax- you have to go into the menu and 'permit' the use of all lenses I think. Or that is what I did with old manual lenses on my K100D
Thanks

Neil

At what ISO ranges do you guys shoot when doing to these games?
Since the K20D allready has quite good noise control up to 1600 and when used with care 3200 can give good results as well.
I wouldn't hesitate to set it at 800 for a game.

One reason I went for Pentax was because of its low light capabilities. I have shot countless drama/dance performances using my K100D with 50-200 lens. ISO is usually 3200 with slow shutter speeds. A couple of weeks ago I shot Synchro Swimming and for a shutter speed of 1/350th I had to use 3200ISO - good results though. Last football I event I put a 2x convertor on my 50-200 and it struggled as half the pitch was in shadow - kept going too bright or too dark. ISo was between 800 and 1600. Now that I have a K20D ,for football I want to try setting a fast shutter speed say 1/1000 aperture 4 and let the camera set the sensitivity. I'm optimistic the results will be good. But I do need a faster lens to increase the shutter speeds in low light conditions and this is the reason to my original question. I'm moving more towards the Sigm 70-200 at the moment. cheers Neil

I find with the K10d that lowlight football photography is a nightmare. Shooting under floodlights is largely pointless. I cannot get the action frozen enough to get usable shots. I'm hoping that the DA*60-250 f4 which I got myself will help in this respect.

Under floodlights my best shots have been of celebrations or the crowd as I can lower the shutter speeds and still get something. I'll be interested to hear about how the K20 copes and am nearly wetting myself in anticipation for the K7 (though I won't be able to get one for ages.

On my previous DSLR I used the Sigma 50-150/2.8 which was super....