Low light sports lens

OK I've just started shooting some football. I only have 2 lenses at present, the kit one 18-55mm and a Sigma 170-500 f5-6.3

The latter lens is sometimes a little large for when the action is close up but generally performs very well in good lighting. Unfortunately Football is often not played in the best light.

What lenses would you recommend I look at?

Depends on a couple of things; firstly, how much is your budget? Long lenses that are suitable for low-light tend to cost very large chunks of money! Secondly, what sort of football are we talking about? Shooting kids games from the touchline would let you get away with a much shorter lens than, say, shooting over the backs of 20,000 heads up in the nether regions of Wembley Stadium.

There are a lot of lenses out there so your answers could help us narrow down your options...

OK the football I'm shooting isn't kids stuff but it will be from the touchline.

I've wangled myself a photographers pass for the Welsh Premier league for the season.

I was therefore thinking a 70-200mm f2.8?

As for budget. It's not limitless. Depends how good I am at sweet-talking my wife.

In that case I'd certainly consider the DA*50-135, everyone who owns this lens seems absolutely delighted with it (unusually for the Internet I don't think I've seen a single bad word said about it from any quarter!) and on the Pentax digital bodies the field of view is approximately 75-205mm (in 35mm terms). It's also weather sealed and on the later bodies (K10D, K100D Super, K20D, K200D) you have the advantage of using the SDM focussing system which is supposedly faster than the traditional "screw" type AF used by all the non-"*" lenses. Both these features would be handy for the sort of work you'll be putting it to. Of course all this doesn't come cheap, and prices tend to hover around the £500 mark - but you get what you pay for!

Sigma now make a 70-200 f2.8 (35mm equivalent of around 105-300mm) but it's a relatively recent lens and I've not seen any feedback yet. Price is also quite high at £680 and I don't believe it is weather sealed. Tamron are just about to release a 70-200 f2.8 but prices aren't known as yet, I'd expect it to be in a similar ball park to the Sigma and again there's no weather sealing.

If you're on a tighter budget (and don't mind manual focus) then you may well find what you're looking for on eBay - just don't expect older zoom designs to be as good as more modern ones as a rule, they've come a long way in the last few years.

Good luck anyway, hope you find something that suits

2x Bodies

1x DA*16-50

1x DA*50-135

Why? Weather proofed, you are in Wales after all!

Also action will come to you if you are anywhere near a touch line, pick up shoot, drop, go long, drop, go short, drop go long etc etc.

You may find these are no where near long enough though, so a DA*60-250, when it arrives, whilst a stop slower will probably be a better option. Long fast lens would also say monopod too. If it were available a sigma 120-300 f2.8 would be ideal, just remember to carry plenty of weather protection for both kit and yourself.

If you need to get your shots out fast, then laptop with 3g card to wire em in.

PS congrats on getting the pass!

PPS Some bloody good shooting skills too, pros will quite easily spend £15k+ just to shoot faster (10 FPS) and autofocus faster.

PPPS Pocketful of memory cards and batteries, and a couple of grips, and a water proof bag, flashgun for the short lens body for incidentals (manager shots before game etc.), with possibly a power pack, ability to run , good elbowing skills, verbal abuse dictionary for special occassions and a thick skin.

Do you have a budget?

the pentax 200mm 2.8.
and a second body.

Duh, should have thought of that myself!

Weather sealed DA* lens too!

DA*50-135 F/2.8
DA*200 F/2.8
FA*300 F/2.8
FA*80-200 F/2.8
Sigma/Tamron 70-200 F/2.8
Sigma 120-300 F/2.8 would be great except its not available in k-mount.

I have no idea what focal length you would need most but im guessing around 200, so it kinda knocks the first lens into touch. The answer would be a 100-300 F/2.8. Or the 120-300. Shame they dont make it though.

OK as far as I see it the lens I'm looking at would be the new DA*60-250 or maybe an FA* 80-200. I'll have to see about pricing them up.

As for budget it will stretch to a lens. That's it. No chance I'll be getting a second body.

I'm not exactly going to make a fortune from these. I currently supply pictures to the Rhyl fans website, which is run by volunteers. Both the official Welsh Premier Site and the unofficial one will take pictures but don't pay. Therefore that leaves me with trying to get some to the local papers. They will have a photographer at the game already most weeks.

Its a good job I'm not trying to make a living out of it.

Here's a link to the pictures I took when Rhyl played Bohemians in the inter toto cup the other week.

Don't hold your breath for the DA*60-250, still no sign of a launch date. Some excellent photos on your Flickr stream though!

Thanks Hefty,

I'm glad you like them.

I'll keep my eye out for a suitable lens.

There is news on the DA* 60-250, check out the other Pentax forum, one of the guys on there has his test lens and there are test shots up! Seems to be full frame too...!

Well yes, it is news and it does represent (some) progress, but test shots from a pre-production lens on loan from Pentax USA isn't quite the same as Chris down at SRS actually having examples for us to get our grubby mitts on and buy...

So do we have any ideas of a ballpark price of one of these?

Yeah, I know, just good to finally get some news!

Sorry no clues on price yet. I'm taking a very wild stab in the dark and guessing £699??