Tony D'Alfonso <dalfonso@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>P.S. Are there many used Zuiko 1000 mm Super Telephotos around ? I probably
>couldn't afford even a used one, but I would like to know what the prices
>might be as I am considering doing a lot more sports photography now that I
>have some time on my hands.
1000 mm! What kinda sports are you planning on shooting ? I never really
thought about it much, but a recent search through all my pictures in search
of a few select oldies but goodies showed I shoot sports about 600f the
time, mostly motor racing. A good high speed (f/2.8) telephoto in the
300-400mm range is about the longest you can use effectively before you are
forced into making compomises that may be unacceptable. Much longer and you
have smaller maximum aperatures - the f/5 to f/11 range. This means faster
film to get the needed shutter speed and the lower contrast and grain that
come with it. Also, greater than 500mm means hand held photography is
nearly impossible. For any fast action sport, like racing, this is just not
doable. Heck, even my little girl's soccer (football) team's pace demands
hand-held. I tried a tripod and it just doesn't work.
If you take a careful look at what pros on the sidelines of a ball game use,
they are all in the 200-400mm range. I never see any 500mm f/8 catatropic
(mirror) lenses used - too little contrast. Even at 300mm, color
abberations are a major problem, making an APO lens a necessity when you are
serious. I second Foxy's recommendation that a 300mm (+/-) and a 1.4X
teleconverter is a great combination. If anyone knows where I can get a
good Oly 1.4X-A t/c, I'm hunting........
One last thought - a monopod with a *solid* ball head helps a lot. But I
just have to try a stringpod soon.....
John P
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