We have all had equipment that lives up to what it is supposed to do, but sometimes, sometimes, you find that piece of equipment that just seems to keep giving more than it's supposed to. I truly feel this way about my Tamzooka. Quite a while ago I had a shoot for a multi mini-field soccer tournament. Basically I was shooting 6 different fields at once - it was insanity! However, the shots really didn't matter and the work was going to be charity gifted so I decided to pull out the Tamzooka because it was the only lens that could reach every field from any location to any point on any field. I was amazed at what it pulled off, but again, if it didn't do well it didn't matter.
Jumping forward to the last month. I was hired to shoot a high school athlete at three football games. Finalize with a poster in school colors and some images from the game. My go to lens for this shoot was automatically my Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8. However, Murphy's Law being an undeniable truth of the universe, Unlike any other time I shoot football for general pictures, and not hired for a specific athlete, I think the referees were unknowingly conspiring against me as I could just not get a break. The ball ALWAYS seemed to be placed at the opposite side of the field from where I was. Sure I got some shots, but man did I miss a lot due to distance.
Then, from some dark place in my head that is responsible for breaking common sense, laws, and rules it hit me. PULL OUT THE TAMZOOKA! Of course I kind of chuckled because it's not generally thought of as a sports lens, but many people have pulled off some amazing images of little birds that have lots of detail so why shouldn't I be able to shoot a football bird? Remembering, I think it was MikeW, that the advice given was a shutter speed up around 1/1000 and f/8 I decided to give it a shot.
Second shoot, now armed with the Tamzooka! I swung that beast up to my eye and let out a maniacal laugh as I had a flashback to the soccer game where I could reach out to any spot on the field. With a grin from ear-to-ear I surveyed the field and there was no place that I couldn't fill my frame with the intended player. Now the question was whether or not the focus could keep up?
I body slammed Murphy and his stinking law! Using the recommended birders settings I pulled in sharp images from everywhere and anywhere. No athlete was safe from my lens.
Of course nothing can be absolutely perfect, at least my wife keeps telling me I'm not no matter how much I disagree, but I digress. When the athletes are very close, and I'm backed out to 150mm, if the athletes are coming towards me the auto-focus has a hard time keeping up in this close proximity with fast moving athletes. Which brings me to the other drawback. Because the lens is so long when a high speed athlete is coming towards you at that 150mm end... if they disappear from your lens know that impact is imminent. Now I have to admit I have laughed more than once at the cameraman that gets wiped out on the sideline by an athlete because they had to get the shot. While I did body slam Murphy, the Gods in turn smited me - who knew Murphy was so close with the Gods. As an athlete running for his life carrying the ball was pursued by a slightly faster athlete rapidly approached me I was thrilled as I was getting some great up close action until they disappeared from my lens. I quickly looked out from the camera to see where they went. I FOUND THEM! Yup, I found two body flying through the air in a tackle heading straight for my right leg. Now I'm very much a person that believes that is why you have two - a spare. But I was in a bad situation as I had just had surgery on the knee of the very leg these two bodies were flying towards meaning that I was out of legs. Suddenly I was a part of the game as my surgery leg caught their two flying bodies. As a trained fighter, my brain knew I had to get that leg up prior to impact as an anchored leg results in injury when kicked, or broken when two football player bodies hit it. With a quick reflex I brought the leg up from being anchored, took the hit, and spun with it. The hit hurt, but with the leg being free to move I didn't hurt the surgery repair.
With all that long windedness... I have found the Tamzooka to be an awesome lens for football. Now I plan to go out there and play with some shallower depth of field. At f/8 it just can't give me the bokeh of an f/2.8, but my 70-200 f2.8 can't give me the reach so we have to make compromises. For me, I compromise on the bokeh. But, I want to see if maybe the Tamzooka shot wide open can give me acceptable sharpness, a bit better bokeh, but with the ability to reach the edge of the world.
If you've gotten this far I hope that you have enjoyed my Tamzooka football musings and find this information a bit useful for full daylight sports photography. However, for night games, f2.8 is still king.
Poster image in school colors.
Jumping forward to the last month. I was hired to shoot a high school athlete at three football games. Finalize with a poster in school colors and some images from the game. My go to lens for this shoot was automatically my Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8. However, Murphy's Law being an undeniable truth of the universe, Unlike any other time I shoot football for general pictures, and not hired for a specific athlete, I think the referees were unknowingly conspiring against me as I could just not get a break. The ball ALWAYS seemed to be placed at the opposite side of the field from where I was. Sure I got some shots, but man did I miss a lot due to distance.
Then, from some dark place in my head that is responsible for breaking common sense, laws, and rules it hit me. PULL OUT THE TAMZOOKA! Of course I kind of chuckled because it's not generally thought of as a sports lens, but many people have pulled off some amazing images of little birds that have lots of detail so why shouldn't I be able to shoot a football bird? Remembering, I think it was MikeW, that the advice given was a shutter speed up around 1/1000 and f/8 I decided to give it a shot.
Second shoot, now armed with the Tamzooka! I swung that beast up to my eye and let out a maniacal laugh as I had a flashback to the soccer game where I could reach out to any spot on the field. With a grin from ear-to-ear I surveyed the field and there was no place that I couldn't fill my frame with the intended player. Now the question was whether or not the focus could keep up?
I body slammed Murphy and his stinking law! Using the recommended birders settings I pulled in sharp images from everywhere and anywhere. No athlete was safe from my lens.
Of course nothing can be absolutely perfect, at least my wife keeps telling me I'm not no matter how much I disagree, but I digress. When the athletes are very close, and I'm backed out to 150mm, if the athletes are coming towards me the auto-focus has a hard time keeping up in this close proximity with fast moving athletes. Which brings me to the other drawback. Because the lens is so long when a high speed athlete is coming towards you at that 150mm end... if they disappear from your lens know that impact is imminent. Now I have to admit I have laughed more than once at the cameraman that gets wiped out on the sideline by an athlete because they had to get the shot. While I did body slam Murphy, the Gods in turn smited me - who knew Murphy was so close with the Gods. As an athlete running for his life carrying the ball was pursued by a slightly faster athlete rapidly approached me I was thrilled as I was getting some great up close action until they disappeared from my lens. I quickly looked out from the camera to see where they went. I FOUND THEM! Yup, I found two body flying through the air in a tackle heading straight for my right leg. Now I'm very much a person that believes that is why you have two - a spare. But I was in a bad situation as I had just had surgery on the knee of the very leg these two bodies were flying towards meaning that I was out of legs. Suddenly I was a part of the game as my surgery leg caught their two flying bodies. As a trained fighter, my brain knew I had to get that leg up prior to impact as an anchored leg results in injury when kicked, or broken when two football player bodies hit it. With a quick reflex I brought the leg up from being anchored, took the hit, and spun with it. The hit hurt, but with the leg being free to move I didn't hurt the surgery repair.
With all that long windedness... I have found the Tamzooka to be an awesome lens for football. Now I plan to go out there and play with some shallower depth of field. At f/8 it just can't give me the bokeh of an f/2.8, but my 70-200 f2.8 can't give me the reach so we have to make compromises. For me, I compromise on the bokeh. But, I want to see if maybe the Tamzooka shot wide open can give me acceptable sharpness, a bit better bokeh, but with the ability to reach the edge of the world.
If you've gotten this far I hope that you have enjoyed my Tamzooka football musings and find this information a bit useful for full daylight sports photography. However, for night games, f2.8 is still king.
Poster image in school colors.
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