Lens purchase help

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Wuylith

New member
Hello,

New to forum and interested in getting into photography more seriously. I have a D7000 as the title states with the stock lenses. My question is i have recently got into more sports setting shots, ie. Racquet sports, that may or may not have good lighting. So i came here to see what my best options would be for a lens that deals well in lower light settings and has enough shutter action? To stop motion well. Looking for something in the 400-500 range. I am also open to getting a new setup because i know the 7000 is getting dated a bit. Thanks for your suggestions

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Don Kuykendall_RIP

RIP :(
Welcome to the forum.

When you say Racquet sports do you mean tennis? 400-500 might be to long for that. Remember you have to follow the action and shoot. Tennis you generally are not that far away and the action is very fast. you might be a lot better off with something like the 70-300. Your best option is to rent a lens and see how it works before you decide on buying something and it not working like you thought it would.

As far as the D7000 goes it is not that great with high ISO that you might need to low light and high shutter speed. Depending on your budget you might be better served with the D7200 or if money is no object the D500.
 
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Wuylith

New member
Oh sorry.... mainly table tennis.... ill be close to the action but it is quite fast paced. For the 400-500 range i meant dollars in terms of price (wrote the post kind of quick).

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Don Kuykendall_RIP

RIP :(
Wuylith said:
Oh sorry.... mainly table tennis.... ill be close to the action but it is quite fast paced. For the 400-500 range i meant dollars in terms of price (wrote the post kind of quick).

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Major difference. What lens do you have now? I might even suggest the 35mm 1.8 prime or the 50mm 1.8 prime.
 
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Ironwood

Senior Member
What focal length lens are you using for the job at the moment ? Do you think you need a zoom lens, or can you do the job with a fast prime as Don suggested. The 50mm f1.8 might fit the bill, and they can be had for well under your budget.
 
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Wuylith

New member
Currently i have stock ones.... the AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 GII ED and the AF-S Nikkor 55-200mm 1:4-5.6G ED VR. Sometimes it's nice to have the longer length for when there is no clear pathway to the area being shot

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TKC_D500

Senior Member
What focal length do you find yourself shooting at with your zooms? A good, fast prime at around that focal length would be my suggestion. Your budget eliminates any of the higher end zooms. If you can find a decent 70-200mm 2.8 VR that you can swing, you will find reasons to use it. It's somewhat of a "Swiss army knife" lens.


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robbins.photo

Senior Member
Ok, so a couple of recommendations. The 85mm 1.8 G lens is a fairly good option if you can control your distance from the table reasonable well. It's fast, very sharp, and very light weight. Downside is that it is a prime, so you will need to move around a bit to get the best vantage points.

Second option would be a used 70-200mm 2.8 lens, in that price range I'd go with a sigma without OS. The Tamron non-VC's have some AF issues so I don't generally recommend them. The zoom will be a lot more versatile, however it will also be much heavier.
 
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Zeke_M

Senior Member
TKC_D500 said:
What focal length do you find yourself shooting at with your zooms? A good, fast prime at around that focal length would be my suggestion. Your budget eliminates any of the higher end zooms. If you can find a decent 70-200mm 2.8 VR that you can swing, you will find reasons to use it. It's somewhat of a "Swiss army knife" lens.


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Second the 70-200 f2.8. Used Nikon 70-200 f2.8 VRI lenses are dropping to under a $1000.

I have the 70-200 f2.8 VRII. That lens and an SB-800 flash with the fifth battery option is my main setup for chasing our four cats and Dorky Dog.
 
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Wuylith

New member
Thanks for all the suggestions.... think I'll go over to national camera exchange and rent them to see which one i like best before i make a decision... it will most likely be the 70-200 though

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robbins.photo

Senior Member
Wuylith said:
Thanks for all the suggestions.... think I'll go over to national camera exchange and rent them to see which one i like best before i make a decision... it will most likely be the 70-200 though

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If you can push your budget a bit the Nikkor 70-200mm 2.8 VRI is worth every penny, and then some. It's a bit more used than what you quoted but well worth it.
 
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robbins.photo

Senior Member
TKC_D500 said:
They cost a penny or two, but they're great lenses. Don't discount the sigma and Tamron 70-200mm either. They are great lenses for less cash.


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I tried a couple of different loaner copies of the tamron non vc, had af issues on all three copies I tried.

The sigma 70-200 non os wasn't a bad lens, but the color contrast wasn't that great and it wasn't anywhere near as sharp as the nikkor. I could get acceptable results but it usually required more post processing and corrections.

The sigma 70-200 with os was a bit sharper than the non os version, and contrast was a smidge better, but at least on my copy the os sucked. It would not disengage properly when not needed and would result in missed shots if I forgot to turn it off at higher shutter speeds. It also drained the batteries a lot faster.

The nikkor VR I was just a night and day difference. The pictures were amazingly sharp and detailed and the contrast is first rate. The VR system seems to work for me rather than against me.

So yes, all in all I do highly recommend you spend the extra for the nikkor if at all possible, or see about getting the tamron with vc.

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Ironwood

Senior Member
Another option would be the Sigma 50-150 f2.8, its a DX lens and only available 2nd hand these days, but a very good lens by all accounts. Just make sure you get the later model with OS, the earlier non-OS ones are not as good apparently.
This option should fit within your budget.
 
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