Been asked a thousand times, i know

[wayne509]

Hi everyone.

Just bought the D50 kit and need a lens for far away shots.

Mainly motorsport e.g go karts and motorcycles.

I have just moved up from a compact so am more than happy with the results even with the not so favoured 18 - 55 that comes in the kit.

What i mean is i dont need to purchase the best all singing all dancing zoom lens available i just need something like a 70 - 200 or 70- 300 that will be used mostly in outdoor light for fast moving stuff and occasionally wildlife etc.



Sorry if my questions are a bit basic but i know nothing about DSLR lenses.



My budget would be about £500 absolute maximum



Thanks in advance

[edorfox]

Hi,

I have had good luck with the Sigma lens and think this would fit your criteria...

http://www.adorama.com/SG1003004EOS.html

http://www.photo.net/ezshop/product?...40#commreviews

It will also auto-focus when using tha Sigma APO EX 1.4x and 2.0x tele-converters.

...Ed

[cameranserai]

Well, there are a few lenses that fit the bill really. Firstly there is the 70/300 Nikkor lens which in the UK you'll probably find for about £250 or thereabouts or there is the Sigma equivalent for about £150. However the best lens by far at your budget is the Sigma 70/200 f2.8 lens. Being f2.8 this lens will give you the blurred background which makes the photo so impressive and you can add a teleconverter if you want to make it longer.It is available for around £500 or nearer £400 if you order off Ebay direct from Hong Kong. I have ordered a number of items from urgalaxy and amhlee with never a problem.

There is though one other lens which you might like to consider which is more expensive but has the VR system which is invaluable for sports photography and that is the 80/400 VR lens. Beyond you budget at the moment at about £750 on Ebay but a great sports lens.

Without doubt though I'd go for the Sigma 70/200; it is a fabulous value lens.

[wayne509]

Thanks for the advice guys much appreciated!!



For fast moving action at a distance (outside) do i need 2.8?

God i really need to buy a camera book to learn all this technology!

[cameranserai]

To try and understand the correlation between the f stop and the actual shutter speed is for a beginner difficult. However, the best explication I have heard is the kitchen sink one. If you open the tap half way it takes twice as long to fill the sink as if you open the tap full. In photographic terms the more light passing into the camera the less time the shutter has to stay open, so yes, F2.8 can be important. However, we now have to consider "depth of field". The wider the f stop (aperture) the shallower the depth of field, so for example when you see great sports shots (soccer for example) in the newspaper with the player in focus and the background blurred that is using a wide f stop. The subject matter is in focus and the background blurred (Incidentally this blur is called bokeh, a japanese word) I am a motor racing photographer so use big lenses, but at the same time a lot of my shots are taken at f5.6 and f8 so I believe that for you even the cheaper lens would suffice in general terms. That however doesn't take into account the difference in the quality of the Sigma f2.8 lens, which is way above the others. Quite simply, the success rate with this lens will be much greater than with the others mostly down to its speed of focus. It is a quick and sharp lens. I use the Nikon 70/200equivalent living here as I do right next to one of the most famous race circuits in the world, plus we have a karting circuit as well. However the Nikon lens is nowhere near within your budget, but it isn't for your purposes necessary anyway - the Sigma will suffice.

So, once you get into photography a bit more you'll then want to experiment with aperture priority or shutter priority and even manual settings rather than just leave the camera on auto. It is then that you will appreciate the enormous difference in quality of the f2.8 lens. When you buy it take a series of photos of a subject at about 5 yds away using f2.8 and steadily moving downwards to f18. Look at all the photos and see the difference in how the background become more and more into focus as you move down the f stop range.

There is one other thing that you mustn't overlook and that is the possibility to add a teleconverter. If you find that you aren't close enough you can buy one of these quite cheaply. It fits between the lens and the camera and lengthens the lens. For example a 1.4 teleconverter will change the lens from 70/200 to 98/280. you can get longer teleconverters like a 2x which will give you a 140/400 lens. The other two lenses are cheaper versions and don't have this facility.

I hope that you understand all the above but if not I'll reply to your post. Overall the 70/200 Sibgma is within your budget and without doubt, for motor racing, is the lens for you. The attached photo was taken with the 70/200 at the Goodwood Revival in September to give you an example.

[wayne509]

Yes i think you are right as i can actually get quite close on the track anyway(the priveliges of being on the commitee)So think 200 will be good enough for me anyway!



Ithink i will buy the lens you suggested and just learn learn learn.

Thanks again for the kind advice.



Question is now whether to save myself money and take a chance buying from Hong Kong or just bite the bullet and get from the UK.Has anybody bought from Hong Kong and been nailed for the import tax?If so what percentage is it?

[cameranserai]

I suggest you look at the feedback on Ebay forurgalaxy, digital-rev, amhlee, all of whomhave about 98% positive feedback. I received my 17/55 f2.8 from one of the above and he had marked the box "used lens value $50" to avoid tax and duty. If you read the feedback you'll see the occasional dissatisfied customer who got caught but they are very few and far between. My D2X came through with no problem as have a number of other things too. You'll be very unlucky to have to pay VAT and tax.