Best Lens/Camera for Indoor Volleyball HELP

[Finepixdude]

I been thinking this 85mm and D200 would be good , Has anyone Got the 85mm 1.4 how do you like it .. also D200 is it as good as reviews?


Does using the Nikkor 85mm on D200 , does this mean that really the 85mm is more like a 100mm or ? Sence the 85mm is not a DX lens does that give it a x factor of 1.5 Magnification

I be shooting Volleyball games indoor esp Jr High and High School any input on what camara or lens I should use please HELP?Picture Angle: 28 degrees 30 minutes (35mm format), 18 degrees 50 minutes (Nikon DX format)
Think I answer my ? but does anyone know what 30minutes or 50 minutes means?Got this off Nikon site?

[evil4blue]

I have the 85mm 1.4 and the D200 and they make a lovely couple. I don't really think of the 85 as a low light lens, even though it is spectacular @ f/1.4. The 85mm is a portrait lens through and through. The wide aperture makes for great subject isolation.

If you want a true low light lens, look at the 50 1.4, the 35 2, the 28 1.4, or the sigma 30 1.4. All lenses, regardless if they're DX or not, are effected by the 1.5x crop, therefore, the 28-35 range will give you a 50ish, normal FOV on a Nikon body.

If you really want to have some fun at night, get your hands on a Noct Nikkor 58mm f/1.2. This is a neat manual focus lens built specifically for night time stuff.

[DEMDeepEllumMusic]

Originally Posted by Finepixdude

I been thinking this 85mm and D200 would be good , Has anyone Got the 85mm 1.4 how do you like it .. also D200 is it as good as reviews?


Does using the Nikkor 85mm on D200 , does this mean that really the 85mm is more like a 100mm or ? Sence the 85mm is not a DX lens does that give it a x factor of 1.5 Magnification

I be shooting Volleyball games indoor esp Jr High and High School any input on what camara or lens I should use please HELP?Picture Angle: 28 degrees 30 minutes (35mm format), 18 degrees 50 minutes (Nikon DX format)
Think I answer my ? but does anyone know what 30minutes or 50 minutes means?Got this off Nikon site?

Are all these games in the same gym? What type of lights are they using? Sodium Vapor?

You may need to buy a couple off camera flash units with a wireless system to discharge them.

You get a lot of action with V Ball so you need to be able to shoot at fast speeds and to get that speed you probably will need some sort of artificial light sources.

[evil4blue]

Originally Posted by Finepixdude

I be shooting Volleyball games indoor esp Jr High and High School any input on what camera or lens I should use please HELP?Picture Angle: 28 degrees 30 minutes (35mm format), 18 degrees 50 minutes (Nikon DX format)
Think I answer my ? but does anyone know what 30minutes or 50 minutes means?Got this off Nikon site?

Ahhh, you button-hooked me. Yeah, if you need to shoot action then you need your shutter to be 1/125 at the absolute minimum for any stop action at all. The 85mm is a nice focal length for volleyball, but it has the old screw drive focus. I think you'll be frustrated doing sports without AFS.

The real answer, lens-wise is the 200mm f/2 VR, but most people don't have that type of coin to throw around.

Like DeepEllum suggested, try to get as much light on the subject you can and then you won't need a sub 2.8 lens.

[Finepixdude]

I think if I understand it all,, seems the 85mm 1.4 on a Digital Camera,, would be like a 135mm 1.4 on reg 35mm cam.. thanks for all your input.. also trying to the coins together get the D200,, might have to go with D70s,,

[Finepixdude]

I think if I understand it all,, seems the 85mm 1.4 on a Digital Camera,, would be like a 135mm 1.4 on reg 35mm cam.. thanks for all your input.. also trying to the coins together get the D200,, might have to go with D70s,,

[evil4blue]

Originally Posted by Finepixdude

I think if I understand it all,, seems the 85mm 1.4 on a Digital Camera,, would be like a 135mm 1.4 on reg 35mm cam.. thanks for all your input.. also trying to the coins together get the D200,, might have to go with D70s,,

Well, sorta. The 85mm will give you the field of view (FOV) equivalent to a 127.5mm lens on a 35mm body. It doesn't actually get you any closer to your subject. I believe this is a very common misconception of crop factors.

There's nothing wrong with the D70s, it is a very capable camera, baut after using the D200, it's hard to step back to the D70s.

Good luck with your endeavor and keep asking the questions if you need more info.

[Trey Neal]

Unless you plan on shooting from around the net, you will be very limited using the 85 to shoot volleyball. I shot volleyball all Fall with the Nikkor 135 f/2 and at 800 ISO was getting pretty decent shutterspeeds ( I shoot the D2X btw). Keep in mind that using on camera flash may be prohibited in some HS gyms. If you can use off camera strobes it would surely help. My perspective of the 135 as a good lens for vball - shooting from the endline or from high in the bleachers was problematic. Not enough glass even shooting in HSC mode on the D2X. I found myself wanting more reach.

[Finepixdude]

Whats anyone thoughts on the 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor ,
is it just way to slow,, with out a Flash ,, VR what does it do for you.. and if I step up to the70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor

[cmalana]

If you're shooting indoor sports like volleyball, most of the time in poorly-lit gyms, you'll need a fast prime. All the posts seem to be Nikon-related but for Canon, I used an 85/1.8 with a 20D (1.6 crop factor) and that worked. I'd also really look into a 135/f2. Anything else would be too slow ...and remember that IS (or VR) won't help for fast moving subjects.

Of course, the question is - are you doing this professionally or just for fun? If you're a pro, I'd recommend setting up strobes. Volleyball is a faster sport to shoot, with much more unpredictability than say basketball so you'll need some good equipment if you want to see pro results. In fact, you know it's a hard sport to shoot when indoor pictures at the monthly USA Volleyball magazine aren't very good (unless they're world-class competitions taken in world-class venues...).

[Finepixdude]

I don't think, I be using strobes, so I most likely go with a 85/1.8 or1.4 ro 135/2. Its been awhile sence I been shooting just getting back into this , I have girls that play the sport and I like to shoot them maybe move into the professional market someday.. I just like damn good pics..my feeling is if your going to do it.. do it the best you can.. I really enjoy this Form.. Carlo.. hope you have Fios here in Plano...

[cmalana]

Originally Posted by Finepixdude

I just like damn good pics..my feeling is if your going to do it.. do it the best you can..

This kind of thinking will get your wallet in trouble quick...

Originally Posted by Finepixdude

I really enjoy this Form.. Carlo.. hope you have Fios here in Plano...

Unfortunately, I'm in a little pocket of Plano that's served by SBC/AT&T so no Fios for me! Uploads are definitely getting to be a pain but right now, I just time it so I upload before I go to sleep and let the PC do it's thing.