Nikon D40 & sports photography

Question

I am buying a Nikon D40 and am planning on shooting at nighttime football games. (And, as the year progresses, I will also be shooting at volleyball and basketball games, and other outdoor sports as well...) I am looking for a recommendation as to which lens I should purchase that would be most fitting for these situations. I am not rich, so I am looking for a reasonably priced lens that can help me accomplish the most.

Any suggestions? Please & thank you!

Answer 1

Your going to need a fast f2.8 lens using ISO 800 or even ISO 1600 to freeze motion on indoor/nighttime sports. Not cheap.

For outdoor sports in good lighting, most any zoom lens will do depending on how far away the action is from you.

Answer 2

Unfortunately a cheap, fast, quality telephoto lens is nigh impossible to have.

Since it is sports you're going to want something with a focal length measured in the hundreds - at least 200mm but 300mm or more would be better.

Since you're taking low-light photos it's going to need to be a fast lens - try to find something that's around f/2.8

Unfortunately, this isn't going to come cheap. You're probably going to have to spend at lest $700-$800 on a used lens. Also, you'll probably want to invest in a good tripod or monopod.

I'm sorry I haven't given you any specific lenses to check out; I'm a Canon guy so my knowledge of Nikon is lacking.

Answer 3

Check this site first to:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/nikkor....

You don't need to buy those expensive lenses made for digitals if you can't afford it - it would be a good investment in the long run, though. You can get those film Nikon lenses that are compatible to the digital Nikon camera a lot lesser in price - although, there some sacrifices/conveniences compared to one made for digital. A true photographers, can work with the old lens just as with the new ones.

Answer 4

A good choice would be the 70-300mm VR.  The 300mm long end should work well for many sports.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/70-300-...

http://www.bythom.com/70300VRlens.htm

How well will it work with your D40 to shoot sports?  Here's some samples of that combination.

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=70-300mm...

http://www.flickr.com/search/?s=int&q=70...

And here's some night football shots from up in the stands, that I took with 300mm lenses on a D70, which has the same 6.0mp resolution as the D40.

http://www.spmsportspage.com/images/coll...

Price? You can get it for $480 here.

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-70-300mm-4-5...

I've also seen some Nikon 70-300mm VR lenses on Ebay and Craigslist for less.

I hope this helps.