What would be the best lens for low light / action photography?
I have a nikon d5000 and have recently begun photographing horse shows for my trainer. In an outdoor setting, my 18-55 does the job just fine, but inside a poorly-lit arena, the photos blur and just don't come out as well, no matter which setting i put the camera on. I'm looking for a lens that will allow me to get crisp pictures of horses jumping in low-ish light, without compromising quality.
When shooting indoor sports I use the 24-70 mm f/2.8 and 300 mm f/2.8 with my cameras ISO set to 3200.
Here is a sample shot cross-court using the 300 mm lens.
I shoot in RAW and use Lightroom to process all the RAW files. I use the noise reduction tool in the Develop tap set to 25% luminance
There's no 1 'best lens' here other than the one(s) with a fast aperture. A 2.8 beats a 3.5 as a 1.8 beats a 2.8, etc… In low light. Zooms or Primes. Problem is, fast lenses of quality are not cheap. Another problem is - NO lens can or will make up for shoddy photographic techniques or skills. Lack of understanding the skills needed to photograph action in low(er) light can't be made up buying new equipment alone. Timing, planning and understanding the action with fore-sight are primary ingredients in capturing the action in 'mid-action' to not end up looking like a series of random lucky shots.
70-200 f2.8… Either the Nikon model or the Sigma model.
SIGMA OS 70-200MM F2.8 EX DG HSM NIKON (1600$)
http://www.henrys.com/60470-SIGMA-OS-70-200MM-F2-8-EX-DG-HSM-NIKON.aspx
NIKON AF-S 70-200 F2.8 VR II LENS (2400$)
http://www.henrys.com/858-NIKON-AF-S-70-200-F2-8-VR-II-LENS.aspx
The Nikon is better than the sigma but the Sigma still performs quite well.
The next step is to shoot in manual (or Shutter Priority), set your shutter speed to a good speed to avoid motion blur and use your cameras built in light meter to set your aperture and ISO to get a properly exposed shot.
Your D5000 has good noise performance at up to 3200 (and even 6400 could be usable if you run it through a noise reduction program after) so that's quite the advantage there.
Are you ready to open your wallet? Get a 70-200 f2.8 or if you are close enough with an 85mm the 85mm f1.4 is unreal. You do not want lenses slower than f2.8