Which lens to Buy for Sports Photography?
I like to shoot sports photography.
indoors/outdoors/low-light/soccer/bask…
which one of these would be best for sports?
http://www.amazon.com/...00005LEOH/
OR
http://www.amazon.com/...001044RIQ/
OR
The nikon is a fine lens but not the motorized version which means your body will do all the hard work of moving all that glass. The sigma is motorized. Good lens for that price but do check it thoroughly, Sigma has had big problems with the quality control on thise lenses.
The tamron's decent enough but has an AF that moves at glacial speed.
This is another good option http://amzn.com/...B00009MDBQ
The Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF is an older design, so to use the auto-focus, you must have a better than entry level camera like a D7000.
The newer 70-200 mm f/2.8 uses the newer AF-S auto-focus system, so not only auto-focuses faster, but can be used on any of the Nikon dSLR's from entry level to the professional D3s.
If you intend to use your new lens for a decade or so, you will want the superior build found in Nikkor lenses.
I have a Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 VRII and I LOVE it. Granted it is extremely expensive it's an awesome lens. The glass is amazing and if you spend the money now you will be set for life.
I'd go for the newer VRII Nikon myself, but if it seems too pricey you can get this one: http://www.amazon.com/...003HC8VA4/
The best lens would be Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 but since that's very expensive for many users the second best option is Sigma 70-200 f2.8 (NOT the macro version you posted link of). Sigma should cost around 1000 USD.
I have the Nkon 80-200mm f/2.8, and while it requires a camera with a focus motor to focus it, it is still faster than the Sigma 70-200. I did extensive research and some testing before I bought the Nikon, so I'm sure of my statement.
I tested (or had others test) the focus speed stop-to-stop by covering the lens and depressing the shutter half-way down so that the focus motor would run the lens stop-to-stop.
The results were:
Nikon AF 80-200mm f/2.8 (two ring zoom) 1.0~1.1 seconds.
old Nikon AF 80-200mm f/2.8 (push pull zoom) 3.4 seconds.
Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 EX 1.4 seconds.
Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR 0.6 seconds.
As you can see, even with a built-in motor, the Sigma 70-200 lags behind the Nikon. When it comes to the choice of the Sigma, Tamron, or Nikon, there's no comparison. In literally all aspects, the Nikon beats the other two brand lenses.
I used the 80-200 last summer at an air show, where things were moving awfully fast. I took probably fast action 400 photos, and there was only two photos that the focus motor hunted rather than locking on. That was enough to convince me that I made the right decision in buying the Nikon 80-200 vs the Sigma 70-200.
Of course, the Nikon AF 80-200 f/2.8 can't match the Nikon AF-S 70-200 f/2.8, but for half the price, it is a good alternative for amateur photographers that can't afford the Nikon AF-S 70-200 f/2.8.
And if you compare resale values, the Nikon gets about 40% more than either the Sigma or Tamron. That alone should tell you something.
There's well founded criticism about the Nikon 80-200 focus speed for the original model, the one that was the push-pull zoom. And the test speeds I show above, with a 3sec zoom speed confirm that.
But when Nikon re-designed the lens a few years ago to a more common twist ring zoom, they improved the focusing speed immensely, as shown by the 1 second results.
But take your camera into your local photo shop and test both lenses. Then you will know for sure.
Also this test was done with the focus limit switch off. The focus limit switch can be used to further speed up the focus speed as it limits splits the lens into two focus domains; close and far. Chances are that in most situations, you will not need to focus in close and far away at the same time, so using the limit switch will further speed up the lens.
And the better Nikon DSLRs that have focus motors work better as they have more powerful focus motors in the camera.
And of course, the D40, D60, D3000, D3100, D5000, and D5100 won't autofocus this lens.
But don't take my word for it. Read the reviews of both Ken Rockwell and Thom Hogan about the Nikon 80-200.It's probably one of the few times they both agree on something.