What lens do i need for close up results at a tennis match or basketball game? Pentax Slr 6.1 mp.?

Question

I went to a tennis match(Venus Williams). I'm two rows off the court, which was about 10 feet from the action and I still didn't get the "close-up" photos I thought I would. Using the kit lens 18-55mm that came with camera, and that will NOT cut it. Do I need a zoom lens? Help please

Answer 1

Maynard is right but I would like to add my 2 cents. I use a 80-200 f/2.8 on my Nikon D50 for sports shooting and get good results at basketball games, often shooting at less that the 200mm length. I bought my lens used and paid less than $600. That is still serious money but around half what the new versions cost.

But don't get disparaged just yet. At outdoor events with good lights I've gotten good results with the 55-200 lens that came with the camera and it is only f/5.6 at the long end. If the light is really good you can get by without the wide open aperature and the high dollars. I shoot a college football game last fall and got good pictures out to about 30-40 yards away. The light was so bright that I wouldn't have been able to use a big aperature anyway. Decent f/5.6 long zooms can be had for $200 or less brand new.

Answer 2

The best telephoto shots are going to be taken by "long," "fast" lenses. Long would be over 200 mm. Fast would have an F-stop of at least 2.8. The problem is for that type of lenses you are talking a quality instrument and they can cost quite a bit. They would start at around $1200.00 and work up to around $4000.00 depending on how fast, how long, and if they had features such as image stabilization.