Lenses for Nikon?

Question

Hey, I'm looking to do some photography at little league games, when they start back up, and I am needing a good lens. I have a 70-300 lens. It isn't fast or sharp, but it will do. I also have a 50mm 1.8 lens and a manual focus 28mm. I have around $500 to spend, and I've been looking at a few lenses.
Sigma 17-70mm 2.8-4
Sigma 24-70mm 2.8
Sigma 30mm 1.4
Nikon 55-200mm VR
Sigma 105mm 2.8 macro
Any suggestions? Better choices? Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

I will agree with Edwin. My wife has the 55-200 VR lens and it's a decent lens. For the money, it's a GREAT lens. If you are shooting Little League at night, though, it might not ne fast enough for any action shots.

The Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 is the only other choice in your list, as far as I can see.

The Nikon 70-300 VR lens may be worth considering. Without getting into the really high-priced stuff, it might be the best choice. It is not a "fast" lens for action shots with a maximum aperture of f/4.5-5.6, though. You could hand-hold some long shutter speeds with the lens, but your subjects would probably be blurry because they are moving too fast for you.

Since it is Little League, you can get really close to the action without actually going onto the playing field. Maybe you would even be allowed to do that, though. Either way, you would be close enough to almost any action to use a flash and that would be well under your budget. Keep your 70-300 lens. I'll assume that you have a Nikon digital camera, since you are considering the Nikon 55-200 VR lens, which is a "digital only" DX design. Check into a Nikon SB-600 or - better yet - SB-800. They cost $185 and $315 respecetively at B&H Photo. The SB-800 will reach up to 66 feet away at ISO 400, so you could catch whatever is happening on "your half" of the field. The SB-600 has a somewhat lower power output, but I can't tell for sure what the maximum range would be with your lens. Getting a flash is worth thinking about for your situation and the SB-800 would probably work out well for you.

Answer 2

Buy the macro ONLY if you're interested in macro photography.

Why not replace the 70-300 you have with something faster and sharper? If you're shooting Little League you need the longer focal length. Only the 55-200 comes close (IMO) to being a reasonable choice. The others are better suited for landscapes and interiors.