Lens rental feedback

[Snurk71]

Hi, all. Long time since I've been to this area of the boards. I've learned so much here over the years that I'm back for some advice/recommendations.

I shoot bodybuilding competitions for fun. So it's low light with quick focusing needed. For the past couple years I've been using the 85mm f/1.8 (Canon 550d) and have had pretty good success (competitors have told me my pictures are better than they ever get from the professional/hired photog for the show - sample shot below). But it's stressful to get in the right spot in the theatre for a prime lens length. So I'm considering renting the 70-200 f/2.8L IS II for a couple of upcoming shows - to have a lens that will allow me to go wide (relatively) to capture a few competitors in a lineup, then quickly zoom in for individual shots in the lineup.

So...

1) Any feedback telling me I'm going with the wrong lens? From what I read on the lens it sounds like I should still do fine with the speed, even in the low light conditions.

2) I'm looking at renting from either lensprotogo or lensgiant. I read a lot of good reviews for both and thought I'd check here to see if anyone has anything postive or negative to say about either rental.

Thanks

 

[ChiSoxKeith]

Nice shot.

Never used either of those two shops. I've only used Borrowlenses and lensrentals
and would use them in a heartbeat again.

The only other recommendation would be to get the camera on a tripod (or monopod for that matter).

The 70-200 lens f/2.8 would be a great lens to try.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

The 70-200 f/2.8 is a my favorite lens, but keep in mind that it is 1 1/3 stops slower than the f/1.8. That means that your shutter speeds will be slower and your DOF will be greater. Your shutter speed will be about 2.3x longer. When you zoom in to 200mm, you'll also be magnifying by slightly more than twice as much. The net result is that you'll need a shutter speed almost 4 to 5 times faster to get same sharpness results.

IS should be able to get you back a lot of that difference, at least in terms of camera movement. If your subjects are moving, IS won't help at all. As Keith mentioned, a tripod or monopod would also help. In terms of sharpness, I'd rather use a monopod than IS.

Another option to consider would be getting a 135 f/2. It's not as long as the 70-200, but it is a stop faster. Both primes (the 85 f/1.8 and the 135 f/2) will be optically better than the 70-200. The zoom is awesome for a zoom, but it still doesn't hang with the best primes. With the 135, you can also use a 1.4x extender when you need 200 at f/2.8. If you've got two bodies to work with, having one with the 85 and one with the 135 might really work well.

Finally, don't get too fussed about getting perfect framing in camera. It's better to shoot somewhat wider than you need and then crop in later. That gives you more flexibility. Sometimes people want pictures with extra room for titles or text. Shooting a bit wide gives you more leeway to crop. It's much harder to crop out rather than crop in (although the content aware stuff in Photoshop does a frighteningly good job).

One last thing. If you need a bodybuilding model, let me know. I'm pretty popular. I get used all the time for the "before" shots.

 

[bob100]

One last thing. If you need a bodybuilding model, let me know. I'm pretty popular. I get used all the time for the "before" shots.