Sports photography 300 F4MM

[Guest]

I have the opportunity to buy a 300 F4 MM at a good price. I want to use this lense for sports photography, in particular surfing, possibly with a teleconverter if needed. Does anyone have any advice, or experience of using this lense (or any other manual focus zeiss C/Y) for sports or any other `fast` photography. Unfortunaltely I will not have the opportunity to experiment before I make the purchase, and I do want this lense to be useable for this purpose as I really don`t want the expense and hassle of changing system.

 

[Guest]

> I have the opportunity to buy a 300 F4 MM at a good price. I want to> use this lense for sports photography, in particular surfing, possibly> with a teleconverter if needed. Does anyone have any advice, or> experience of using this lense (or any other manual focus zeiss C/Y)> for sports or any other `fast` photography. Unfortunaltely I will not> have the opportunity to experiment before I make the purchase, and I> do want this lense to be useable for this purpose as I really don`t> want the expense and hassle of changing system.

As a long time surfer and surf photographer myself I can offer you some thoughts on this - firstly , focusing is not easy even if you are quite adept and/or practised in the art of "follow-focusing" . As a consequence , you need all the help you can get , therefore , use the smallest aperture possible to geta decent depth of field which gives you just that little bit of leeway necessary for sharper pics . The faster the lens the better , in my opinion the CZ300 F4 probably wont do it as its not that fast and most times wont be long enough either - which means using 2x or 1.4x converters , which also means losing 1-2 stops at a time when you also want fairly fast shutter speeds too!Using a faster film can also help here of course , but for quality's sake I prefer not go faster than my beloved Provia 400F unless the light's really crap. You dont say where you will be shooting and what sort of terrain to expect , but most times 500-600 is just the starting point . Personally I use a Tamron 300 F2.8 with matched 1.4x and 2x converters for when I need the extra length[they are still available with C/Y adaptall mount , or easy to find secondhand] , and I am very happy with this lens . My last trip to J-Bay I scored some great pics - fortunately the waves there dont break too far out and in the afternoon the lovely light is behind you , so you can get close-ish on the rocks[but watch the tide!]. Beach breaks and some reefs can sometimes be a problem in terms of distance to subject , even with my 600 , but you can usually get fair results even so...... Let me know where you're going to be shooting and if you need any other info..... Steve

 

[Guest]

> It's my recommendation that you should not buy this lens. I found mine and any others that I tried to be soft, and worst with the Mutar II. I now use the VS 100-300 and a Tamron 300 f2.8, both are far better in my > experience.

 

[Guest]

Good information. Thanks very much. Stephen, I will be photographing exclusively in Brazil, mainly Sao Paolo. The breaks here are fairly close to the beach, I have seen some photos from a friends zoom, though they had no idea how long the zoom is. I assumed it was 300mm max. I have been considering changing to Nikon for a long time, realistically I do think that the Nikon system would better suit my needs, especially with the current uncertainty with the contax manual system, and the availability of digital SLR`s at a less than astronomic price. It looks like this could be the push I need.

 

[Guest]

Good information. Thanks very much. Stephen, I will be photographing> exclusively in Brazil, mainly Sao Paolo. The breaks here are fairly> close to the beach, I have seen some photos from a friends zoom,> though they had no idea how long the zoom is. I assumed it was 300mm> max. I have been considering changing to Nikon for a long time,> realistically I do think that the Nikon system would better suit my> needs, especially with the current uncertainty with the contax manual > system, and the availability of digital SLR`s at a less than> astronomic price. It looks like this could be the push I need.

I still occasionally have contact with friends who used to surf on the world tour and they all say the main breaks in Brazil are beachbreaks - so the tides will to a large extent prescribe how close you will be , but probably not that close . I wouldnt necessarily be so hasty to abandon Contax yet , personally I'm in for the long haul , but we each have different priorities . Gadgets nad autofocus aside , you might find yourself disappointed with Nikon colour and quality - many have gone the other way for precisely this...... The Tamron lens is reasonably priced and would be a much cheaper option than going over to a totally new system altogether . Digital bodies may or may not do it for you [ it doesnt at all for me] , and lots has been said about shutter lag which would be a crucial ffactor for surf photography . That said , a fellow of my acquaintance is the official photog. on the world tour and he uses Canon digital....... Steve

 

[Guest]

Hi Sean,

although I am very satisfied with this lens I think it is to slow for a teleconverter. For fast moving subjects an autofocus with image stabilisation should be the way to produce sharp photographs.

For landscapes, this lens is very good. See my website for ex&les: www.planet.nl/~melvinredeker

Melvin

 

[Guest]

Just caught up with your postings. I use a 300mm Tessar f4 with Mutar II converter for my surfing pictures and the results are stunning. The lens I had before that was a Yashica 500mm mirror, and the Zeiss glass is 10 times better.

Check the results in the Sports section of my web site at www.cvscotland.com

Have fun,

Andy

 

[Guest]

The weather at Thurso is reputedly fairly ghastly [ and it doesnt look warm in your pics!] , presumably you were using quickish film to make up the speed a bit?? Steve

 

[Guest]

The weather is typical Scottish - blazing sun one minute and a howling gale & wind the next. One advantage is that in mid summer it never gets totally dark, and the sun is up by 3am - don't mention the winter though!
The shots were mainly on 200iso film but I have also had good results on other subjects using Fuji 800iso press colour negative film.

Andy