Originally posted by MyTZuS Thanks everyone... didn't think of lenses since I'm using the new 55-300 HD DA ED WR exclusively for sports.
When I mean better, I mean faster.
Until I started shooting gymnastics I didn't really have an issue.
Two things specifically I noticed about gymnastics. One, I cannot shoot straight on, the lens cannot keep up with the subject running straight at me. Also, I got a lot of back focused area's from that type of shooting. Which actually made some of the shots more interesting due to what they captured in the background but frustrating since I'd like to have had SOME shots of the person running at me.
I am not meaning to side track your discussion but this might be an issue of your technique rather than mere technology.
I did an interview with Sean Davey for the forum a while back. He's shot something like 140 magazine covers of high action sports (surfing) which in reality demands a whole lot more of any gear and back in the day he was doing all those shots bobbing around in 18 foot high surf with a manual focus camera.
Sean Davey Exclusive Interview - Photography | PentaxForums.com
It's only mentioned in there some but not a lot but in some other discussions we've had he talked a lot about anticipating the action. Knowing what kind of shot you want, knowing how long the lag will be, staking out a point, focusing on that point, then wait until the subject enters. It takes practice but it's not impossible by any means.
---------- Post added 05-28-15 at 10:36 AM ----------
Originally posted by normhead Manual focus on a point and shoot a burst as the person approaches the point... works with any lens. Even an MF lens.
YEP!!!
Beat me to the punch by one post!