Originally posted by Chako Now, I can recall the day when auto focus was a dream. We all had to manually focus on our speedy subjects. We didn't get so many keepers, but it was more then sufficient. So a big thumbs up for technique. What worked then is still very applicable today.
Thanks for all the responses. A few comments:
I didn't have an auto-focus camera until about February of 2006. I was content to manually focus my Pentax LX for the landscape, portrait and travel photography that I did. But as my son's soccer skills progressed, I tried some action shots and got some excellent results using the LX and my old M*300mm f/4 lens. The M*300 has about 270 degrees of focus travel, so you really have to pre-focus and select your spot. But I got a few beautiful slides from some games.
One reason I went to digital was to be able to easily share sports action and other family photos. After using the my first digital body with the M*300, I though that an auto-focus, long zoom lens might make things easier and give me more opportunities. I can (and still do) manually pre-focus and try to snap the picture at the precise moment when focus, composition and action come together, but reliable AF would certainly make things easier. I frequently use manual focus to get the focus exactly where I want it in portraits and similar shots. It is just a lot harder when your subject is running around in a somewhat unpredictable fashion!
I suppose I can live with the limitation of manual focus for sports action, but I've read countless magazine articles and sections of photography technique books in which the pros describe their success with auto-focus, and I'm beginning to feel left out of the games with my slow-focusing Pentax-Sigma rig. Of course, the pros are all using the high-end stuff. Unfortunately, I can't justify the cost of a Nikon D3 with a 200-400mm f4 lens or a Canon 1D Mk. III with a 300 or 400mm f2.8 L telephoto.
I have a DA* 50-135mm f2.8 SDM lens and I like it a lot. Unfortunately, 135mm is simply not enough reach for this size soccer field. I thought about bringing it to the next games simply to test focus speed when the kids get close. I have also considered the possibility of using a DA* 60-250mm when it is available, but 250mm is still a bit short and it will probably be a year before it is available. The DA* 300mm f4 also looks interesting and may be available sooner. I would lose the flexibility of a zoom, however. But there is still the question of whether it is simply the slow focusing lenses with the camera body motor, or a limitation of the Pentax AF technology. That is why I was hoping to find someone who could tell me whether a mid-level Canon body with a mid-level telephoto (e.g, the 100-400mm or a 70-200mm with a 1.4X converter) would make a big difference.
I don't consider sports photography to be my main interest and I do a lot of other things with the camera. But I am feeling a bit frustrated when so many shots appear out of focus, and I wanted to know if there was a better alternative at a price I could afford.