Need help with lenses

[Buttons]

My granddaughter has moved up from playing one over the net volleyball to where they really know what they are doing. My problem is to find a lens that will allow me to take stop action pictures without having to mortgage my boat. I was using my 50mm f1.8 lens on my Nikon D80 camera to take pictures because I could stand next to the court, but now I am having to take the pictures from the stands. Can anyone who has taken these type of pictures at a volleyball game give me any suggestions.

Thanks

[Shane422]

You have a couple of sub $500 choices. You could go with another prime with a bit more reach in the 85MM f1.8 (~$400). Or you could look for a f2.8 zoom from Sigma or Tamron. I have the Tamron 28-75MM f2.8 which goes for about $380. You can also search the used lenses for a Tamron 28-105MM f2.8. I have no experience with that lens, but it does seem like a nice range. Sigma also has a 24-70MM f2.8 (~$400), and a 50-150MM f2.8 (~$600)

Depending on the gym, f2.8 still may not get it done with a D80. But it will be close. I recently shot basketball in a gym and the best I could get was f2.8, 1/320th, at ISO2500 with a D90.

[ziggy53]

Buttons, welcome to the Digital Grin. :clap

Shane is giving you good advice. I would add that indoor sports is about the most demanding type of photography there is in a number of different ways.

In the Nikon world the fastest AF lenses are those that use powerful AF-S motor technology. The lenses that use the screw drive AF mechanism may benefit from a Nikon body with a more robust screw-drive AF motor. The AF sensor and processor section would also impact on AF speed.

I suspect that the Nikon D300 has a somewhat better AF technology than the D80 and the D3 is better yet. On the D80 I would definitely use center focus only and I recommend the faster AF-S and AF-D lenses as well like:

Nikkor 70-200mm, f2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR
Nikkor 80-200mm, f2.8D ED


The other option, possibly not quite as crisp at f2.8, is the Sigma 70-200mm, f2.8 EX DG Apo Macro HSM II.