Charlie C Loc: North Liberty, IA

200-500 without hesitation

TerryVS

It's been a few years (film days) but when my son played I shot with 2 bodies, one had a 300mm 2.8 and the other a 180mm. The 300 was on a. Monopod allowing me to hug it and shoot with 180. Someone suggested a 300 PF which might be a good way to go.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

You must shoot from the field! That should never be a problem, this is not a professional level tournament. Get down on the field, it is the only way to separate your daughter from the other players.

ELNikkor

My friend shot a whole season of HS soccer with his Canon 70-200 2.8 on a 70D, jpegs. The crop gave him the reach he needed. If you are shooting FF, 200-500 will get you there, and bump up the ISO for the lower light situations. (They may not let you onto the sidelines, so from the stands, you'll definitely need that 500 end! Also, starting at 200, there's no redundancy from the smaller lens.)

david vt Loc: Vermont

Hi

1). Contact Thomas902 and Jules Kearney, two of the preeminent photographers we have for soccer. Both do amazing work. I do believe Thomas shoots a prime lens like the 400 or 500, but don’t remember if he is shooting on a FX or DX body. That crop factor would make a big difference. The prime gives him tack sharp images. Jules primarily shoots a D500 and switches between two zoom lens depending on the field setup

You may also want to search for their work in the sports section. Both are very generous in that they almost always post the equipment and settings they use. Will give you an idea

2) where and how close you will be may make your decision, and you may not know that and/or it may change pitch to pitch. Be prepared to be flexible. Like the idea of a monopod as (especially with the longer lenses) it will get heavy as the day wears on. Tripod is a definite no-go

3) as you are considering renting a lens for this big trip, consider renting a 2nd body as well. I would say rent a D500, but if different than current, you don’t want something whose controls you don’t know well, so more inclined to say rent whatever you have and put the 70-200 on it. If you do, would more likely go for the longer lens (see DX/fx comment earlier). Not only will you then have a longer lens but it gives you a closer-in lens that can be set for non-action shots (again, see Jules work - he has a remarkable eye for capturing those “human” moments).

Finally, don’t try to shot every minute of every game. Across the tourney, you will get enough shots to get some good ones, but you will also be able to just watch her play

Have fun, and post some of your work when back. Good luck

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

80-400, more versatile and, unless you are in a huge stadium in an end zone, 400mm should cover the field.
the 80 allows for a more overall view (If back far enough) and a much better overall view than the 200mm minimum of the 200-500mm.
Have fun.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Full frame or crop frame camera ??? If you cannot move around, and even if you can, a ZOOM is much more versatile ! The Nikon 180/200-400mm f4 zooms are INTERNAL and as such zoom with the tip of one finger. Not cheap, even to rent - but if you are serious and can afford 8-) The later 180-400 has a built in 1.4X getting you to 560mm if needed.
.
.

rv8striker Loc: St. Louis, MO area

I’ve shot quite a bit of soccer of my son’s, and now grandson’s games, over the years. I’ve had good success with my 70-300mm 4.5-5.6. Seems to cover most of the field from the sidelines well and is easy to handle without a monopod. Your dilemma is not knowing where on the field you will be allowed to shoot. I think you got good advice already about being at the end of the field where your team is trying to score but that could be affected too by what position your subject plays on the field. I have recently acquired a 150-600 but have not tried it at a game yet. My first thought is it may be too bulky to follow fast action and too long at 150mm to be useable for action up close. If it were me, I’d take the 70-200, and rent the 80-400. Again, it all depends on where you will shoot from. My experience at tournaments is lots of fields with easy access to sidelines. Hope this helps. Looking forward to seeing your images.

ksmmike

I photographed a lot of high school soccer games along with indoor basketball and volleyball. Yes, the reach of the 500mm is nice but what you need no matter what is a lens with fast AF. Since I haven't used the 200-500, I can't comment on that lens, other than make sure the AF is fast. The AF will end up being more important than the reach IMO. I used a 70-200 for soccer all the time. I did try the 80-400 and didn't like it as much as the 70-200. You will be surprised at how many images you can get if you move around some during the match. I too would suggest a monopod. I find that finding angles to shoot will be more important than the reach. In other words, move behind the goal line for photos, the sidelines, and of course check to see the angle of the sun. Since it will probably be late afternoon, the shadows shouldn't be too long but work the angles and have fast AF with your lens and camera. I find that's the key more than reach.

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

It depends on how close you can get to the side lines.... If you can get close, your 70 may be too long... But, your 70-200 is what I would use, unless there are seats/stadium where you have to be, then the 200-500. You can also crop top get close.

You shoot Nikon, but you don't say DX or FX. If full frame, how about the 28-300 f 3.5.

If you can get on the field, you can follow the action with your feet, and stay at half field.

Here is a link to Nikon's lenses

https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/camera-lenses/dslr-lenses/index.page

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

80-400 should be plenty, especially on DX sensors. I’ll bet your 70-200 will get a good workout, though.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

If you have the D500, maybe the latest 70-300 FX lens will be enough - especially if you crop and use pixel enlargement if necessary. ??

lbrande

When I was shooting my sons and daughters hockey, I would use a 70-200 f2.8 on a crop sensor and a 200mm f1.8 with a 1.4 extender on a full frame. Location is key, though. Both were on monopods

no12mo

Yes. We need to know if the camera is of the cropped variety or full frame. Especially with telephoto - even super-tele it makes the world of difference

no12mo

Was the lens you used meant to be used on a cropped sensor?