Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Recent match...
Kit: Nikon D500 w/ AF-S 200-400mm f/4G IF ED VR
Settings: Auto ISO; Aperture f/4 @ 1/2000 (ISO varied, see value in image description)

ISO 280

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ISO 400

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Tom DePuy Loc: Waxhaw, N.C.

Great shot's Thomas..
Your first one is fantastic....
Really shows a lot of action and they are doing it without one foot touching the ground....


Tom

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Thanks for the kind words Tom... they are appreciated!
Yes airborne soccer players remind me of shooting ballet, albeit they move very quickly (i.e. across the field of view) so present a little more "tracking motion" challenge... but at least illumination remains constant unlike stage lighting... :)

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

Well done. Great action, focus, timing.

Jules Karney Loc: Las Vegas, Nevada

Thomas you hit a home run with these two shots. Sharp, got the ball with the faces. It doesn't get any better.
Good stuff.

Jules Karney Loc: Las Vegas, Nevada

Forgot to ask. How do you like this lens? Looks good to me. But what are your thoughts?

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Thank you for your very kind words Kathy they are deeply appreciated... And I am amazed at the beautiful imagery and diversity on your website... Your tenure behind the lens shows through splendidly!

Jules again many thanks for your kind thoughts here... They mean so very much coming from a superb sports shooter...
As for the AF-S 200-400mm f/4 IF ED VR? In Europe this lens is widely regarded as an optimum Soccer lens thus drove my decision.
You have to actually shoot this beast to appreciate what it brings to the image equation... It is razor sharp wide open (hard to believe but true)
Thus no advantage to stopping it down to increase acuity. Best yet it focuses lighting fast... even on smaller crop bodies...

That said at over 7 lbs a monopod or strength like Arnold Schwarzenegger is requisite for hand-holding for more than a couple of minutes...
However the key issue here (at least for me) is the fact that I can (and do) shoot this lens in the pouring rain (on my D3) both of which are totally weather sealed... If you are shooting outdoor sports commercially then your clients will expect results whenever their outdoor event is held... For soccer rain doesn't effect a match as it does in baseball... Same with American Football...

Here is another from the same match (with the same lens and settings)... An extra stop of light really helps tracking action in a crop sensor view finder (at least for my challenged eyes) lol The brighter the viewfinder image the better in my humble estimation.

Hope this helps...

ISO 360

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Jules Karney Loc: Las Vegas, Nevada

Thomas: These shot are right on. Man are they sharp. Beautiful lens. So let me get this straight in my old mind. This is the 200-400 not the 200-500 from Nikkor. Any pp in this image.
My sports season is over now until Sept. when the kids go back to school. However my son is coming to Las Vegas Memorial Day for a over 40 baseball tournament. He asked me to shoot the game, of course I will be happy too.

Again great stuff Thomas. Always a pleasure to see your shots.

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Jules while the AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR is a wonderful telephoto optic it is NOT weather sealed, nor does it have IF like your excellent AF-S 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF VR lens. Since the 200-500mm is a "Pumper" it is rather prone to internal particulate issues when used in dusty environments. In my usage with the 200-500mm I find it is actually an excellent 200-400mm at f/5.6 but seriously needs to be stopped down to f/8 at 500mm since it is rather soft at the long end. I actually have placed a piece of bright tape at 400mm on mine so as to warn me not to visit the 500mm end without stopping down.

So yes all these are shot with the AF-S 200-400mm f/4G IF ED VR. As for post processing? Julies when shooting commercially the most important thing besides knowing your sports is the fact that your perceived worth is no better than your weakest image. Experience is a brutal teacher here. To this end I use post processing to showcase all images at there ultimate potential, meaning I shoot RAW. That said acuity is something that has to be latent in the initial capture, virtual little if anything can be done to provide recourse here. While it is possible to somewhat reduce a tad of motion blur in pp the process is agonizingly complex i.e. working at the pixel level... I just don't go there...

btw, I totally love your 80-400mm and it was at the top of my lens choice list however rain is more than a frequent issue in DC unlike sunny Nevada :) So totally weather sealing isn't optional, since many of the events I shoot are in the pouring rain.

Looking forward to your Memorial Day shoot with your son... Sounds like amazing fun!

Again hope this helps...

Jules Karney Loc: Las Vegas, Nevada

Thomas your information is always helpful. When you say not weather sealed that would be important here in the desert. It's always windy or at least breezy. A thunderstorm could hit and in ten minutes the sun is shinning bright. Can't figure, just have to go with it.
I am going to shoot a baseball game tomorrow just for fun. Can't get any sales out of it because Maxpreps doesn't own the rights to the shots here in Nevada. It is a NIAA game. Oh well I like the practice. It will be my last game this season.
Yes I am looking forward to my son's game later in the month. I haven't seen him for about a year. He will be playing Fri. Sat. and Sunday. Have dinner and all is good.
Be Well,
Jules

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Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Fantastic shots Jules... the razor sharp acuity in the first image speaks to your mastery of kit... everything came together perfectly here...
And yes in the final image even at 1/2500 the pitcher's right hand angular acceleration is a tad beyond the kit's stop action limits... Elbow tack sharp but the whip of the pitching arm has caused the hand to blur slightly... This is a rare case where pp could remove some of this, but do you really want to invest several hours working at the pixel level? Nope, it's absolutely excellent just as is... and it affirms that this isn't a static pose... lol

Have you actually shot your 80-400mm in the pouring rain? While it is sealed against dust I'm wondering about shooting it in heavy rain...
Doesn't seem that the lens hood would shield the glass... on the 200-400 the perfectly cylindrical hood is over 5" deep...

Thanks again for sharing...

Jules Karney Loc: Las Vegas, Nevada

Pouring rain no. We get pouring rain in the Summer months only, then look out....