DonOles

Hello
Buying a Canon 5d mkiv going to attach a Canon 100-400 4.5- 5.6 is usmii lens. Will this work for sports primarily baseball and hockey

Joe Blow

Yes. That can be a good combination.

The problem with shooting sports such as baseball and softball is the fence. You need to find a spot where you are either inside the fence or can shoot over top. Hockey doesn't have as much of a problem with fences.

Good luck.

DonOles

Thanks i was mostly concerned with lightning with the Canon lens being a bit slower lens.

pithydoug Loc: Catskill Mountains, NY

No problem for baseball but with indoor hockey a lot depends on how close you can get, the house lights and what DOF you think you will need. I have the III with this lens and it is a great combination. Don't worry about an ISO of a few grand as the sensor of the IV is very good. Again, depending how close you can get, many like the 70-200 as it comes in f/2.8, solid for minimal light but may not have the reach you want. I would grab an online DOF calculator and plug in say 400mm at n feet with anticipated f/stop and see how thin the DOF will be. Know this ahead of time so you dont get back to the barn to find two player three feet apart and only the first in in focus.

As a side bar, I love the Auto ISO on the 5dIII and I'm sure it is equally good on the IV. That said, for indoor stuff I often go manual with shutter and F/stop and auto ISO. I force shutter speed and DOF and let the camera set The ISO(along with AI-servo with continuous fire). Then I can concentrate on shooting and not bloody settings as the light changes. Have used this for indoor ice dancing and outdoor dressage! Short bursts to capture the best shot.

DonOles

Thanks for your feedback. I currently have a 7dmkii with a Tamron 70-200 2.8 wanting to get a full frame i decided on the 5d mk iv and the 100-400 canon lens. Increasing the iso should help with the lightning situation. Agreed? I'm hopeful the Canon lens with the 400mm range won't disappoint.

pithydoug Loc: Catskill Mountains, NY

It will not disappoint. It's great from 100 through the 400 and makes a nice Close-up, as a side bar. Also nice for extra reach with 1.4 extender.

When I first got it, i was shooting birds when some flowers were blooming close by. This was from about three feet away, I think the aperture was f/11.

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Ron Dial Loc: Cuenca, Ecuador

Yes. Good lens for sports.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Yep, as good a combination as you can get unless you’re willing to spend 2-3x for a 1DXmk2 and a 500-600 f4 prime. But you might consider adding a Canon EF 1.4x MKIII extender to give you extra reach with very little effect on IQ (and it will still autofocus on your 5D4 assuming you have enough light.)

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

Yes it will. Baseball will usually have enough light whether indoors or out. Hockey is more dependent upon the venue, some are lit better than others. Your new camera will allow you to set ISO in the 12,800 range with no noticeable problem with noise. The camera and lens are a terrific combination useable in most circumstances involving action. Both of Canon's teleconverters work with it when the extra reach is needed. My personnal experience shows T/Cs slow AF considerably but I am using them near the minimum focus distance. Take your time learning this rig and the results will be very worthwhile.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Absolutely

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

Don't be that concerned with the speed of that lens. Today's digital camera's can be shoot at very high iso's and still come away with very good results. I remember we used 6400 asa Kodak tri-X film on high school games growing up. Now with my Nikon D500 I am commonly at 12,800 without issues. IMHO, the II version is better than the I version of that lens, but both produce sharp images. Enjoy and keep on shooting until the end.

Grnway Loc: Manchester, NH

An excellent combination! Baseball should be no sweat. Hockey may be an issue. I'd have a 70-200mm f2.8 handy just in case....

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Yes.... BUT:

400mm on full frame is a bit "short" for baseball... depending upon where you can set up, infield may be okay, but forget about the outfield. For that reason, I prefer and use crop sensor cameras for sports photography (currently a pair of 7D Mark II). Those allow you to use smaller, lighter, more hand-holdable lenses.

And, the 100-400mm II is a great lens for outdoors in good daylight, where the f/4.5-5.6 aperture is fine. I've been using it a lot the last couple years.

But, indoors and at night I switch to f/4, f/2.8 or even faster lenses. In most hockey rinks, I'd probably be using those.

Adding a 1.4X teleconverter to the 100-400mm can help with the "reach", but you lose a stop of light so it would be even more problematic at night or indoors. With the 1.6X "crop factor" of 7DII, you get more reach without any light loss!

FF is great for some other things (landscape, architecture, portraits, yada yada). But I just don't see the need for it for most sports photography. If you're planning to keep your 7DII and use it alongside the FF camera... great. Just don't be too quick to give it up! I think you'll still want to have it for sports.

Yeah, I know Canon's most pro-oriented, no-holds-barred sports camera is full frame... but the folks buying a $6000 1DX Mark II are fitting it with $11,000+ 600mm f/4 or 200-400mm f/4 with a built-in 1.4x... and often have paid assistants to help them carry the gear or drive them around in golf carts! 1DX II is 20MP, too... same as 7DII. Not sure the 30MP of the 5DIV is needed for sports.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

MidnightManiac

I shoot a lot of sports, mostly outdoor in bright light. Do shoot some indoor..Use my 7DII for both. Outdoor for baseball use a 70-200 f4 L and a 1.4X extender when needed...Indoor use a 70-200 f2.8...Have used a 2X extender and did not like the results...7DII gives the best sports results... Have tried the 5DII and the results were not acceptable to me for sports...