As stated VR or IS is not needed or used for shooting action. I would only think about using it if my shutter speed had to fall below 1/lens length setting many recommend as a minimum. At 200mm I would want a 1/200 shutter speed and even that would not likely stop all motion in most sports. 1/400 or two time the 200mm is even better. To me the best solution, but usually an expensive one is a body with great high ISO capability and after that comes faster glass. Sometimes a fast prime lens can be a solution. I shoot/shot a lot of sports and racing with an 85mm f/1.8 which focuses fast and cost about $350 new. If you can use flash that also helps but most high school sports will not want that. I often shoot drag racing at night at ISO 4000 to 10,000 and use flash too. Many tracks can be very dark at night...

Best,
Todd Ferguson

Yes, it is a challenge but you are off to a good start. I think I would open my aperture up and try to isolate the action from the background a bit more. Maybe try f/3.5 to f/4.0 and see if that isolates things a little more. Probably could lower your ISO a bit to 800 or 1000 and a Shutter Speed of 1200 to 2000 should be sufficient to freeze any motion. Happy shooting!

Best,
Todd Ferguson

Tom,
I sent you my PayPal information in a PM.
Do you have a PayPal account?
You just log on to your PayPal account and send the money to the address I sent you.
If you don't have a PayPal account you might be able to do it as a guest. I am not sure about that though.

Todd

Cookie,

I think either is a great lens but I think the 70-200 2.8 II is more versatile overall. Especially if you want to bring it indoors to shoot too. Keep us posted and if you have any questions you can post here or PM me.

Best,
Todd

Or if people don't want to do the research or know what questions to ask at least buy from someone who has a solid return policy that allows you to try out the gear and return it if it is not for you... Some people are just not going to do the research...even though it is probably easier than ever to access information today. You still have to be able to determine what is good information and what is not. Look at how much inaccurate information gets posted even on this site...

Best,
Todd Ferguson

Ok Tom..

Cookie,

If I read your reply to Trix and understand your future spending plans I would suggest the following:

If you are satisfied with the REACH of your 70-200 with the TC 1.4 III I would suggest you upgrade that lens to the 2.8 II. It will work better with your TC. I think this is the best versatile solution on the 7D2 as it gives you a shorter usable length than the 100-400 and the 100-400 is probably not a lens you are going to use in the house for family photos...

If you are looking for more REACH then I would say get the 100-400 II. Keeping the TC or not then becomes a more of a choice in my mind. If you are staying with the 70-200 then I would probably keep the TC for a while at least and see if you use it or not.

Other inexpensive Canon lenses I can recommend as great values are the 40mm Pancake STM and the Nifty 50. Either of these lens are good pieces of kit and would be usable on your 7D2 even with the crop factor. If you have a 24-70 that is good then there is no need to mess with these two.

I would also suggest that you think about a good Speedlite. Canon 580EX II or 600EX-RT I or II are not inexpensive but will improve your shooting in lower light situations with any lens. I have the 600s and they will reach out 200' to provide additional light. Also a Speedlite will be usable indoors for family photos, etc. I got my last 600EX-RT II on sale at B&H for $450 IIRC.

The other thing that will help your photography all around if you are shooting in RAW is a $100 Xrite ColorChecker Passport. This is a great tool for getting accurate color and white balance. There are a number of Youtube videos on it and what it does. It is probably the best money I have spent on my photography. It is one of those things that you think you probably don't need or want to bother with but once you use it you will love it I believe. Maybe ask for one for a gift this season...

Best,
Todd Ferguson

WOW Cookie!!! I can see things are moving in the right direction with your changes! Keep it up and don't hesitate to ask me or others more questions if you have them.

With regard to lenses my two most used lenses are Canon's 24-70 2.8II and the 70-200 2.8 II. These are two great lenses and very versatile. I am shoot them on a FF body and an APS-H body which has a 1.3 crop factor. I also have the Canon TC 2.0x III that I use with the 70-200. I feel I get acceptably sharp results with the TC and the 70-200, but it becomes a f5.6 lens at all zoom settings. I counter that issue with a body that has great high ISO capability. I can post an example or two of shots taken with this combo if you are interested. If you use the 1.4 TC you will not get the Aperture penalty as it will be an F4 lens. And with your crop body you will get a narrower field of view too. In part it comes down to whether you would use the faster 70-200 at 2.8 more than the 100-400 which is a slower lens. I like my options but your needs might be different.

That said, the 100-400 II is an awesome awesome lens. My friend Tara Bowker shoots a ton with it. You can look at her shots on her Facebook page Black Rock Photography. It is a big lens and it extends as you zoom. If you use a Speedlite on the camera with that lens you can be using a setup that weighs 7-8 pounds. Not something you want hanging around your neck...but on a sling or belt holster setup. You may also want to use a good monopod with it at times. You could use your 1.4 TC with that lens too and that will give some long reach with your 7DII. But it will be a f/5.6 to f/8.0 maximum aperture. It is always a trade off in some way or another. It is a great well built L lens and worth the money. I personally am still thinking the II is the way to go vs the I version. So, there are good options you just have to decide what you want overall now and maybe in the future and what you can afford to spend and what you might part with too. A 100-400 II might be in my future, but there are more costly options that also interest me too... I had the chance to play with a 200-400 with the built in 1.4 TC a few months ago and that is a fantastic lens too, but new it is north of $10k... But we can dream...

Best,
Todd Ferguson

The latest manual and software can be downloaded from the Sekonic website. I downloaded the manual for the new 858 meter to study before I decided to purchase it.

I recently purchased the 858 meter and it does not come with a printed manual or software anymore. I do not have the original box for the 758DR.

Best,
Todd Ferguson

Not at all to required to treat every customer as a newbie. That is were the sales staff has to inquire a bit to determine what the level of the customer might be. They should then get an idea of the level of knowledge the buyer has or believes he/she has. Is a camera, especially an entry level camera expensive technology. It might be to some and it might not be to others. It is hard to paint with a broad brush. And many areas don't have a good brick and mortar camera store with knowledgeable staff. Many people are going to have to rely on a less than expert sales staff in a big box store or what info they can and are willing to gather from other sources.

Best,
Todd Ferguson

It's all good...

Best,
Todd Ferguson

105-450 on a Nikon crop...

Best,
Todd Ferguson

I think the problem also becomes if the salesperson is going to educate the person he has to assess the knowledge level of the buyer and he also has to try to determine if he is really there to make a purchase or just window shopping. So if it is determined that the buyer needs some education then the question becomes where does the education end. There are literally hundreds of options in entry level cameras and the features of such; let alone the options of moving up a level or two. Now, f the sales person is not busy and has time to get into a discussion with the buyer then that is one thing. But if the salesperson has other customers waiting to bee waited on the salesperson may need to limit that discussion and move on to helping someone else. It is interesting in retail as there are an infinite types of customers to deal with and you have to be able to manage all that and ultimately try to make the sale. When I worked in retail in high school and college I quickly realized that much of the world operates at about a 7th grade level. That is neither good nor bad it just is the way I saw it. As I got into the world of big business I realized that most larger sales and longer term sales and support deals are not only based on the product but also on the personal relationships that you can and are willing to develop with the customer. But even having a great relationship does not guarantee the sale is successful in the end. There can be and are many other factors.

Best,
Todd Ferguson

SOLD...This Meter has been SOLD...


I am offering for sale my Sekonic 758DR light meter with case, USB cord, rechargeable batteries with charger and some extra lens cover, sync port cover and stickers. It has the RT32 radio module, but I don't use that radio capability.

Price is $385 shipped in the 48 states via Priority Mail. I would rate it as 95 percent of new quality and condition. If is fully functional. Payment can be via money order or PayPal. Note this is NOT the Cine model.

Best,
Todd Ferguson

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Rich, have you worked in retail? How can a salesperson ever ensure that you will be and remain happy with your purchase. There is also such a thing as buyers remorse and salespeople with bias and agendas as well as the same for stores. There are also customers who will come in and take the salesperson's time and ask many questions and walk out without buying anything or perhaps worse go buy somewhere else for a better price. There is not the same loyalty between customers, employees and business owners that there was 30 years ago.

I buy some small camera gear locally but largely do my own research and buy from B&H, Adorama or eBay. Mostly part of the issue is that the local camera store doesn't carry the items I am looking to buy and has no interest in trying to order them for me. So, they get some sales and they lose a lot of sales...but that is just the marketplace today as I see it.

Best,
Todd Ferguson