Good point! My camera is 1.3 crop so the 70-200mm becomes a 90-260.

I also have the 85mm 1.8 prime which is about 110mm on my body which I will try shooting some volleyball action. It should work, but might not give as much reach as I desire for the far side of the court.

$2,500 is a good bit of money. I have also considered that I could use the 85mm on my current 1D Mark III and for the same money as the 70-200mm IS II go another direction. For the same money I could buy either another 1D Mark III in excellent condition or a used 5D Mark II and a 135mm Canon prime lens. I would then just shoot with 2 cameras, one for each lens. Certainly something to think about too.

No, I was not aware of that fact. It is sometimes a problem that the same acronym has a different meaning based on the context these days. Now, as Photographers how many know that ISO is not an acronym?

Notorious T.O.D. comes from a work associate about 15 years ago who because of my size started calling me Biggie Smalls which was was another name used by the NY rapper Notorious B.I.G. Who was murdered a few years before. I'm not a great fan of Rap but I do like Biggie's stuff. He was an amazing talent and is still increasing his net worth almost 20 years after he died. So, since my name is Todd I decided to go with Notorious T.O.D. Partly in fun and partly in respect for the amazing talent of Notorious B.I.G.

Well, thanks for all the valuable input thus far. A couple things I know... First I can't wait for a sale or rebate, the season starts in late August and this will be either my daughters last or next to last season of playing in college depending on when she decides to graduate. So, opportunity to get the shots and timing is most critical.

Also, I will not go with the f4 version as that is too slow for indoors in my experience unless shot at higher ISO. I'll likely go for the IS version as I would prefer to only buy this lens once and there is a good chance it will be used for portraits and perhaps even some wedding work. My daughter is studying photography and wants to do it professionally, so we may share some equipment at least to get her started.

The weight is a disadvantage, but I'm a big guy and have a good monopod if I choose to use it. Probably over 6 lbs with my body and this lens combo.

Thanks again to all who replied so far!

Isn't this where I as a Canon shooter say you should dump all Nikon gear and switch to Canon gear! Honestly, you have a wide range and a lot of overlap with those 2 lenses. If you can achieve the same image quality with the one lens then that may be a worthwhile replacement. But being a Canon shooter I am not that familiar with the Nikon lenses. Good luck!

Chris,

If I may ask, what ISO and shutter speeds are you shooting indoors for volleyball?

Thanks!

I am planning to buy a 70-200 mm Canon L lens in the next couple months.
I plan to shoot indoor college volleyball with it as well as drag racing, perhaps some portraits and outdoor close up stuff.

My plan is the 2.8 version but I am wondering if the IS is worth the extra $1000 cost. After all, $1000 goes a long way toward another very nice lens. I will be shooting at higher shutter speeds to stop motion with the volleyball and drag racing, so would IS be of any value. I understand that IS can also slow the focus speed, but I don't know for sure because I have never experienced IS personally. It also seems that you can shut the IS off with a switch on the lens and limit the focus range to speed auto focus.

I will be using this lens primarily with a 1D Mark III so I am ready for the overall weight issue. I'm a big ole boy but I also have a nice monopod if needed. I could also see my daughter using this lens for some portrait and assistant wedding work on occasion too.

I'll look forward to your input and any similar experiences.

Handheld a quick rule of thumb for a MINIMUM shutter speed is the reciprocal of the focal length. For example, 1/50 for a 50mm, 1/500 for a 500mm lens.

I consider 1/250, 1/500, and 1/1000 to be fast shutter speeds for most lenses people use less than 300mm. My camera goes to 1/8000 which I consider very very fast. I have read that most people would never need more than 1/4000.

Very long lenses are best used with a tripod and a fast shutter speed to eliminate camera shake. Image Stabilization helps reduce the effects of camera shake, but if you are trying to stop the subjects motion you still will need a fast shutter speed.

Or you could skip the bolt and go get a 1/4-20 knob at the big box store...

Nor with O Winston Link and his night shots for that matter!

Now there is a photo worth 10,000 words!

I agree. Looks like a cool system. Quick to change which could be handy...

Just let her use the one good camera on auto or a priority mode. She will love the great pictures she gets and it is no harder to use, just a heavier setup...but monopods can help with that if it is too much...

Hey then she might like it so much that she lets you get a second higher quality camera....or you can keep or get her another cheaper one.

Might just be easier to hold the camera upside down and rest it on the hot shoe if you need to get that close to the ground and fire the shutter with a remote...

Does anyone have an example of a standard tripod that will go to a camera height above the ground. I would be interested in seeing that one. Please post a picture or link.

Sell both cameras and get a pro level camera that has one higher capacity battery and will shoot better pictures too. My 1D Mark III has a battery rated for over 2000 shots. My old a Rebel was lucky to get a tenth of that on a single battery.

I'm not trying to be an A$$ about this, but it might merit some consideration really. All those batteries sound like a lot of trouble to deal with and a lot of money invested. Good luck!

I guess the one thing we have to do is define Professional. My son races Top Sportsman Drag Races going from standstill to 180mph in 4 seconds and 660 feet. He has to be licensed, prove he is able to safely drive the car, to participate in this racing. He races for money, sometimes significant money.

Recently a friend asked me if he is a "Professional" racer. My answer was he races in races called Professional, races for money and I guess could be called a professional on some level. Yet I also said that I consider a Professional one who earns his living from an activity. By that definition my son does not and therefore maybe only a very very serious amateur. I think the same applies to photography and many other endeavors.

In my mind, one can be very serious about what they are doing, but it may have nothing to do with how they earn their living. I love serious photography and the equipment but I'll not ever likely make my living doing it.