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I'm new to this forum and quite an amateur, so I'm gonna wade right in and pick your brains for some help!

I take soccer pics for the Wollongong Wolves web site and have recently acquired my luverly D70 as a parting gift from work. This being my first DSLR, having graduated from, ahem, a little old Fuji S304! Believe it or not the Fuji served me well over the past 2 years as I followed the team all around Australia, although of course it was severely limited, esp in low light.

To get the best outta my D70 I know I'll need to upgrade to a 80-200mm real soon, but can any of you guys offer tips on getting the best possible action shots in both good/poor light conditions with my current lenses? I should mention I have the kit lens, 28-200G, 50mm 1.8 and Sigma 70-300APO. I cannot use flash at all on the sidelines.

Anybody out there who regularly takes action shots with similar gear?

I read good reports on the 80-200ED AF, and while I know the 70-200VR will give great results - will the 80-200 do the job?

Thanks in advance!

I had a play with the 70-200VR on saturday... If you save your biccies for this beast you will not be disapointed

MHD wrote:I had a play with the 70-200VR on saturday... If you save your biccies for this beast you will not be disapointed

And get the D2h with continuous shooting mode<
To shoot sport and it depends on, your kit lens can take some part of it and the Sigma 70-300 can helps also, to get the good action shot, the 80-200 AFS will do you alot under poor lighting condition and freezing the action easy.
The 28-200G and the Sigma 70-300APO are giving you a fair go under good lighting condition, they're not excellent choice, but they will serve well for newspaper and web display. The lenses will hunt alot under poor lighting with no flash allowed.

The 70-200VR is an excellent glass and it's Nikon gem, if it goes with the TC-14EII or TC-20EII, then you have the long covered range to work with your assignment, with the teleconverter, AFS & VR is still available.

Couple of things. Use a monopod. Boost your ISO to 400 on a sunny day and go even higher on a cloudy day. Shoot in shutter priority mode and keep the shutter speed at or above 1/500 sec if you can. Shoot lots of images and shoot just before the action you want occurs. This will feel uncomfortable but ensures that you capture the peak of the action.

Thanks all for your replies. I already implement most of what you have suggested. Need to get that monopod though as the tripod just doesn't cut the mustard! When will this spending ever end

I really cannot afford $2500.00 for the VR, however the 80-200 is probably within reach, and will have to do methinks.

Here's a shot from yesterday's Wolves game at Lambert Park, Leichardt.
Hope I'm allowed to post pics here.
Sigma 70-300APO at 300 length, 1600 speed, 200 ISO, WB - sunny.

Quote: "aw heck! the grand stand is caving in!"

Great image.

Werewolf wrote: When will this spending ever end

Never.

Good shot, by the way

As I told my wife: there are worse hobbies, like fast cars!
(oh and I have mates who spend 3K + on mountain bikes!)

and the lens for 10G!!!!

JordanP wrote:Quote: "aw heck! the grand stand is caving in!"

Hehehehehe...........more like "They can't land THAT thing here!!"

One of the many low flying 747s that roared over the game yesterday!



Again the Sigma 70-300APO, only had this lens a few weeks and I'm quite impressed.

Werewolf: I love that Rules shot. It is magic, you are going to scale heights with the D70. REGARDS

That Sigma has some snap!