Upgrading?

[sodaslinger]

Looking at upgrading from my XSi to a 50D...of course the 7D sure looks inviting! I will be selling mine to a friend who wants to get something better than what she currently owns, so my kit lens (18-55) and the EF 70-300 IS will be going with in this sale. I already have the 70-200 f2.8L lens, so what would be a good choice for a more "close quarters" lens. Most of my photography will be of our children in sports (volleyball, hockey,tennis) and the occasional portrait stuff. Thanks in advance for your help.

[Steve Foss]

ss, you'll need speed even at wide angle for those indoor sports, so I'd look for a used Canon 16-35 f2.8L Mk1. Since the Mk2 came out, the still excellent Mk1 has shown a significant price drop used. You may also consider the Canon 24-70 f2.8L, which on a 1.6 crop body isn't quite wide angle but is significantly wider than your 70-200.

If budget is an issue, Tamron and Sigma both make excellent 17-50 f2.8 lenses of pro quality for a lot less than Canon money. I have a copy of the Tamron and it focuses very quickly and is nice and sharp even wide open.

[Dbl]

Good recommendations on wide lenses from Steve, though if you are looking for fast accurate focus I would stick with the first two he mentions. Most sports shooters use one of those two lenses shooting wide with the majority using the 24-70/2.8. I also have a Tamron 28-75/2.8 that does a very credible job. I've used it on virtually every indoor sport and on a fast focusing body it does OK. The price is really tough to beat at around the $320 mark.

If you are looking for primes for a cheap price you can look at the 50/1.8. Works OK, noisy focus and the focus tends to hunt but for the price its worth keeping one in your bag. Another highly regarded prime is the 85/1.8. Many portrait shooters love this lens on full frame or 1.3 bodies. I have one that gets pulled out when it is really dark inside a venue and on the occasional portrait shoot.

If I might offer some insight on "close quarter" lenses. I have a few of them and for the most part they rarely see the light of day. The lens you do own, the 70-200/2.8 rarely ever comes off of one of my cameras. I really prefer that lens on a full frame or 1.3 crop body because the 70mm end works much better on many indoor venues, you mentioned volleyball. It is a really nice lens for both hockey and tennis.

The lens I use the most on the wide end is the 17-40/4, this is a real work horse for me with most of team shots I do. Most of the sports shooters that use the 24-70 use it on full frame or 1.3 crop bodies. So if you are looking for something on the wide end with a budget I would look at the 17-40L and the Tamron 28-75/2.8 because of the price. I don't personally use any EF-S lenses because I shoot both types of cameras and don't want any glass that I can't use on any camera. If you won't be upgrading to a full frame or 1.3 crop body that may not be a concern.

[finnbay]

Ditto on Dan's last two paragraphs.