Is a Canon 60D with a Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 a good setup for action photography?
Asked 8/13/2011
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I'm looking at a refurbished Canon 60D with a Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR lens. I mainly shoot scenery, but I also want to photograph fast action such as drag racing. Would this lens/body combination be a good choice for action, especially in terms of autofocus speed and low-light AF performance? If not, what type of lens would be a better fit while still covering some telephoto range?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
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For 'fast action photography' - I'd imagine you'd want something with the 'ultra sonic' focus - its much faster than the old motors in lenses. If you're stuck to Canon, that means 'USM' lens. For 3rd party lenses, it means 'HSM' for Sigma and 'USD' for Tamron.
Unless you need that extreme 28-300mm range, I'd also consider something with a faster aperture and probably sharper. Each of the brands (Canon, Sigma, and Tamron) for that camera produce a 70-300mm f/4-5.6 that would also certainly produce better images. If budget is less of a concern - try a 70-200mm f/2.8, but I believe they're probably out of your price range. Addionally, a faster aperture than 6.3 is going to give your autofocus more light to work with.
If you're not stuck to Canon, consider a Nikon D5100 or D7000 or a Pentax K-r or K-5 and similar lenses as suggested above. Brand choice is really a whole other matter and is discussed in other questions (and here and here).
Originally by user1917. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1917
15y ago
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The Canon 60D can handle action reasonably well, but the bigger limitation here is the Tamron 28-300mm. Superzoom lenses like this trade convenience for slower autofocus, dimmer apertures, and often lower image quality.
For fast action, a lens with a faster focusing motor is the better choice: Canon USM, Sigma HSM, or Tamron USD. A lens with a wider maximum aperture also helps because it gives the autofocus system more light to work with.
If you don’t truly need the full 28-300mm range, a 70-300mm f/4-5.6 from Canon, Sigma, or Tamron would likely be a better action lens and should give better image quality. If your budget allows, a 70-200mm f/2.8 is an even stronger option for action because of its faster aperture and typically better AF performance.
So: the 60D is fine, but the 28-300mm is not the wisest choice if action is important. It’s more of a convenience lens than a sports lens.
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