With the Super Bowl being today, I thought it a good time to dream up my perfect NFL Photographer gear kit. This is what I would consider a Canon shooters dream kit with everything I could ever hope for or dream of when it comes to gear. I’ll start with the bodies and work my way down through the lenses.
Bodies:
Bodies, yes plural. Because this is a dream scenario and money is imaginary, my kit will be comprised of (3) bodies. The first two bodies of my kit will be comprised of the beastly Canon mirrorless flagship camera the R3. The R3 is a workhorse with a back-illuminated stacked 24.1 MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor this camera is capable of 30 fps with electronic shutter and 12 fps with mechanical shutter. This fully weather sealed body sporting two card slots is a sports photographers dream. At $5,599.00 per body, you’re getting your bang for your buck with this beast.
My 3rd and final body will be an R5. Having owned an R5 for over a year my love affair with this camera is well documented. While certainly not as fast as its R3 counterpart what the R5 lacks in processing speed it makes up for in multipurpose abilities. The image quality out of this camera is superb and coupling that with being able to shoot 8K Raw and 4K up to 120fps you really can’t go wrong with having this camera around your neck for a game day.
Having three bodies gives me the flexibility to carry two telephoto lenses and one intermediary lens all at the same time. By being able to transition from far to medium to close all at the switch of the camera it gives me the ability to secure any and every photo I need for the Super Bowl.
Lenses:
The main workhorse of my dream Super Bowl kit is the Canon RF400mm F2.8 L IS USM lens. This high performance F2.8 telephoto lens was made exclusively for the RF mount of the Canon mirrorless lineup. Boasting in body image stabilization, dust & water resistance, and more tech than I could know what to do with, this lens will give me everything I need to get tack sharp imagery across the field. Pairing this with the R3 is a cheat code for sports photography.
Next up will be the formidable RF70-200mm F2.8. My most rented lens in 2022, this lens has never once disappointed me. Having utilized this lens multiple times on the sidelines for the Army Black-Knights football team this past football season its fast aperture ensures that whatever you’re shooting you’re going to nail the shot. Also boasting image stabilization and dust & water resistance this lens paired with my second R3 is a perfect intermediary setup for those not too far shots.
Lastly, is a bit of a cop out and sort of a tie. I’m torn between the RF28-70mm F2 and the 15-35mm F2.8. Being an avid owner and supporter of the 28-70 F2 I think this lens gives me everything I need on a up close and personal level. The one drawback is the unfortunate drawback of this beast of a lens is its weight. Coming in at 3.15lbs this is can become heavy around your neck over a four quarter game. I lean slightly towards the 15-35mm just because of it having image stabilization. After the Chiefs score a touchdown right in front of me I’m going to want to flip on that 8K raw and get some short celebratory clips for social media and to me that’s what makes the 15-35 the choice for my R5 setup.
What a dream scenario setup this would be to have on the sidelines taking in all of the sights and sounds of Super Bowl LVII.