What zoom lens is the best for taking general action photos? I am willing to sacriice telephoto zooming for performance. Thanks!

-- Eric R. Griggs (gfamunit@aol.com), February 13, 2002

Answers

Eric, To me the answer is no zoom at all. For action shots you need fast shutter speeds and so wide maximum apertures-zooms don't tend to have big apertures. Also handling is rarely as good as primes. Check out primes instead, especially those with internal focussing.

Best wishes Steve

-- Steve Phillipps (steve@redvixen.freeserve.co.uk), February 13, 2002.

I agree with the sentiment that you want a fast lens for action photos, and zooms are rarely fast.

You also give no hint as to the type of action or distance. a 20mm might be great for action photos of skateboarders, where you can plant the camera right next to the action. A 200mm or even 300mm might be good for action photos of a football game where you're forced to shoot from the sidelines. But a 20-300 zoom will definitely be really lousy for either type of action photo.

-- Richard Cochran (rcochran@lanset.com), February 13, 2002.