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Sports photography 300 F4MM

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I have the opportunity to buy a 300 F4 MM at a good price. I want to use this lense for sports photography, in particular surfing, possibly with a teleconverter if needed. Does anyone have any advice, or experience of using this lense (or any other manual focus zeiss C/Y) for sports or any other `fast` photography. Unfortunaltely I will not have the opportunity to experiment before I make the purchase, and I do want this lense to be useable for this purpose as I really don`t want the expense and hassle of changing system.
 
> I have the opportunity to buy a 300 F4 MM at a good price. I want to> use this lense for sports photography, in particular surfing, possibly> with a teleconverter if needed. Does anyone have any advice, or> experience of using this lense (or any other manual focus zeiss C/Y)> for sports or any other `fast` photography. Unfortunaltely I will not> have the opportunity to experiment before I make the purchase, and I> do want this lense to be useable for this purpose as I really don`t> want the expense and hassle of changing system.

As a long time surfer and surf photographer myself I can offer you some thoughts on this - firstly , focusing is not easy even if you are quite adept and/or practised in the art of "follow-focusing" . As a consequence , you need all the help you can get , therefore , use the smallest aperture possible to geta decent depth of field which gives you just that little bit of leeway necessary for sharper pics . The faster the lens the better , in my opinion the CZ300 F4 probably wont do it as its not that fast and most times wont be long enough either - which means using 2x or 1.4x converters , which also means losing 1-2 stops at a time when you also want fairly fast shutter speeds too!Using a faster film can also help here of course , but for quality's sake I prefer not go faster than my beloved Provia 400F unless the light's really crap. You dont say where you will be shooting and what sort of terrain to expect , but most times 500-600 is just the starting point . Personally I use a Tamron 300 F2.8 with matched 1.4x and 2x converters for when I need the extra length[they are still available with C/Y adaptall mount , or easy to find secondhand] , and I am very happy with this lens . My last trip to J-Bay I scored some great pics - fortunately the waves there dont break too far out and in the afternoon the lovely light is behind you , so you can get close-ish on the rocks[but watch the tide!]. Beach breaks and some reefs can sometimes be a problem in terms of distance to subject , even with my 600 , but you can usually get fair results even so...... Let me know where you're going to be shooting and if you need any other info..... Steve
 
> It's my recommendation that you should not buy this lens. I found mine and any others that I tried to be soft, and worst with the Mutar II. I now use the VS 100-300 and a Tamron 300 f2.8, both are far better in my > experience.
 
Good information. Thanks very much. Stephen, I will be photographing exclusively in Brazil, mainly Sao Paolo. The breaks here are fairly close to the beach, I have seen some photos from a friends zoom, though they had no idea how long the zoom is. I assumed it was 300mm max. I have been considering changing to Nikon for a long time, realistically I do think that the Nikon system would better suit my needs, especially with the current uncertainty with the contax manual system, and the availability of digital SLR`s at a less than astronomic price. It looks like this could be the push I need.
 
Good information. Thanks very much. Stephen, I will be photographing> exclusively in Brazil, mainly Sao Paolo. The breaks here are fairly> close to the beach, I have seen some photos from a friends zoom,> though they had no idea how long the zoom is. I assumed it was 300mm> max. I have been considering changing to Nikon for a long time,> realistically I do think that the Nikon system would better suit my> needs, especially with the current uncertainty with the contax manual > system, and the availability of digital SLR`s at a less than> astronomic price. It looks like this could be the push I need.

I still occasionally have contact with friends who used to surf on the world tour and they all say the main breaks in Brazil are beachbreaks - so the tides will to a large extent prescribe how close you will be , but probably not that close . I wouldnt necessarily be so hasty to abandon Contax yet , personally I'm in for the long haul , but we each have different priorities . Gadgets nad autofocus aside , you might find yourself disappointed with Nikon colour and quality - many have gone the other way for precisely this...... The Tamron lens is reasonably priced and would be a much cheaper option than going over to a totally new system altogether . Digital bodies may or may not do it for you [ it doesnt at all for me] , and lots has been said about shutter lag which would be a crucial ffactor for surf photography . That said , a fellow of my acquaintance is the official photog. on the world tour and he uses Canon digital....... Steve
 
Hi Sean,

although I am very satisfied with this lens I think it is to slow for a teleconverter. For fast moving subjects an autofocus with image stabilisation should be the way to produce sharp photographs.

For landscapes, this lens is very good. See my website for ex&les: www.planet.nl/~melvinredeker

Melvin
 
Just caught up with your postings. I use a 300mm Tessar f4 with Mutar II converter for my surfing pictures and the results are stunning. The lens I had before that was a Yashica 500mm mirror, and the Zeiss glass is 10 times better.

Check the results in the Sports section of my web site at www.cvscotland.com

Have fun,

Andy
 
The weather at Thurso is reputedly fairly ghastly [ and it doesnt look warm in your pics!] , presumably you were using quickish film to make up the speed a bit?? Steve
 
The weather is typical Scottish - blazing sun one minute and a howling gale & wind the next. One advantage is that in mid summer it never gets totally dark, and the sun is up by 3am - don't mention the winter though!
The shots were mainly on 200iso film but I have also had good results on other subjects using Fuji 800iso press colour negative film.

Andy
 
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