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I LOVE NHL hockey. I also love photography but am a very mediocre amateur photographer with a D3000 and its original lens. I basically take pics of flowers, lol. Now someone has invited me to take pics from the front row of an NHL game in October. Is there really any point, without a f2.8 lens? And with this entry level camera? And my lack of experience?
I also read somewhere to avoid a f5.6 lens like the plague, for a hockey game. Why?
Well, you've got a few problems. First off, make sure your friend has credentials for you or at least clearance to get into the game with your dslr and long lens, most professional venues won't allow big glass as they are worried about unapproved photos getting on the web.
Then, if you are allowed in, on to the game! Hockey is a very fast sport. If you don't have a camera with good c-af tracking, you'll likely get very few really good photos, except for wide angle shots.
Then, you have to deal with the fact that you will be shooting through glass, unless your friend can get you up to the holes cut for photos--a very unlikely event unless you are press credentialed. If you are in a seat, the distance from your seat to the glass could cause all sorts of problems with focus.
Hockey venues don't have very good light for photos, since you need to be shooting at 1/500 or above to stop action. I'm not sure if your camera will shoot at ISO 3200 or above, but that's what you need to use even with a lens that will give you an f4 aperture.
Finally, although I wouldn't say to avoid a 5.6 lens like the plague, the problem is that to shoot good hockey shots, you need to separate the players from the background. Most professional shooters will use 2.8 to do this. The 5.6 has just too much depth of field, especially on a dx camera (your dof with a 5.6 lens on a your Nikon dx is equivalent to f9.5 or so on a full-frame camera).
Actually, you'd be better off shooting from one of the locations in the upper tier of the venue and looking for wide angle shots from there, you can see the game better (i.e. watch where the play would be moving) and it will be easier to follow focus. I think you are asking too much of your present equipment.
Thanks so much, John. This is exactly what I needed to know. It's actually a relief to decline such an invitation - yes it would have been press credentialed. Lol. Extremely intimidating and I'm sure the others would have looked at my D3000 like it was a tablet. Back to my relaxed world of rhododendrons
same here .i shoot things i am not good at for myself as a learning experience. but i would never do it for someone expecting first class photo's.
i will do street photography , macro , wildlife or landscape. i can do those things well and i have the gear . but i will not do weddings or sports except for myself.
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