Tag: #sports photography

Nikon D5 & 28-300mm perfect travel for sports

by Stanley LearyPhotography
Little boy roping during the Dummy Roping Contest at the 27th Annual Pana’Ewa Stampede Rodeo put on by the Hawaii Horse Owners in Hilo, Hawaii, on February 18, 2019. [NIKON D5, 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6, ISO 720, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000, Focal Length = 150]

When traveling and doing mainly general photography, I don’t pack a Nikon 200-500mm or a 600mm ƒ/4. I have found that the Nikon 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 is the perfect lens for about 99% of the situations I encounter.

Cowgirl Barrel Racing at the 27th Annual Pana’Ewa Stampede Rodeo in Hilo, Hawaii. [NIKON D5, 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6, ISO 1600, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000, Focal Length = 300]

When I went to The Big Island of Hawaii, I saw online that there was a rodeo going on when I was there in Hilo. I just decided to travel with my Nikon D5 because of its unsurpassed ability to follow focus and freeze action.

The lens did a great job. Could I have done better with a 200-500mm–YES. However, I would then have to pack that large piece of glass.

I cropped a little in on these photos knowing that the principal place I will use them is on my website. A 20-megapixel image can easily be cropped for this end-use.

Cowboys compete in steer wrestling at the 27th Annual Pana’Ewa Stampede Rodeo put on by the Hawaii Horse Owners in Hilo, Hawaii, on February 18, 2019. [NIKON D5, 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6, ISO 1800, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000, Focal Length = 210]

Now here are the settings I use for sports with my Nikon D5.

Pana’Ewa Stampede Rodeo Hawaii Horse Owners 27th Annual Hilo, Hawaii [NIKON D5, 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6, ISO 2000, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000, Focal Length = 300]

While I had the brand new Nikon Z6, it doesn’t perform as well as the Nikon D5. The Nikon D5 computer does a much better job with focus and buffer. You can shoot 200 RAW images before the buffer fills up. That is a lot. At 12 fps, you can pretty much nail the shot.

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