Tag: #sports photography

Nikon D5 & 28-300mm perfect travel for sports

by Stanley LearyPhotography
Reading Time: 2 minutes
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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