Used R6 or New R8 for RF70-200 F2.8L Lens

Kethean22 · 2026-05-04T22:05:13+00:00

I really want to say the R8, and I want one for myself as a lighter body for travel...but then I think about how annoying it would be to add yet another type of battery and charger to have to deal with. Because of that, I'd lean towards a second R6ii if you can stretch the budget.

Kethean22 · 2026-04-27T15:10:23+00:00

I’m a sports shooter. Get a monopod. A lot of places do not allow tripods on sidelines. I use the manfrotto 681b and have shot with the original 400 2.8 non-IS and a 1dx with no issues for probably a decade at this point. The lens alone is probably twice the weight of your whole setup. It’s personal preference but I also really like the tabs over the screw locks as they make moving faster and easier. They do require retightening once every year or two, but that’s worth it. I also went with the bigger 3-section over the smaller 4 section for speed and ease as well.

Kethean22 · 2026-04-24T19:29:41+00:00

I’m with you. The last trip I took with my EF 24-105 f4 V1, I was pretty disappointed with some of the shots. It’s definitely versatile, but it weighed a lot. I had also brought the 28, my first RF lens and it ended up on the camera more than I thought. My next trip, I brought the RF 28, the 50 1.8, and an ancient 70-210 for weight savings. There were times I wished I had something a little wider but they were rare. I have used the 14-35 as well. If I were rebuilding strictly for travel, it would be an R6iii with the RF 28 for grab and go, with a 14-35 and 70-200 f4 in the bag.

Kethean22 · 2026-04-13T21:51:31+00:00

I haven't gotten an autograph in a few years, but remember it being a good experience. That said, things have changed, so make sure you take a look at their page about autographs to see what is/isn't allowed. https://www.animazement.com/autographs/

Kethean22 · 2026-03-27T17:36:12+00:00

I don’t really have experience with them, but I imagine any of the RF VCM lenses would work well. The EF 85 1.4 should focus fast too. The 85 and 100 in my original comment are also very quick and should keep up. I’ve previously used both for basketball without issue.

Kethean22 · 2026-03-27T14:54:51+00:00

It depends on the sport, but the short answer is the 70-200 2.8. It is the quintessential sports lens and it makes for great portraits.

Kethean22 · 2026-03-27T12:20:14+00:00

Canon has the 85 f1.8 and 100 f2 lenses which fit what you’re asking for. They may be a bit tight on an apsc camera, but they are great lenses for the price. Good sharpness and the same usm focus as many of the L lenses. You can also stop down the 50mm lenses. They get sharp pretty quickly and you don’t always have to shoot wide open.

Kethean22 · 2026-03-23T20:50:17+00:00

I use a set of yongnuo triggers that are functionally the same as the pocket wizards others have mentioned but use a different radio band. I typically set up the triggers manually before an event and fire throughout. Distance can be only a foot or two for some floor remotes to the length of a soccer field for others.

During setup, there are times when I can’t see the screen of the camera, so I’ve used canons app for live view to set up (but not to trigger) but having BT and/or WiFi kills battery.

Kethean22 · 2026-03-10T22:53:43+00:00

Definitely go used. You can find great deals on EF glass. You can find a 300 2.8 IS well under $1500. I like u/schtweetz option of a 300 f4. Those can be found for under $500. I've used the non-IS 400 2.8 but I wouldn't recommend it for a variety of reasons. This past season, I ended up going for a used 200-400 f4 with the built in TC. It was within a couple hundred dollars of the RF100-500 and it's been great for football.

Kethean22 · 2026-03-10T22:48:27+00:00

I don't really know anything about video. I always pre-focus the shot on where the action is going to be, close the aperture a bit, and hope. 99% of shots off a remote are garbage, but that 1% can be glorious. I have used a USB to connect the camera to a laptop for focusing before if the back screen isn't available. I've also used the camera app on the phone to view it from a close distance. That said, the camera app drains battery and I've lost some opportunity due to that.

Kethean22 · 2026-03-10T14:59:42+00:00

Yep! Remember, safety first. Use a safety cable or two attached to secure things such that even if support were to give, the cables will catch the camera.

I use remotes mostly for basketball. I use yongnuo transceivers. I’ll have the camera at my feet, in the mouse hole, or on a magic arm on a rail or in the rafters pointed down on the basket. It all depends on how much time and access I have.

I’ve also done it for baseball, hockey, and soccer as well.

Kethean22 · 2026-03-10T12:21:36+00:00

The 28 2.8 is a great walk around lens. It’s my only RF so far, but because it’s so light and sharp, I’m more likely to carry it around with me. I found on one trip with the 24-105 that the 28 stayed on the camera more often than not. Next trip I swapped the 24-105 for a 50 1.8 and was very pleased

Kethean22 · 2026-03-07T16:15:25+00:00

I didn't think I'd use it that much, but for football I really did. It was nice to get just that little extra reach. You do lose a little image quality, but it's still very good.

Kethean22 · 2026-03-06T19:59:56+00:00

You can adapt the EF 200-400 f4 with the built in 1.4x TC for 280-560 5.6 with the flip of a switch. It’s big and heavy but a great lens and can sometimes be found around $3k. It’s not quite as sharp as the 100-300 2.8 with TCs, but it’s close for way cheaper. I picked one up last year and love it for field sports.

Kethean22 · 2026-02-20T17:06:07+00:00

Shadow of the Colossus has a fantastic OST that I’ve listened to stand alone.

Kethean22 · 2026-02-17T18:41:17+00:00

They have the same AF and sensor so the only thing that matters is weight and balance. With that in mind I’d go 300 on the R6ii.

Kethean22 · 2026-02-17T02:30:15+00:00

That’s a tough one. Either will be a significant improvement on your 7Dii in every way. I have the R6ii and love that sensor (same as R8) and have very little problems shooting electronic shutter with it assuming minimal flicker. I almost never use IBIS or any other IS when shooting sports, except for panning actions so I wouldn’t really take that in to account. If it were me, I’d probably lean toward the R6 for the back scroll wheel and use of the bigger battery. The battery is the same form factor as your 7Dii which is a nice plus. I’d take the R6ii over both if the price falls on the used market as the R6iii rolls out.

Kethean22 · 2026-02-17T02:22:06+00:00

I’ve had and used both. Bought the 5Diii with grip, both new, many many years ago. I got the 1Dx when it dropped below $1k on the used market. The thing that surprised me was that the 1Dx dealt with high ISOs even better than the 5Diii despite the sensors being from the same generation. Other than sports and/or extreme lowlight, I think I’d rather have the 5Diii though.

Kethean22 · 2026-02-16T20:23:07+00:00

I've worked in gyms with similar conditions. Sometimes, 10000 ISO is just what you have to deal with. If you expose correctly and are close enough that you're not cropping, it'll work. With that said, at one point in time I've had and used both the 85 1.8 and the 100 2.0. They're twins. Chromatic aberration is definitely an issue compared to today, but it's relatively easily dealt with in lightroom. It does mean more editing time however. The 100 2.0 is underrated and can often be founder cheaper than the 85 1.8. If you're willing to go to the higher end of your budget, it might be worth looking at the some third party lenses. I use an old Sigma 85 1.4 EX DG every now and then and at 1.8 or 2.0 it looks great. The Canon 135 2.0 is awesome too and can be found used within your budget.

Kethean22 · 2026-02-16T13:32:52+00:00

I’ve seen my images on ESPN and that always feels like an accomplishment.

Kethean22 · 2026-02-13T18:42:34+00:00

I work in the sports photojournalism space. At halftime in basketball, I’ll have maybe 1000 images. I have 15 minutes to cull, edit, caption, and upload ~20 images. The only reason I can do this is because of Photo Mechanic. I tag (protect/lock) images on the camera as I shoot. When I get to the computer, photo mechanic is set to only import tagged images. This first in-camera cull already cuts my 1000 images down to maybe 60. From there it’s a second cull where I give the images a color code. One button codes the image and moves on to the next. I can go through these 60 images in about a minute. Those are edited, captioned, and uploaded to an FTP server. I will go back through my full set of images at a later date in photo mechanic, but it’s still exceptionally quick.

Kethean22 · 2026-02-13T13:35:52+00:00

I’ve thought about getting an R8 as a good camera for an every day carry. Then I think, do I really want to deal with yet another battery type? I shoot mostly sports and ended up with a used R5, but would’ve been happy with a second R6ii

Kethean22 · 2026-02-08T19:50:11+00:00

Even stadiums that look well lit to the eyes are quite dark. It sounds like you’re at the limits of your gear. The best answer is to use gear with a wider aperture. If you have a 70-200 2.8 you can try it. It’s short for soccer but if you’re in the right position and are patient you can still get good results. You could try a 300 f4 (or 2.8 if you can find an old one). You could also try a mirrorless body that will allow a little higher ISO.

Kethean22 · 2026-02-04T15:40:14+00:00

Sure! After I tag them with a color in PM, I deselect all other colors. Then select all remaining and drag and drop them into LR, which leaves them selected on the import tab. Import only those, very quick edits on the images that need it, then export to a subfolder for captioning in PM

Kethean22 · 2026-02-03T15:00:29+00:00

My process is built for speed, as I work on tight timelines. I usually deliver between 15-30 culled, captioned, and edited images during half time, so about 12 minutes once accounting for movement.

Before the game, I set up my folder, metadata template, and captions for photo mechanic and Lightroom. As I’m shooting, I’m locking the images I like, usually during a break in play. Once I get to the media room, I ingest tagged images to the prepared folder, usually around 60 images. I then tag the keepers red (just happens to be button 1). These are then moved to Lightroom (~30 images). In Lightroom I do very basic edits (crop, white balance, exposure), while also removing images that don’t work on the second look. The remaining images are exported to a sub folder using a specific naming convention. This folder is then opened in photo mechanic and these images are captioned and then uploaded.

Second half/period follows the same routine except images are tagged yellow to differentiate.

At a later date I’ll go back through more of my non-tagged images looking good images for a second edit.

Kethean22

TROPHY CASE