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Question: Should I get a Teleconverter of a Telephoto Lense for Shooting Sports!?
I love taking sports photos, and am looking to make a business out of it!. Currently I have a 50-150mm lens and a 18-40mm lens!. The 150mm doesn't quite cut it for most sports, because of the distance from the sidelines to the players (ie: baseball, football, auto racing)!. So I was wondering what would be a better choice: Buying a 2x teleconverter to help my current telephoto lens, or would a better telephoto lens (say a 300mm) be the best choice!?Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Teleconverters eat light, so shooting indoors or at night is problematic, so your shooting in the sports venue will be limited!.

Then I saw you were thinking of going into business as a sports photographer!. That is a totally different ballgame!. Now you need a number of things!. A couple of long prime lenses (400 mm f/2!.8 and 600 mm f/4) as well as a good fast 24-70 mm lens for shooting around the pits and sidelines!. Two bodies would be a start and one tripod to mount the 600 mm lens and a monopod for shooting a long the sidelines at American football games or soccer games!.

When your write your business plan, include how you expect to fund the new equipment !.!.!. Nikon or Canon !.!.!. I just helped a friend run the numbers for her biz proposal with the same lenses and she has had to budget over $30,000 for the cameras, lenses and support gear !.!.!. this does not include a suitable notebook computer with Photoshop CS4 installed!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Definitely the prime telephoto lens!. Remember a teleconverter is going to cut at least a stop from the maximum aperture of your zoom lens which is no good if you want a fast shutter speed to photograph the auto racing you refer to!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I would never use one because it compromises maximum apeture!.Www@QuestionHome@Com