Baseball stadium, what lens?

[grizzz]

I'm the lucky owner of 2 nose bleed seats for the Washington Nationals this year. With today being opening day I'm getting excited. The home opener isn't until the 14th. My question is would my bessa L with the 25/4 be to wide for this type of shooting. I'm looking for an overall stadium/people/atmosphere and not zooming in on the players. I have the rest of the year and a digital slr for that stuff. I'm thinking the first opening day in 30+ years should be about the fans. I will most liklely bring a Canonet along as well with it more normal lense on it. Should I bring the L or not? Of course the reason not is to not have to carry any extra stuff (not that it's big). Also RFK isn't exactly Disney World and I don't want to loose the thing 😕

Thanks, John

 

[jlw]

I'd think the wider the better, if you're going for the overall view... and maybe for the fan shots as well. I'm guessing that on the first opening day in 30 years, people are going to be a little crazy -- so a somewhat exaggerated perspective would be perfectly appropriate!

If you're worried about carrying two cameras, I'd say gut it out and leave the Canonet at home. That's one of the great things about being an amateur: you can afford to take chances that the professionals can't! If it turns out that the 25 is just totally the wrong guess, well, you can still sit back and enjoy the game...

 

[oftheherd]

Or you could take the Canon and take several shots and stitch them together, knowing you have a longer lens that the 25 for most shots. It should be easier to keep track of too.

Check before hand to insure you can take a camera. Try to get an answer in writing to show to well-meaning but over-zealous secutiry personnel.

Good luck

 

[bmattock]

I have not had good luck with wide-angle shots in a stadium. I've found I can't capture the noise, excitement and so on. Sure a couple of wide (20 to 28mm) shots as establishing shots, but then it gets very boring - one crowd looks pretty much like another seen as a mass of writhing drunken humanity. I find myself reaching more often for my 50mm at the ball park when I am not trying to shoot players with a long lens.

Just my two cents - and as to the lens for the crowd, I think a 28mm is pretty much good. Wider should not hurt - unless you start getting keystoning or barrel distortion. And that might be fun, too.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[furcafe]

Personally, unless you really need to capture a truly wide vista (remember, you're already getting a wide view in the nosebleed seats), I think a normal, 50mm-ish, lens would be fine. In my limited experience shooting @ a few baseball & football games, I found a 50mm or short tele (e.g., 100mm) sufficed for most shots of fans & other goings-on. Then again, RFs are small, so there's no great loss in bringing 2 cameras, or 1 camera w/2 lenses.

According to my Nats "Policies & Information" brochure, only "video cameras & professional cameras with detachable zoom lenses & tripods" are prohibited (& are listed way down past metal, plastic, & glass containers & backpacks & large bags). I take it that "professional cameras" is non-photographer-speak for "big-ass SLR." FWIW, I've never had difficulties bringing an M Leica w/me to baseball or football games & don't anticipate having a problem @ RFK.

Check before hand to insure you can take a camera. Try to get an answer in writing to show to well-meaning but over-zealous secutiry personnel.

Good luck

 

[rover]

25 for crowd and stadium shots, but not to catch any of the action of the game. You will be too far away from the field for the players to be anything but specks. That said, you seem to have seasons tickets. Start with the 25 and try a new lens for each game.

I was at Shea Stadium last year in the upper deck for a game. I wanted to take my camera but didn't. At sunset the sky was beautiful and I had a great picture of it over the stands. 28 or 25mm would have been great. Remember too that you will be in very tight quarters, so a wide angle for crowd shots will be great. Also, use fast film, faster than you think is necessary, 800 or faster if you can.

 

[peter_n]

The only time I've been in a baseball stadium the last few years was here in Fenway Park last October. 😀 I had a 50mm on the cam and I thought I did OK with it, the attachment is from that roll. I'm lucky enough to be going to a Real Madrid match at the Santiago Bernabéu later this month and I'm taking my new Canonet with the fixed 40mm. 🙂

 

[MCTuomey]

Gawd, Peter, I'm jealous. Enjoy the match and please share pictures when you get back. I have to listen every week to a Liverpool fan who complains how Real "wastes" the talent of Michael Owen. Not meanly, he just wants Owen back with Liverpool. Hopeless romantic that he is.

Sorry this is OT.

 

[pabaker34]

Hi, I'm new and I don't have a rangfinder yet, but I saw this thread and I had to jump in. Re: the Real Madrid discussion, they finally started Owen in the Real vs. Albacete game and guess what? he scores! Anyway, to peter_n lucky guy, I just wish I could be at the Real Madrid vs. Barca game this weekend. BTW, back on topic, I was at the B'ham World Cup qualifier and had a 28-135mm lens on the Minolta and found that 28mm was a great focal length for catching some crowd view and the field. I think if you go any wider the field will be really small and the crowd will just look like a big mush of people, except for those right under you.

 

[peter_n]

I know I'm lucky! 😀 The Bernabéu is one of the cathedrals of the game - I can hardly wait!

Welcome to the forum pabaker34! 🙂

 

[tedwhite]

Heck, I'd take the L with the 25/4. You can get lots of close stuff with it too. See the cactus shot in my gallery (3 feet), also the coffee shop shot with an M2 with 21/4 super angulon.

Ted

 

[pabaker34]

Just wondering about the 21/f4, how close do people need to be to fill up a decent amount of the frame?

 

[bmattock]

With a 21, you can't get close enough before they start to look like cartoon people. However, at a ballgame, that effect can be fun. Suggestion is that after a couple of frames of this, the look becomes boring.

I mean, really - a 21 is going to give you the person's whole body at about 5 feet away. Much distortion to fit that all in, so they look like a wacky mirror thing. And then if you get close enough to get say a face filling the frame, their ear or nose or whatever is closest to you is going to be gigantic.

A 21 is a lovely landscape lens. I could definitely see it for a couple of 'crowd' shots at a ballgame, but only a couple before it gets boring and repetitive. Give it a try, but I think you'll agree.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[grizzz]

Thanks for all of the replys. I think I'll bring the L ans well as the Canon. What the hell I'm bringing a friend with me so he can lug the other one and I can switch. I'll post some pics after the game..... 🙂

 

[peter_n]

And I will post some from the Bernabéu when I get back too... 🙂

 

[sockeyed]

Here's a shot from Flicker (user: Athanasius) of a football match using a CV 15mm on a Zorki 4.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33308491@N00/4431059/