Before the First Click - Picking Camera/Lens Combinations
Preparation for a photoshoot, event or assignment is often the difference between success and a failure that will generate negative reviews of your photographic competence.
First I will sit down and plan what equipment I will need to bring. It all begins with my choice of cameras. I have a full frame Nikon D3 and Z6, and I have crop sensored Nikon D500, Z50 and Z FC.
I will always leave the house with 2 of these cameras. If I am shooting outdoor sports in daylight there is a very good chance I will begin with a crop sensor option (D500 or Z FC) that will hold a super telephoto lenses. The super telephoto will have a maximum range of at least 400mm. This will mean that the lens on the crop sensor will have an effective length of 600mm or more.
Once I have chosen my camera/lens combination for my most distant shots I will then decide what to do on the shots that fall short of that focal length. If I happen to choose my Tamron 150-600mm (effective range 225-900mm) I will then look for a camera/lens combo that will bring me up to the 200mm range. This could end being a full frame and a 70-200mm lens. Finally, if I have to shoot something wide (such as a team photo) I will pick a lens that will be in the 20mm neighborhood that will most likely get mounted on my full frame.
If I am shooting indoor sports or outdoor under the lights my super telephoto lenses will have some time off. For night football or indoor hockey, my 70-200mm will be king. Chances are if I’m shooting night football I will mount it on a crop sensor giving me an effective range of 105-300mm, I would then fill in with another crop sensor using my 24-70mm. If it is hockey I could go with either full frame or crop sensor, but would normally use a full frame that has better low light performance. If I use the 70-200mm on a full frame I would match it up with the 24-70mm on a crop sensor. By using the two different sensor size cameras I could switch off to the 70-200mm on the crop sensor to get the extra reach. I would not use a lens with a minimum aperture of greater than f/4.0 and preferably f/2.8.
The idea on camera and lens choices is to try and cover all possible focal lengths with the camera/lens combinations in your bag.