The Sports Photo Guy

Tamron vs Nikon

Every photographer needs an all-purpose walkaround lens.  For the past several years, mine has been the Nikon 18-200 VR.  Tamron’s 18-270 VC lens, though, has generated a fair amount of buzz, and I thought I would see if this lens might topple Nikon’s super zoom from its throne.

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Sigma’s 8-16/f4.5-5.6 DC HSM ultrawide zoom lens is another first for the Japanese lens maker, and a useful tool for any sports photographer’s arsenal.

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There is a dizzying array of AA batteries available for today’s electronics.  The various chemistries have their advantages and disadvantages, making some better suited for particular uses than others.  I try to explain what’s what in this article.
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SanDisk Ultra CF

SanDisk’s new three-tier lineup (Extreme Pro, Extreme, and Ultra) among CompactFlash cards produced some surprises, with the mid-level Extreme getting placed on The Crap List.  Now the new bottom-of-the-line Ultra, claiming 30 MB/sec (200x) speeds, turns in a very good performance.

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PowerGenix NiZn

I have recently acquired a set of PowerGenix Nickel-Zinc (NiZn) rechargeable batteries, the latest and greatest AA cell available.  Though based on ancient (as electronics go) chemistry (Edison patented the concept in 1901), these cells have only recently become available in a viable consumer product.

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Hoodman RAW 675x, Delkin 625x, Delkin 420x

Delkin’s “CombatFlash” UDMA card and Hoddman’s RAW UDMA 6 cards join the ranks of the elite, while Delkin’s “420x” disappoints as surely as its likely re-badged sibling from Calumet.

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D300s / Sigma 18-50f2.8 - 1/400 @ f2.8, ISO 1250

On March 20, I photographed the 2010 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship in Salem, Virginia.  While there was plenty of great basketball action just like my last trip to the DIII Final Four, I thought a gallery of shots capturing the excitement of the championship celebration would be an interesting change.

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