The Amador Valley High School Junior Varsity basketball team participated in the Gold Dust Tournament in Placerville, California this past week. The Dons won comfortably on Thursday and Friday, and earned a spot in Saturday night's championship game against Colfax High School.
Last night's championship game was close for three quarters, but the Dons were able to build a lead in the fourth quarter. Their opponent closed the gap in the final minutes with a challenging press defense, but Amador held on for the win and the championship trophy.
This game marked the maiden voyage for my new (used) Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. I shot last year's basketball season almost exclusively with a Nikon 50mm f/1.8. While I felt somewhat limited by the lack of reach in the 50mm, I adapted my shot approach to the strengths of the lens and focused on capturing the action up-close from the baseline. The 50mm is small, light, and quick-focusing, which allowed me to react quickly to the action.
The 70-200mm f/2.8 is very different...it's a beast, measuring eight inches long and weighing over three pounds. It does not react quickly to up-close action...too much inertia and too slow to auto-focus. I need to adjust my shooting approach to take advantage of its strengths, specifically its longer reach.
The f/2.8 maximum aperture is also slower than the 50mm f/1.8. I am borrowing my brother's Nikon D90 camera for the season. This will allow me to shoot at higher ISO, off-setting the slower lens.
Here are a few shots from the championship game.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
El Dorado Tournament Champions
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