What type of lens do I use for sports photography?
Telephoto lens
When you take sports photos, you want to focus the attention on the athletes. If only the subject is sharp in the photos, they're emphasized automatically. You can create this effect with a large aperture with which you can create a small depth of field. But because you can't make close-up photos of athletes, you need a zoom lens to bring them closer. With a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, you can do both things right away.
Super telephoto lens
Soccer photographers like to take photos of the expressions of players. Because they have to stand on the sideline, these photographers use a super telephoto lens. This way, they can bring far away subjects very close. This way, they can still take a portrait photo. There are super telephoto lenses with a focal length up to 600mm. This are lenses for professional sports photography. Due to the heavy weight, users always put super telephoto lenses on a tripod.
Standard lens with zoom
Sometimes, a telephoto lens or super telephoto lens aren't the best choice for sports photography. When you take photos during an athletics program, you take photos of many different events. These events all require various focal lengths. In this case, choose a standard lens with zoom with a focal length of 50-100mm, for example. This way, you can do anything you want. The advanced standard lenses for sports photography don't extend when they zoom. This way, the lens stays pretty compact and convenient.