The buzzer sounds
4 AM. Another hard awakening. You grunt as your feet hit the floor and your palm fumbles for the alarm cutoff. Suddenly, a single thought struggles through the thick sludge that is your assembling consciousness: Game Day.
A traveling sports photographer's life may sound glamorous, but you have more than your share of days like this, hitting the road early for a long drive to the venue — possibly two states away. That's why your gear has to assist you in doing the job. Time to make use of your newest purchase. This super-telephoto Sony G lens has what it takes to make you look like the genius you are when the chips are down. Designed for the world-acclaimed Sony Alpha family of DSLRs, this lens is optimized to shine on full-frame cameras like the Alpha SLT-A99.
Check the stats
Let's begin with the obvious. It's got a big, wide f/2.8 maximum aperture, three meticulously crafted ED (extra-low dispersion) elements, and a 300mm focal length — that's long enough to get that steaming vapor detail shot of the offensive lineman, waiting his turn to get back in the action. Plus, the shot will be razor-sharp thanks to the optics, and the background will have the creamy-smooth soft-focus that makes a subject leap to life. And when it comes to tracking the action, a newly-designed LSI drive circuit helps the lens to acquire and maintain focus on moving objects up to four times faster than on previous models.
Finishing touches
Singular touches like Nano AR coatings minimize flaring and ghosting, a common annoyance when shooting under the lights. The lens is designed to resist significant dust and moisture. And two Direct Manual Focus (DMF) modes allow you to fine tune your camera's focal recommendations on-the-fly.
Tell me why I do this again?
The stadium's in sight. You glance at your pass: your position is all the way on the other side of the stadium from your parking spot. Good thing the lightweight magnesium barrel keeps the overall weight down. Start walking. It's a glamorous job, remember? At least your shots will say so.
