There’s no question that f/2.8 lenses are a staple for professional sports photographers but that doesn’t mean that you can’t get great results in the hockey rink without making a $1,500+ investment in glass.

The great equalizer in modern DSLR cameras is their ability to shoot clean images at high ISO, which can help compensate for a slower lens.

For example, you would get the same exposure at ISO 2500 from an f/4.5 aperture as you would at ISO 1000 at an f/2.8 aperture.

Of course increasing your ISO will also increase the noise – or grain – in your image but depending on what camera body you are using, ISO 2500 may still produce an image that you are happy with.

I’d rather have an image with some noise in it than one that is too dark – or worse – blurry.

If you are planning to shoot for publication or professionally then a 2.8 (or faster) lens will become a must. Pro quality lenses also offer sharper images and faster autofocus. But, if you are just interested in making great images of your minor hockey stars, then don’t be afraid to bump up your ISO for better results.

Here is an example of what I’m talking about (click on the image to see a bigger version)…

ISO 2500 | f/4.5 | 1/320s (D300s)

ISO 1000 | f/2.8 | 1/320s (D300s)

Next time I’ll fill you in on a sub $200-lens that works miracles in dark hockey rinks.

Have fun with it!

Want to take your hockey photography to the next level? Then join me for my Hockey Photo 101 Workshop. The first one is on Monday Sept. 27 and you can get all of the details here.