Questiongym basketball - 70-200 2.8 not cutting it?

kids rec league in a dark middle school gym. r6 + ef 70-200 2.8 on the adapter. 1/500 at 2.8 and im at iso 12800 and still dark. do i need an 85 1.8 or somthing faster or is this as good as it gets

jbrennan said:

do i need an 85 1.8 or somthing faster

A used EF 85 1.8 is cheap and gets you about a stop and a third. That's real. But at rec league level, 1/400 and ISO 12800 on an R6 cleans up fine with AI denoise. Try that first before you spend anything.

Same deal at my daughter's volleyball. 85 is too short from the baseline in a big gym, fine from the end line. 135 f/2 used if you can find one. With the 70-200 I'm at 1/640, f/2.8 and ISO 12800 in there and the R6 III handles it fine. Also sit on the end line under the hoop if they let you, the kids run straight at you and the AF has an easier time than tracking them sideways.

ok. denoise first then 85. thanks