Sports with manual focus lens

As I learned yesterday, it IS possible to shoot sports with a manual focus lens. The basketball game between Ratiopharm Ulm and New Yorker Phantoms (Braunschweig)  in the new Ratiopharm Arena was brightly lit with LED lighting. Light was actually so good that I could use aperture 2.8-4, ISO 100-250 with a handheld FD 100/2.8 lens (effectively 150 mm).

After an initial slow start, the Ratiopharm Ulm team worked hard to get back in the lead and suceeded in the last minutes of the game. It was very exciting, although I was partly deaf for some time due to the noise level.
For me, this was the first major basketball game I experienced and I found it to be fun. In fact, much more exciting than soccer because more goals are scored and the fouls do not tend to cripple the opponent as in soccer.

Per Günther in action

Bryant on the left

Scored

Slow start

Well, decide for yourself...

Another one

Still catching up

Dance team

 

Watts

New Yorker Phantoms charging

Swann can fly :-)

Swann and Bryant

Must be hard playing in the home town of the other team

Still in the ened of catching up

Griffin

Swann and Günther

The end