I currently own the original digital Canon Rebel and a couple of lens, but I'm looking into buy a lens that I can use in a low light situation (hockey and basketball games). I've been told, I need to upgrade my body before I get a professional series lens.

What do you think? What lens would you recommend for indoor sports?

Thanks

Canon's go to lens for indoor sports is the 70-200/2.8 IS. You can find good used copies of the version 1 right now for a decent price as many have upgraded to the version 2.

Canon's go to lens for indoor sports is the 70-200/2.8 IS. You can find good used copies of the version 1 right now for a decent price as many have upgraded to the version 2.

^^^listen to this guy^^^^

I think some are telling you to replace the body because of how the more advanced bodies handle high ISO under those conditions and perhaps they focus faster, but I would agree with FeXL, get the lens first.

Lens for life, the bodies you always change.

if you can afford the 70-200/2.8 L IS, go for it, it will be a lense for life and will be ready for the full frame body you will buy in the future. I just don't now if you will be able to mount the lens on your rebel. I am a nikon guy.

Why not rent a lens or new body and pair it with your current lenses and body to see how it performs.
I recently shot a hockey tournament with a Revel XTi and the 20-200 2.8 Canon lens that I rented. I was considering upgrading my body to one that offered higher ISO values, but figured I'd wait to for for the 60D or a pro level body, which offered higher frame rates and much higher ISO values. Glad I waited.
If you control your white balance and use good glass, you can get some pretty nice results. My 2 cents... invest in glass and Lightroom or Aperture to clean up your images.

I've decided to buy a new lens and put off the body to a later date. So, where can I find a good deal on a used/new lens? I'm in and out of the USA, can I find a better deal in the states?

Thanks

much as it is good to have a good lens, i am more inclined to agree with your man in the camera store. even the bottom end canon slr's have vastly improved since your original model. in particular, the high ISO's are much much more useful. you are looking at two to three stops faster exposures with a new body. without knowing which lenses you are using now, it is hard to say, but i suspect the amount of speed increase per dollar spent will be cheaper with a new body. now, as has been pointed out, a good lens lasts a lot longer than a new body, so there is that to think about. but a new body would also give you a bunch of other improvements as well. without looking at prices, i think you could get a T2i and the f4 70-200 stabilized for about the same price as the f2.8 version. might get the best of both worlds?

I used to be of the opinion that it was always lens first then body for purchases. I've been wavering a bit on this recently. If the OP has the 6.3 MP Rebel and then buys the 70-200 2.8 IS then he may end up being a bit disappointed with the results from hockey and basketball. Not because the lens is poor but because even with a f2.8 lens, shooting in a dark rink or gym, that particular body is going to have a tough time acquiring and locking focus. You'll also have to crank the ISO but then you are looking at "noisy" photos that will need some post-processing. How much time do you want to spend on that?

Jumping into a newer body (50D, 60D, T1i, T2i) is going to help. High ISO performance is better but more important, the AF in these bodies is better. My local photo store had a used 50D for $570 and a used 70-200 f2.8 (non-IS) for $940. This is about the same price as a used 70-200 f2.8 IS. I'll bet that you will find this type of combo a better solution overall for shooting indoor sports.

Best place that I've found to purchase used gear is over at fredmiranda.com. Also if you read a bit in the sports forum at fm, you'll find that a lot of the basketball shooters are using the 85mm f1.8 from the baseline.

Also if you read a bit in the sports forum at fm, you'll find that a lot of the basketball shooters are using the 85mm f1.8 from the baseline.

On a 1.6 crop? That's 136mm full frame. They must be shooting head & shoulders shots at the free throw line, then. Way too long a lens for anything under the boards, unless they're 20' back from the baseline. Maybe they're off to the side some.

We use the 24-70/2.8 under the boards with a 1.3 crop, unless the subject is away from the basket a stretch. Then we can use the 70-200, shooting diagonally from the base of the key to the opposite side..