Today is an absolute sporting highlight for the German women’s national basketball team: the semifinal of the 2026 home World Cup at Berlin’s Uber Arena. After the sensational win against favorites Belgium in the quarterfinal, they face France today at 4:30 pm for a place in the World Cup final. The match is broadcast live on MagentaSport and on free TV on ProSieben MAXX and Joyn.
Even though I’m not standing courtside with an accreditation myself today, at big events like this I immediately ask myself as a photographer: which setup would I have in my camera bag right now?
Prime lenses only – by conviction
Anyone who knows me knows: by conviction, I work exclusively with prime lenses. They deliver that very special sharpness, light-gathering power and subject separation that make the decisive difference in the dynamic atmosphere of an arena. In a game as fast as basketball, you have to react in a flash – changing lenses in the middle of a fast break is not an option.
Two bodies, two perspectives
That’s why I consistently rely on a dual-body system with my two Nikon Z bodies. That way I always have two different perspectives ready to hand:
- Camera 1 – the telephoto and portrait focus: depending on the game situation, the 85 mm, the 135 mm or the 35 mm alternate here. With them I capture the players’ emotions, hard duels under the basket and fast plays from a distance with dreamy bokeh.
- Camera 2 – the wide-angle overview: the 24 mm or the 16 mm are permanently in use here. With them I document the dynamics right under the baskets, the celebrations on the bench, the backdrop of the arena and wide-angle action up close at the baseline.
The combination of fast prime lenses and two bodies ensures that no decisive moment is lost – from the hard duel to the celebrating team after the final whistle.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed for the DBB women today as they go for the final in front of a home crowd!
Sports photography for your club
With exactly this setup, I’ve been photographing the home games of the Dresden Titans and other clubs in Saxony for several seasons. How a game day works and which photos clubs really need is explained on the sports photography page.