With moderate focal length lenses and aperatures, zone focusing works dandy, and millions of "in focus" action shots have been taken like this. This has just about nothing to do with the current state of sports photography. Since the EOS system came out the "look" has been long lenses, wide open with shallow DOF. There are very few people who can follow focus fast moving action with a 300/2.8 lens wide open. Last century's gear was fine for last century's pictures, but not so great for this century's action shots.
BR From: Shel Belinkoff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I can't speak to specific frames per second, so I'll just describe the situation. During WW II WES photographed a burial at sea. He got off at least three frames (that's all I've ever seen, maybe that's all he got) from the time the shrouded body slipped out of the slider ~before~ it hit the water. Focus was darned good, too. I'd say that he was getting off as many frames per second as can be gotten with a typical Pentax winder ... maybe about 3 fps or so.
