This is in response to my question asked a few months ago concerning shooting indoor volleyball.
I was unsure about what lens (prime or zoom)to use for the match, but I knew I wanted to rent a faster lens.
I was shut out on the lenses I was thinking to rent, so I ended up using my 17-85 IS 4.0-5.6. Though this lens is a little slow for the gym lighting, the 17-85 zoom was just about perfect (IMO). I'm now glad I didn't rent a prime.
I arrived early and shot a few pics w/various WB settings (i.e. tungsten, florescent and AWB); I settled on AWB. I had to set my 40D ISO to H (3200) to get my shutter speeds quick enough to stop the action and give me the flexibility of slowing the shutter speed down to capture player and ball movement.
I was pleasantly surprised by my results, especially at ISO 3200 (first time shooting all my shots in this setting) and the low impact of graininess. Here's a link to some of my shots;
http://s233.photobucket.com/albums/ee23/bikejanitor/NR%20vs%20Frontier%2011-13/In conclusion, in the future I will use a faster lens; 2.8, either the EFS 17-55 2.8 IS or the 24-70 L 2.8 and positively stick w/a zoom.
I hope this helps somebody down the road w/the same question.
Regards
Bill