Camera for sports.... Help!

[thetrue]

Tevo, my t3i can function at 6400 with a little noise, and generally acceptable enough for mid sized images...

And I swear I've read that the d5100 is almost unusable above 1600.....? I don't know, I've never used one.

 

[ALmomof3]

I'm open to any brand camera. I saw this bundle at Best Buy, I just didn't know if it was what I needed! As far as how close I will be at the gym meets.... They are normally in an arena & I can walk around & get pretty close, no flash is allowed though.

 

[argieramos]

Tevo, my t3i can function at 6400 with a little noise, and generally acceptable enough for mid sized images...

And I swear I've read that the d5100 is almost unusable above 1600.....? I don't know, I've never used one.

Nikon D5100 is significant better than the t3i when it comes to noise handling. If you think t3i noise in ISO 6400 is good by your standard, d5100 do it better

 

[SnS]

I'm open to any brand camera. I saw this bundle at Best Buy, I just didn't know if it was what I needed! As far as how close I will be at the gym meets.... They are normally in an arena & I can walk around & get pretty close, no flash is allowed though.

I bought that very same "bundle" six months ago. At this point, I wished I had done more homework before buying. This is a good enough setup to learn with, which is what I'm doing. But I wish I had bought the body only and a faster/better lens. I am very happy with the T4i for what I'm looking to do. But the two lenses in that bundle are very cheap quality and have really only left me looking to upgrade my lens. Body only is about $575 (Amazon). With a 50mm/1.4 at $340 or a 85/1.8 at $360 (Amazon), you would still be under budget.

 

[ALmomof3]

I'm open to any brand camera. I saw this bundle at Best Buy, I just didn't know if it was what I needed! As far as how close I will be at the gym meets.... They are normally in an arena & I can walk around & get pretty close, no flash is allowed though.

I bought that very same "bundle" six months ago. At this point, I wished I had done more homework before buying. This is a good enough setup to learn with, which is what I'm doing. But I wish I had bought the body only and a faster/better lens. I am very happy with the T4i for what I'm looking to do. But the two lenses in that bundle are very cheap quality and have really only left me looking to upgrade my lens. Body only is about $575 (Amazon). With a 50mm/1.4 at $340 or a 85/1.8 at $360 (Amazon), you would still be under budget.

Thanks!

 

[ALmomof3]

I should mention I'm just a mom doing this for my photo album! I may snap pics of her teammates to give to them, but I'm not a photographer trying to make $, the only other sport I will be photographing is comp cheer & of course some close ups of my kids over the years. I'm just tired of spending a lot of $ at gym meets on pictures! I could have bought a really nice camera by now with the $ I've spent! Thanks for all of your help! I greatly appreciate it!

 

[argieramos]

I should mention I'm just a mom doing this for my photo album! I may snap pics of her teammates to give to them, but I'm not a photographer trying to make $, the only other sport I will be photographing is comp cheer & of course some close ups of my kids over the years. I'm just tired of spending a lot of $ at gym meets on pictures! I could have bought a really nice camera by now with the $ I've spent! Thanks for all of your help! I greatly appreciate it!

I think you should be good with something like sony RX100. Great image quality, great lens coverage, great photo effects filter, and not that expensive.

 

[tevo]

Tevo, my t3i can function at 6400 with a little noise, and generally acceptable enough for mid sized images...

And I swear I've read that the d5100 is almost unusable above 1600.....? I don't know, I've never used one.

The D5100 has the same noise performance as the D7000 (according to DxO) because they have the same sensor, and the D7000 shows negligible color noise and workable image noise at ISO 6400. Having used a T3i for a short while, I can say the low light performance doesn't compare.

 

[07Vios]

My go-to for basic body specs comparison.

Canon T3i vs Nikon D5100 - Our Analysis

The D5100 is tested to have better noise performance over the T3i.

 

[gw2424]

The t3i is better



D5100:






T3i:

 

[07Vios]

No clue, I just know I'm content with my T2i in the mean time (but do want a 5D3). It'd be nice if someone who has both cameras to post pictures comparing.

 

[ALmomof3]

One of the most important features isn't the camera... but rather the lens. Any indoor sport OR outdoor sport played under lights usually offers very poor lighting and kit lenses are challenged to collect enough light.

Get a "fast" lens. That means you want a lens with a low focal ratio. HOWEVER... skip the 50mm f/1.8 because that lens doesn't have a particularly fast focusing motor (so by the time it focuses you'll have missed a lot of shots.) The EF 50mm f/1.4 USM would be a good choice and there are many others. (I am _not_ recommending you buy this specific lens. We'd need to know what sports you'll be trying to photograph and where you'll be standing to give a better lens recommendation. I'm just using this lens as an example.)

As for the camera itself, you want a good focusing system. The Canon 7D really is the ideal sports body, but it's a little above the budget you stated (the body alone -- no lens -- is about $1200 right now.) Of the current bodies, you might also look at the 60D or the T4i (the T4i is also marketed as the 650D). Those two bodies each have 9 point autofocus systems in which all 9 points are "cross type" (more accurate and faster focusing. BTW, the 7D has 19 "cross type" auto-focus points.). None of them will include a "fast" lens ideally suited for sports.

So how much would you bid on a used canon 7D ? Anyone?