Advice on finding the right DSLR

[Didereaux]

70-200mm is what you need for horses. If you get wide angle you'll get too much perspective distortion unless you're getting landscape type shots; which is often not what most want from equine photography. Most horse arenas; even smaller ones, will have more than enough room for a 70-200mm to work in; though sometimes you might have to move around inside the arena

Problem is that she is NOT after portraits exclusively. She wants working arena shots, and for that many times a 70mm and up is just to narrow a view. No, 24-105+ is what you need as a single lens for horse arena work.

 

[sashbar]

I would go for Nikon D5200 or 5300.
I you do not mind buying from a HK seller, something like this is a great value and will cover all your needs:
Nikon D5300 Black with 18-55mm VR II + 55-300mm VR Twin Lens Kit S4480

 

[table1349]

[QUOTE="Didereaux, post:

She NEEDS the low light capabilities of the 6D,,,NONE of the Canon XXD, nor Nikons have decent sensitivity. Remember in the arenas and such she CANNOT use a flash around those horses. Secondly, I own the 70-200 F4 and agree with you on the quality, But again it is NOT a good choice as a single lens fro what she wants to do. She will need a wide angle to mid angle in order to shoot in those confined spaces. If she is outside and more space then a 1.4X ext is the answer. The other thing about the 6D is it's weight...it is light, and easy to carry around. NO, the over-riding consideration in the OP's situation is low light sensitivity! Period....anything on the average will not produce satisfactory image quality under the conditions mentioned.[/QUOTE]


For her situation a 7D mkll would be the better choice if she chooses Canon. In terms of cameras, AF abilities, controls etc. the 6D is pretty much equlivent to a 40D with a FF sensor and a digi 5 processor.
The AF system of the 7D mkll is far superior with its 65 point focus system that is the same as used in the 1Dx.
As for other bodies, if you have read any of the recent reviews the Sony A7 tops most lists followed by the Nikon D4 & Df, and that's coming from a Canon user.

[QUOTE="Didereaux, post:70-200mm is what you need for horses. If you get wide angle you'll get too much perspective distortion unless you're getting landscape type shots; which is often not what most want from equine photography. Most horse arenas; even smaller ones, will have more than enough room for a 70-200mm to work in; though sometimes you might have to move around inside the arena[/QUOTE]


Problem is that she is NOT after portraits exclusively. She wants working arena shots, and for that many times a 70mm and up is just to narrow a view. No, 24-105+ is what you need as a single lens for horse arena work.[/QUOTE]
A college basket ball arena is 84 x 50 feet wide. My 70-200 is always on my 2nd body and is used for half court on.

A small dressage arena is 66 x 132 feet, the average dressage arena is 66 x 196 feet and standard competition arena is 100 x 200 feet. With those distances the venerable 70 - 200 would do just fine for all but the closest shots.

My suggestion to the OP is to rent both combinations and give them a try and see what fits your specific needs best. You didn't mention where you are at, but if you are in or near a large metropolitan area that should be no problem.

 

[robbins.photo]

Umm.. folks.. her budget is $700.

Yes, a full frame camera with a 70-200 mm would probably give her the best results overall, however it's also a lot more than her listed budget. At the moment she's working with a point and shoot, so anything is going to be a big step up from where she's at currently.

Granted, an APS-C camera with a slower zoom lens won't be ideal for shooting indoors at an arena. However it will give better results than her current point and shoot while staying within her budget.

 

[table1349]

The OP needs to be looking at used all the way or revise the budget. At that budget I would look at a Nikon D5300 used and a used lens, even a used second party lens. Right now KEH as a D5300 used for around $450,(they have 3 to choose from) and a NIKON 70-210MM F/4 Auto focus lens for $150. Perhaps the Nikon people can chime in on a decent AF lens that would fit the OP's needs.

 

[chuasam]

The OP needs to be looking at used all the way or revise the budget. At that budget I would look at a Nikon D5300 used and a used lens, even a used second party lens. Right now KEH as a D5300 used for around $450,(they have 3 to choose from) and a NIKON 70-210MM F/4 Auto focus lens for $150. Perhaps the Nikon people can chime in on a decent AF lens that would fit the OP's needs.

70-210 doesn't autofocus on a D5300.
Given the budget, get a Lumix FZ1000 used.

 

[table1349]

Scratch that lens then.

 

[mrsmc]

So, looking within my budget I found someone selling their Nikon D5300 body only with shutter count of 945 for $375. It comes with camera, battery charger, two batteries, cables, manuals, DVD, and original box.

Is this a good deal?

 

[robbins.photo]

So, looking within my budget I found someone selling their Nikon D5300 body only with shutter count of 945 for $375. It comes with camera, battery charger, two batteries, cables, manuals, DVD, and original box.

Is this a good deal?

Sounds like a pretty good price, sounds like the camera didn't see a lot of use.

 

[chuasam]

So, looking within my budget I found someone selling their Nikon D5300 body only with shutter count of 945 for $375. It comes with camera, battery charger, two batteries, cables, manuals, DVD, and original box.

Is this a good deal?

Sounds like a pretty good price, sounds like the camera didn't see a lot of use.

Weird. I didn't post that.

 

[robbins.photo]

So, looking within my budget I found someone selling their Nikon D5300 body only with shutter count of 945 for $375. It comes with camera, battery charger, two batteries, cables, manuals, DVD, and original box.

Is this a good deal?

Sounds like a pretty good price, sounds like the camera didn't see a lot of use.

Weird. I didn't post that.

That is weird. Oh well, easy enough to fix.

 

[table1349]

So, looking within my budget I found someone selling their Nikon D5300 body only with shutter count of 945 for $375. It comes with camera, battery charger, two batteries, cables, manuals, DVD, and original box.

Is this a good deal?

Sounds like a pretty good price, sounds like the camera didn't see a lot of use.

Weird. I didn't post that.

Ah yes, the mysteries and confusion that computer geeks can cause to others.

 

[chuasam]

So, looking within my budget I found someone selling their Nikon D5300 body only with shutter count of 945 for $375. It comes with camera, battery charger, two batteries, cables, manuals, DVD, and original box.

Is this a good deal?

Sounds like a pretty good price, sounds like the camera didn't see a lot of use.

Weird. I didn't post that.

Ah yes, the mysteries and confusion that computer geeks can cause to others.
View attachment 119144

I use tapatalk to manage the forums I'm on and I'm simultaneously on here and WatchUSeek and the contrast is quite disconcerting at times.
One forum considers $200 as an acceptable budget to start photography; the other forum thinks $5,000 is a pretty pedestrian budget for a new watch.

 

[Romphotog]

This 300m kit looks good.
Canon EOS Rebel T5 DSLR Camera with 18-55mm and 75-300mm Lenses

 

[robbins.photo]

This 300m kit looks good.
Canon EOS Rebel T5 DSLR Camera with 18-55mm and 75-300mm Lenses

Wouldn't really recommend it myself, at least not in this instance. The 75-300mm Lens is an older EF model without IS, and from most of the reviews I've read it's not very highly regarded. Chromatic Aberration and a lack of sharpness are common complaints from a lot of reviews with this particular lens.

Also the D5300 has a much better higher ISO to low noise ratio than the T5, and for shooting in indoor arenas this will be a fairly crucial thing.