Camera for Sports

DrewR · Apr 3, 2006

I just did a search of the forums and didn't manage to find an answer for my question.

I am a very avid mountain biker and sportsman, But equally as enthused with Photography/Airbrushing and other forms of art...

What i am in need of at the moment is a DSLR camera too shoot very high quality pictures....So i ask; What would be the best or very high quality camera/lenses to shoot with....If anyone knows of a place that sells the particular product for cheap please let me know as well....

Price isn't TOO much of an issue...But i don't want to be spending crazy amounts.

Any help would be appreciated,
Drew. :wink:

Alpha · Apr 3, 2006

I'd say a Canon Digital Rebel XT would be a good, cost effective option. It's a solid camera...shutter speeds up to 1/2500 of a second. I'm sure some of the Nikon heads or other digital fanatics will jump in with other advice.

DepthAfield · Apr 4, 2006

Nearly any of the major brand camera DSLR bodies will suit your needs. More important however, is the quality and speed of lens attached to that body. If cost is unimportant, I would suggest buying a fast zoom with image stabilization I cant speak for the Canon equivalent, but the Nikkor 70-200mm F/2.8 VR is phenomenal and can be found online for about $1500 US.

Please keep us posted on your decision!

darich · Apr 4, 2006

Canon Rebel XT is a good camera but i reckon you might be better going for the 20D. The XT is limited to 3fps where the 20D can shoot at 5fps. If you're keen on sports AND photography and combining them then the faster burst mode might be worth the extra cash.

Rob · Apr 4, 2006

DrewR said:
I just did a search of the forums and didn't manage to find an answer for my question.

I am a very avid mountain biker and sportsman, But equally as enthused with Photography/Airbrushing and other forms of art...

What i am in need of at the moment is a DSLR camera too shoot very high quality pictures....So i ask; What would be the best or very high quality camera/lenses to shoot with....If anyone knows of a place that sells the particular product for cheap please let me know as well....

Price isn't TOO much of an issue...But i don't want to be spending crazy amounts.

Any help would be appreciated,
Drew.

Define crazy... To me, crazy money is more than $10,000 per item, but to you, it may be say $100 per item. Photography is a remarkable thing as you can spend staggeringly huge sums of money.

As has been mentioned, if you want top-end stuff for sports and action, then you want to be looking at a mid to high end camera, like the Canon 5D or Nikon 200D with a pair of high-speed, wide-aperture-capable zooms which cover the 28-70 and 100-400 type ranges. Also, you'll probably want a prime at about 300mm. That little lot would set you back probably $5k - so, is that crazy??

Rob

DrewR · Apr 4, 2006

Rob said:
Define crazy... To me, crazy money is more than $10,000 per item, but to you, it may be say $100 per item. Photography is a remarkable thing as you can spend staggeringly huge sums of money.

As has been mentioned, if you want top-end stuff for sports and action, then you want to be looking at a mid to high end camera, like the Canon 5D or Nikon 200D with a pair of high-speed, wide-aperture-capable zooms which cover the 28-70 and 100-400 type ranges. Also, you'll probably want a prime at about 300mm. That little lot would set you back probably $5k - so, is that crazy??

Rob

Well, 5k is border line- But anything beyond that i find 'Crazy'.

Thanks for the input so far.:thumbup:

Rob · Apr 4, 2006

Ok,

Here's a proposed shopping list for you then:

Canon 5D body: $3,000
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...s&Q=&sku=397314&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

Wide to telephoto fixed aperture zoom: $1,100
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...04&is=GREY&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

Decent zoom telephoto: $1,400
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...616&is=USA&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

Large aperture prime: $6,400 (hmmm not quite in budget there!)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...52&is=GREY&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

In addition to that, you might want a standard lens at about $100.

You'll also want a decent tripod, probably a Bogen / Manfrotto
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...163&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

And a mono pod
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...520&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

A decent flash setup:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...464&is=USA&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

A decent bag:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...100&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

Ok, so I've gone a bit overboard on the accessories... but I was having fun doing virtual shopping.

If you actually did go out and buy that lot, you'd have serious difficulty blaming the equipment if your shots don't come out well!

Rob

DrewR · Apr 4, 2006

Thanks for that Rob....Most of those accesories sound great...Just the body i am still not quite sure on....

What would be the reasons you would get the Canon 5d body over the Canon 20d body? Because there is a very noticable price difference in the bodys and i'm just not sure if getting a 5d would be worth the extra $1500 over the 20d?

Rob · Apr 4, 2006

The 5D has a "Full frame" i.e. 35mm equivilent sized sensor, which allows wider lenses to capture their full width. With an APS-C sized sensor (10D, 20D, 30D, 350D), you get the middle bit cut out - an effective crop of 1.6x smaller. Also, larger sensors are less prone to noise as they have larger light gathering ability.

True the 20D is a bargain compared to the 5D, also there's the newer model the 30D. I'd say look at the fps rate if you're mainly doing sports. There will not be a huge difference in image quality, but there will certainly be a big difference in the field of view of your shots.

Also, larger sensor = larger mirror and therefore brighter viewfinder and easier composition in both low light and action.

Rob

DrewR · Apr 4, 2006

Im pritty interested in this lense, However i also want a very wide angled lense (10mm) Do you have a reccomended wide angled lense?

ajmall · Apr 4, 2006

If you're after fast and wide, Nikon would be a good move as they produce the only digital fish eye lens. f2.8 10.5mm. iIt's around £300/$500.

If you want something fast then the D2Hs shoots at a very fast 8fps though is fairly "old" in DSLR terms. I would expect a D3 series within the next 6 months from nikon.

If I was in your position I'd get a D200 with a grip and a whole host of lenses. It's an absolute bargain when you compare it to the top end of the DSLR market and gives them a good run for their money.

kemplefan · Apr 4, 2006

i would say a D200 wiht vertical grip, 85m f 1.4 and a 70-200mm vr zoom

Rob · Apr 4, 2006

DrewR said:
Im pritty interested in this lense, However i also want a very wide angled lense (10mm) Do you have a reccomended wide angled lense?

*that* lens is cool. I have one and it's brilliant! It's a really good lens for flattering portraits actually - a bit soft.

The Sigma 10-22mm is quite well made - I touched one in a shop and did a couple of pictures with it. Suffers from the usual super-wide issues i.e. don't point it at a person unless you like the big nose look! It's a lot cheaper than canon's offering. I would think it would be a great lens for skateboarding pictures... it has that kind of "look" to it.

Rob

markc · Apr 4, 2006

As Rob mentioned, if you want to use a very wide angle lens to it's fullest extent, you pretty much have to go will a full-frame model like the 5D.

darich · Apr 4, 2006

If you do go for a Canon 5d and fancy a wide angle lens then the Canon 10-22mm EF-S lens will not fit it.

The 10-22 is only for EF-S cameras which limits it to the rebel, rebel xt and 20D. As far as i know there are no other cameras that accept that lens.
I'm not sure about the Sigma 10-22 lens though - I've never seen that one.

I've posted an image taken with the 10-22mm on my Canon 20D on here before so check this thread to see it.