Canon xti, 30D fps comparison

Wheaten59

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Hello everyone! I'm going to buy either the Canon xti or 30D. The problem I have is I will be using this camera for my son's baseball games. He's a pitcher and I was wondering will three (3) fps be ok for capturing the entire wind up or am I better off going with the Canon 30D at five (5) fps? It would be nice to save the additional money in buying the xti but if I must I'll buy the 30D.

Thank you.
 
Well..... the only thing that I can say is that you would be suprised how much action happens in one second! I was shooting some high divers the other day, and once they got moving, even with 5fps, I was suprised how much the shots of them jumped! Might not be quite the same with a pitching windup, I don't know, not a baseball fan. You might be able to get away with 3fps, someone with more baseball experience should chime in now! :mrgreen:

Sorry I couldn't help all that much...
 
I would tend to think that you'll find that 3 fps is quite slow for capturing an entire windup (i would estimate you would get 2 shots from this).
 
If you know your camera well and you adjust your mental timing to 3fps, you'll be able to catch the shot you're looking for. I've held a 20D set to high speed burst though and I will say that 5fps amazed me.
 
I've held a 20D set to high speed burst though and I will say that 5fps amazed me.

I agree completely! The 5fps just felt awesome, and this was one of the major reasons for me purchasing the 30D. When shooting sports, or even wildlife, it is nice to have those extra frames where that awesome shot might be hiding. :mrgreen:
 
I think you'd be better off getting the XTi and putting the money you saved towards a good telephoto zoom, where you'll be trying to get a good shot of your son pitching.
 
Still not sure on what to do here but sounds as though I might be better off with the 30D.

Thank you for your replies.
 
You can not compare these 2 bodies on a 3/5 fps only criteria, that won't make such a difference.
Also not on the 5/7 AF points, for sport event you will use servo AF, which mainly involves central AF point.

I agree with Smyth, better have a XTi with a goooood telephoto than a 30D with a pooooor zoom, that will make the difference!

If you have no budget consideration, and you can offer both, go for the 30D, you won't regret.
 
ok I have the 30d and I really think that the 2 more FPS are well worth the $$. IMO if you have a great lens and you camera can't take the shot then why bother? I hade to wait to get my 30d a little longer but now that I have it when I check the shots out I atlease have a better chance getting one that I like. I have used a 3 FPS camera (d70) and missed too many shots. Anyway that is my 2 cents.
 
I shoot a lot of sports and I'm a former press photog. The dif between 3fps and 5fps is like night and day. 3fps is too slow to "follow focus" with continuous shooting and expect to get all the action. With 3fps you have to wait for the peak of action ... with 5fps you can follow focus and shoot continuous knowing that the odds are in your favor of getting "the shot".

The 30D, I believe, has a better/faster autofocus system then the XTi. And if you're shooting night time the 30D will have better IQ at higher ISOs than the XTi.

Remember that a capable camera is only one element of getting "the shot", proper lenses are another equally important factor ... and finally skill and expertise of the photographer. All these elements working seamlessly together will take/minimize the "luck factor" of photography.

Gary
 
Would a EF 28-135 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens be a good choice to start with on the 30D? I can get the 30D at a decent price with this lens on it.

I will have access to the field so I shouldn't be to far away.
 
Ideally no, if it was I ... assuming you would be shooting from the dugout, a minimum of 200mm for good facial expressions. From the 1st or 3rd base coaches box .. I would shoot with a 300mm to 500mm (2nd base, shortstop and opposite corner 1st/3rd base.) But then again this is what I used when shooting professionally ... which has much higher expectations than as a hobby.

You are paying a lot of money for Image Stabilization (IS), IS won't help you for action photography. The only thing that can stop action is a fast shutter speed ... IS will not stop action. IS will deliver a crisp image of non-moving subjects at low shutter speeds ... but will not stop action. IS will only drain your batteries faster than non-IS and slow down your 5FPS to about 1FPS and not significantly improve the image quality.

There are a number of consumer grade zooms that will be better for daylight baseball than the 28-135 at about 40% less than the 28-135.

Gary

PS- my Wheaten - Cookie ... aka "The Cook"
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I suggest getting the Canon Digital Rebel XT body from B&H for $480 and the Canon 70-200 f/4 L for $589. You're set for sport shots of your son for the same price as a 30D with a wimpy kit lens.
 
I have the 70-200 f/4L on a 30D and it's great for shooting race cars. For baseball you should be fine with 3fps if you get your timing right. When cars are flying by me at 180mph, the 5fps comes in handy.
 
I had a Rebel XT and now have a 30d. As others have mentioned, the difference between 3 and 5 fps is amazing. I shoot a lot of fast pitch softball and the 5 fps is definitely worth the extra $ plus the 30d autofocus and ISO capabilities are way better than the Rebel series. As for zoom range. I use a canon 100-300 4.5-5.6 USM and find that I shoot more towards the 300 end. If you plan on shooting in low light situations you'll probably need a lens with a larger aperture but I've been able to crank the ISO up on my 30d and get some fairly good shots with the lens I have.
 

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