looking to buy my first SLR...going crazy!

[Bifurcator]

Oh, I almost forgot my credits.

The images in the above post were supplied by:

Digital Photography Review at http://www.dpreview.com/

And:

Steve's DigiCams at http://www.steves-digicams.com/​

 

[sultan]

For numbers 2-5, any ordinary P&S will be fine. Number 1 is impossible (at least with my standards) without gear that is $10,000+ (Nikon D3 at ISO 6400 and some expensive fast super-duper telephoto).

However, it is possible to get a D40 and a 70-300 VR and get useable results (for number 1). For the other things, use the point and shoot.

 

[bschmid84]

many thanks to Mav for his lengthy and detailed reply. thank you for taking the time to do that. I enjoyed reading that.

Just to clarify, I certainly dont expect my basketball pics to be ''sports illustrated'' quality. just wanting some decent shots for his scrapbook. he doesnt have to be 'frozen' in motion, either. you know, that FZ8 actually did ok, BUT many had chromo halos or were grainy(from the high ISO kicking in). I would keep it at 100 when I could, and play with the Aperature , so there were times when I would get some good shots......I would use continuous drive mode, and out of the 20-25 shots, maybe 10-12 were usuable. also the Raw was very good. I MIGHT have been happy with it, had I not been used to my friend's d50 photos.....some of his were blurry too, but not to the extent of mine.

my friends D50 came with a kit lens he still uses. I THINK it is 18-70mm. he has also stated he needs to get a faster lens.

thanks to Mcqueen for your comments. I will do some research on the Oly.

thanks to Bifurcator...I 'think'...I am not quite sure what you are trying to tell me. Are you suggesting perhaps I should opt for an expensive P&S? I have...which I have previously addressed. I would LOVE to use a point and shoot...nothing would please me MORE! OUTSIDE they are awesome. INSIDE pretty darn good, I had no complaints with my Panasonic FZ8, that Leica lens was SWEET....playing with the settings and messing with the ISO is critical...but I figured it out. my basketball shots are what is driving me towards the SLR. I am not allowed to use a flash in the gym. I could, however, sit on the lower bleacher area, maybe 15 feet from the players. How would that be?

I have really thought about getting a used D50, D70. didnt i read somewhere about a firmware update for the D70? I am going to do some more research...take everything in that you all have suggested.

I am giving myself ONE week to decide. I mean it. seriously. I am running out of advil.

-b

 

[bschmid84]

sultan, thank you for your reply...but, and I say this with NO disrespect.... I am not looking to make money off my basketball photos. I am just a mom with a kid playing high school hoops. thanks...

-b

 

[frfefarfearz]

i envy you.. x_X i so wanna buy a canon eos 40d but still dont have budget for it..

why not go for a canon?

 

[bschmid84]

canon EOS 40d= a crap-load of money. I dont dispute the quality, I have done my research. it would be awesome if I could afford such a kit.....but, the body ALONE is at least $900. my TOTAL budget is $700. unless you know of someone that is generously giving away free lenses....well, you do the math. thanks for the input...

dont envy me. i am just a mom that has scrimped and saved for over a year...and for what? a camera. theres numerous other things I could spend my hard earned cash on....and I selfishly choose to blow it on a device that I COULD live without. In today's economy, I should be rethinking my decision...it makes me feel very guilty and self-absorbed.. so please, do not envy me.

 

[Bifurcator]

thanks to Bifurcator...I 'think'...

Hehehe, see, told ya I was only adding confusion.

I am not quite sure what you are trying to tell me. Are you suggesting perhaps I should opt for an expensive P&S? I have...which I have previously addressed. I would LOVE to use a point and shoot...nothing would please me MORE! OUTSIDE they are awesome. INSIDE pretty darn good, I had no complaints with my Panasonic FZ8, that Leica lens was SWEET....playing with the settings and messing with the ISO is critical...but I figured it out. my basketball shots are what is driving me towards the SLR. I am not allowed to use a flash in the gym. I could, however, sit on the lower bleacher area, maybe 15 feet from the players. How would that be?

-b

Ah, no flash in the gym. OK, well, that blows away my idea. Basically I was just trying to make 2 points. 1) if you have the light P&S's are as good as any DSLR. Even the $5k body only ones and, 2) it might be cheeper and more fun to bring light to where there was none. Diffused flash looks awesome on a BB court.

Anyway, nothing hard-core just another option to consider was I offering.

 

[Chris of Arabia]

many thanks to Mav for his lengthy and detailed reply

I suspect a little gender confusion, but my memory isn't what it was...

 

[prodigy2k7]

You get what u pay for. Photography is all about lighting and if u have no light u have no photo. For indoor shooting you need good equipment, and its more expensive.
I say get a prime, such as a fast 50mm for the indoor lighting and just move urself around for zooming I bet you can get some good shots inside.

I have a 50mm F/1.4 from Canon with a Canon Rebel XTi and it shoots well in now light conditions, it was like $300 or something..

 

[Mav]

Ah, no flash in the gym. OK, well, that blows away my idea. Basically I was just trying to make 2 points. 1) if you have the light P&S's are as good as any DSLR. Even the $5k body only ones

err.... I dunno about that one either.

 

[mrodgers]

I suspect a little gender confusion, but my memory isn't what it was...

Hmm, seems he isn't the only one assuming incorrectly then.

I had always just assumed as well. Same as Battou (sp?) But I believe I've read in a thread that Battou was the opposite of what I assumed...

 

[sultan]

sultan, thank you for your reply...but, and I say this with NO disrespect.... I am not looking to make money off my basketball photos. I am just a mom with a kid playing high school hoops. thanks...

-b

When I said you needed D3, I was saying that excellent results (sharp, no blur at all) won't be possible with inexpensive equipment. However, I say that a D40 with a Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 will be your best bet. The lens is slower than the P&S lenses but the good high ISO performance will more than make up for that. The body and lens will be just $600 together, which I think would be within your budget, right?

PS - I have the Sigma (APO version that is $80 more but worth it) and it's my main lens for almost everything, flowers, macro, birds, planes, portraits etc. I just put on another lens if I need wide angle (landscapes, group portraits).

 

[sultan]

Originally Posted by Bifurcator
Ah, no flash in the gym. OK, well, that blows away my idea. Basically I was just trying to make 2 points. 1) if you have the light P&S's are as good as any DSLR. Even the $5k body only ones

err.... I dunno about that one either.

Mav is once again the wise guy. Ken Rockwell, our saint proved that the 5D beats an ordinary P&S in detail.

 

[bschmid84]

well, sorry about referring to Mav in the masculine tense. I just joined this forum. there is no little gender IDs next to peoples' names....but I must point out that using a masculine pronoun to describe something is quite common when the gender is not known, or just as use in generic statement.

so, i am still debating. thanks for all the input....tick, tock.

 

[Bifurcator]

Ah, no flash in the gym. OK, well, that blows away my idea. Basically I was just trying to make 2 points. 1) if you have the light P&S's are as good as any DSLR. Even the $5k body only ones...

err.... I dunno about that one either.

Yeah, of course assuming the applications he named. And only considering image quality on the rough. No doubt about that the D3 or even a D40 functionally, is a superior piece of equipment.