need some help choosing gear

[armypb4]

okay so im looking into getting into photography (clearly) and i dont really know what to get. im going to be shooting primarily high speed sports (paintball, soccer, baseball, ect.), but i also might take some videos, so i need a dslr that can take videos. ive been looking into more cannons then nikons because i hear they can take more of a beating, and that the lenses are less expensive (however that may not be true). my budget is about 1k. like i said, i really dont even know what im looking for so i need somone to point me in the right direction
thanks

 

[KmH]

OK >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Action sports shooting requires some of the more expensive photography gear available so that the shutter speed can be kept high enough to stop motion..

$1000 for your budget will limit your choices, unless the $1000 is just for the camera and doesn't include the cost of lenses.

You should start here; Canon EOS Rebel T3 12.2 MP CMOS Digital SLR with 18-55mm IS II Lens and EOS HD Movie Mode (Black)
and use the other $500 for the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras
Unfortunately, with that setup shooting at night it will be very tough to keep the shutter speed high enough, without introducing a lot of image noise from using a high ISO.

For shooting field sports at night, I would recommend the Nikon D7000 16.2MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only)

The closest Canon can get to the D7000 in that price range would be the Canon EOS 60D 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only)

Though in the Canon line, to equal the Nikon D7000 you would need to get the Canon EOS 7D 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-inch LCD and 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens

Next let's consider lenses.

In the Canon lineup to shoot at night you would need something like the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

In the Nikon lens linup you would want something like the Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

 

[Biggs88]

okay so im looking into getting into photography (clearly) and i dont really know what to get. im going to be shooting primarily high speed sports (paintball, soccer, baseball, ect.), but i also might take some videos, so i need a dslr that can take videos. ive been looking into more cannons then nikons because i hear they can take more of a beating, and that the lenses are less expensive (however that may not be true). my budget is about 1k. like i said, i really dont even know what im looking for so i need somone to point me in the right direction
thanks

I am sorry to say this. But your focusing your energy in the wrong way. YOU need educate yourself about cameras. What they do and what you need them to do.

I mean. If your looking to get into photography, learning about cameras, how they work, what they do, and what one works for you is the starting point.

It's like a guy looking to build houses asking what kind of hammer he should buy.

Go to your library and read up on photography. Read online also.

 

[dakkon76]

I agree with Biggs here. Before you have someone toss some gear into your lap, you need to understand the fundamentals of photography. Understanding how everything works will pretty much tell you everything you need to know on what gear you're going to need. Sports, for instance, requires a very fast shutter speed... to get a fast shutter speed and good exposure, you need a very wide aperture to let in as much light as possible. To do sports, you'll need something with a good reach, at least 200mm on the long end.

Next you need to research which cameras offer the best features you're looking for - in your case, you're going to want excellent auto-focus, good performance at high ISO (better performance in lower light), and good video capability. All of these are things that can be gleaned from searching in google, reading camera reviews, and even watching video reviews on youtube.

Searching for things like "Best slr for sports photography" and "best lens for sports photography" will provide you with a wealth of information to get going.

If you want to be hand-fed a killer sports photography system, then here it is:

Canon 7d - $1600
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS USM - $2300
(and/or)
Canon 300mm f/4.0 (because the f/2.8 is way too spendy) - $1400
(and/or)
Canon 400mm f/5.6 (because the f/2.8 is $9,000) - $1300

The problem with this? Each of those lenses have very different limitations that you may love or hate... so you're back to square one, researching which will work best for you.

I will tell you this, though... if you're only shooting outside, you can probably do just fine with a setup that's about $2k by getting the bare-bones 70-200mm f/4 ... it's cheap and works great outdoors, but you won't be using it indoors or into the evening.

 

[armypb4]

alright im researching appeture and all this stuff but one quick queston i do have is which brand is better for sports as far as duribillity because like i said, i have heard that cannons are more durabull where as nikons arent, and since im going to be doing a lot of paintball photography, that is going to be major in choosing a camera
thanks

 

[Biggs88]

alright im researching appeture and all this stuff but one quick queston i do have is which brand is better for sports as far as duribillity because like i said, i have heard that cannons are more durabull where as nikons arent, and since im going to be doing a lot of paintball photography, that is going to be major in choosing a camera
thanks

I guess these guys missed that memo. . . . .

http://nikonrumors.com/2011/04/06/yes-this-nikon-d3-is-still-working.aspx/

http://www.liquidinplastic.com/2009/05/hey-i-think-you-missed-a-spot/

Canon and Nikon have been used around the world in the most extreme situations.

It does not matter what brand you get. They both have different models for different situations at different price points.

 

[armypb4]

alright im researching appeture and all this stuff but one quick queston i do have is which brand is better for sports as far as duribillity because like i said, i have heard that cannons are more durabull where as nikons arent, and since im going to be doing a lot of paintball photography, that is going to be major in choosing a camera
thanks

I guess these guys missed that memo. . . . .

Yes, this Nikon D3 is still working | Nikon Rumors

http://www.liquidinplastic.com/2009/05/hey-i-think-you-missed-a-spot/

Canon and Nikon have been used around the world in the most extreme situations.

It does not matter what brand you get. They both have different models for different situations at different price points.

alright thanks a lot

 

[Patrice]

(Anybody know if Keith is feeling ok?)

Capitals, punctuation, spelling? Where have they all gone?

 

[KmH]

Nikon and Canon (just 1 'n') are equally durable, unless they are abused. In other words what you heard was unadulterated, hip deep, bull****.

 

[armypb4]

Nikon and Canon (just 1 'n') are equally durable, unless they are abused. In other words what you heard was unadulterated, hip deep, bull****.

okay very good to know.
another question i have is what is a good f-stop for shooting sports. i watched some videos on aperture, shutter speed, and iso, but im not sure what exactly is a good number for sports. right now im borrowing a d60 that has like 5.6f at the lowest

 

[Biggs88]

Nikon and Canon (just 1 'n') are equally durable, unless they are abused. In other words what you heard was unadulterated, hip deep, bull****.

okay very good to know.
another question i have is what is a good f-stop for shooting sports. i watched some videos on aperture, shutter speed, and iso, but im not sure what exactly is a good number for sports. right now im borrowing a d60 that has like 5.6f at the lowest

The D60 does not have anything to do with the F stop.

The lens your using has F5.6 as the lowest Fstop. And that lens, judging by the lowest f stop, must be the kit lens 18mm-55mm.

Not a bad entry level lens. Not a good sports lens. But back to your question.

There is no "perfect" F stop for shooting sports. The lower the F stop the narrower the depth of field. That may be what your looking for. Futhermore, that D60 does not perform all that great at higher ISO's (lots of noise). So, you may want to shoot at F5.6, even though that's not that fast, so you can bump up your shutter speed to freeze the sports action. If you shooting during the day, that would be ideal since you can leave your ISO under 400.

 

[armypb4]

Nikon and Canon (just 1 'n') are equally durable, unless they are abused. In other words what you heard was unadulterated, hip deep, bull****.

okay very good to know.
another question i have is what is a good f-stop for shooting sports. i watched some videos on aperture, shutter speed, and iso, but im not sure what exactly is a good number for sports. right now im borrowing a d60 that has like 5.6f at the lowest

The D60 does not have anything to do with the F stop.

The lens your using has F5.6 as the lowest Fstop. And that lens, judging by the lowest f stop, must be the kit lens 18mm-55mm.

Not a bad entry level lens. Not a good sports lens. But back to your question.

There is no "perfect" F stop for shooting sports. The lower the F stop the narrower the depth of field. That may be what your looking for. Futhermore, that D60 does not perform all that great at higher ISO's (lots of noise). So, you may want to shoot at F5.6, even though that's not that fast, so you can bump up your shutter speed to freeze the sports action. If you shooting during the day, that would be ideal since you can leave your ISO under 400.

yea its an 18mm-55mm. right now im leaning toward the nikon 3100, but the problem im having is finding a lense. my friend has a 300mm nikon that i can use, but i was looking at the 120mm-400mm sigma, but i have heard they dont work as well as the nikons

 

[shootermcgavin]

I would recommend renting before you buy one. You can hear it's great or hear it's horrible but that doesn't mean much when it's in your hands. I hear all the time that my 50mm f1.8 Canon is a sharp lens, but I think the Tamron 15-55 f2.8(might not be exact configuration) is sharper so I regret buying the Canon but it was cheap. If it were $500-2000 I would be pissed being stuck with it. Rent or borrow, determine for yourself what is best in your hands.

 

[Biggs88]

The D3100 is a good camera. It works very well at low to mid ISO's and you can get away with using some higher ISO (3200, 6400, 12,800) if you need to.

While it lacks an in body AF motor, your limited to the use of AF-S lenses only if you want AF. Also, it's pop up flash lacks the commander mode.

But besides that, it's a good camera. Very nice choice for someone just getting started also.

The Sigma's are ok. The Nikon glass is better for the most part. I have the Sigma 150-500. It is for sure not the sharpest (or fastest) glass out there. But for the price, they do their job. . .

I mean, I don't want to give you camera advise, since finding out what you need on your own is an important part of the learning curve.

But, if I were you, I would pick up a used D90 and a used (if you can find one) Nikon 75-300mm lens.

For the price, they are both hard to beat!

 

[PatrickJamesYu]

Both brands are just as durable
But I notice Canon to have faster auto focus, for the lenses and cameras I've played with
Might be a nice feature for sports.