Rodeo and Horse Events

OnTheFly7 · Jul 10, 2013

I want to start by saying the following; I joined The Photo Forum due to the number of times it kept popping up during some of my searches on various topics. The threads I read were good, the responses informative and there seemed to be a lack of the typical forum non-sense.

Here is my dilemma:

I am a fly fisherman and waterfowl hunter and I bring a camera every where. I started to get real serious about two years ago, when it comes to photography. I am still learning but my goal is to start my own small business and combine it with web and media design. I have taken a HUGE interest in shooting rodeos and mounted shooting events. I'm from the west, I enjoy the west and the western lifestyle is still alive and well (meaning real ranches, real riders and folks who are real).

Currently, I am shooting with a D800 and I love the camera. The issue is, it is not fast enough for these events, although part of it is the glass. The next event, I will be renting a 70-200, f2.8 and I am sure that will help, to an extent. I am thinking of a new body as well, the D300s. Ideally, I would like to purchase the D300s and the 70-200, but I can not swing both at the same time. My question is, despite being an older body, would you get the D300s with the MB-D10 grip and rent lenses when needed, even though that body is older? Or, would you continue shooting the 800 and experiment with lenses and wait, and wait, and wait for the 300s replacement (which will cost a fair bit more I'm sure)?

The plan, if I get the 300s will be to put the 70-200, 2.8 on it and use the 800 for non-arena shots such as folks getting ready to compete, of scenery, of random people, etc.

I welcome your thoughts and thank you!

jwbryson1 · Jul 10, 2013

I'm not sure I follow your post. The D800 is a fantastic camera and MORE than sufficient to shoot rodeos, both indoor and outdoor. I've shot rodeos with my D90 with great success, and it's a much lower quality camera than the D800.

The 70-200 2.8 will work wonders in low light conditions. Try it out and see for yourself.

ScottMac · Jul 10, 2013

Fast Enough? you mean frame rate, shutter speed or focusing speed? The D300s has a faster frame rate, but other issues are likely to be far better on the D800. The D300s was a great camera for its time, and many of its features, functionality and durability have not (yet) been surpassed by another DX model, BUT the sensor is OLD TECHNOLOGY, and that is the FIRST technology that will improve your opportunity to improve your images... You have the best in the D800..... exploit it to the full and rather upgrade your lenses.

OnTheFly7 · Jul 10, 2013

jwbryson1 said:
I'm not sure I follow your post. The D800 is a fantastic camera and MORE than sufficient to shoot rodeos, both indoor and outdoor. I've shot rodeos with my D90 with great success, and it's a much lower quality camera than the D800.

The 70-200 2.8 will work wonders in low light conditions. Try it out and see for yourself.

I appreciate the response. I was just wondering if having the higher frame per second rate that the 300s offers would be more beneficial. I'm not unhappy with the 800 at all! I just think the higher frame rate would be a nice thing to have, along with the crop.

If you don't mind, could you post a couple of pictures that you have shot?

The one issue I had this spring was an outdoor-indoor event. The event took place under a covered roof, with bleachers and poor lighting, however there were no walls to the building. So I was dealing with the covered arena and bright, overcast skies. I know the lens will make a difference here. I cranked the ISO waaaay up and most shots were very noisy. I am think this was mostly due to the lens 35-300, 3.5 to 5.6 (but it was all I had that day).

KmH · Jul 10, 2013

I suspect the OP's issue is the frames-per-second rate (fps) of the D800 compared to the fps rate of the D300s.

A better approach would be to anticipate the action rather than a spray-and-pray reliance on a high fps burst mode rate.
In other words upgrade the photograpehr's skills first, then consider equipment changes.

An additional consideration is that the D800 has the Advanced Nikon Multi-CAM 3500 auto focus module, while the D300s has the original version of the Nikon Multi-CAM 3500 auto focus module.

Robbo521 · Jul 10, 2013

i shoot them with a D3s its great.the key is to get the 70-200 2.8.if you shoot rodeos with anything else at night,you just cant do much if the lighting is as bad as it is here.

tirediron · Jul 10, 2013

KmH said:
I suspect the OP's issue is the frames-per-second rate (fps) of the D800 compared to the fps rate of the D300s.

A better approach would be to anticipate the action rather than a spray-and-pray reliance on a high fps burst mode rate.
In other words upgrade the photograpehr's skills first, then consider equipment changes.

An additional consideration is that the D800 has the Advanced Nikon Multi-CAM 3500 auto focus module, while the D300s has the original version of the Nikon Multi-CAM 3500 auto focus module.

This! I routinely shoot barrel-racing in single-frame mode.

ranchcutter · Jul 23, 2013

I am going to night outdoor rodeos and indoor rodeos with terrible lighting. I recently moved up from a Nikon D50 to a Nikon D7100. The lens I'm using is a Sigma 2.8 70-200 but it's an older version, bought it when I bought the D50 years ago when it first came out. My latest shots were pretty crappy. Pushed the ISO up to 3200, and went with 1/500 and 1/640, f/2.8. Even at that high ISO, the lighting in the photos wasn't good. The noise was even worse. These shots of yours are very crisp and clear. Do you mind telling us the specs on your shots please?

Thanks so much! I need all the help and info I can get! Daytime rodeo shots are no problem, it's just the low light situations.