Wakeboarding and Wakeskating Photography

[nick7068]

Hello Ive been researching digital slr's and im having trouble deciding which camera to buy based on what i wanna shoot which is wakeboarding and wakeskating. This is a fast sport (20+mph) so i wanted to know which camera i should buy that would be no more than $2000 including a lens that would do the job. I was considering the nikon d300 or the canon 40d. Any suggestions on what digital camera would be good for this sport. Thanks

 

[Robert Kaleta]

Canon 40d seems like a good choice (i own one so i might be biased). 6.5 fps is really wonderful. You still have to time your shots correctly but that speed should help you.
I'm not sure about the lenses. Canon L IS usm 70-200 f2.8 should do the job. However there's $500 difference between f2.8 and f4 and I don't think you'll need that f2.8 when you're outside as there should be plenty of light. Still i'd wait for other people's opinions.

 

[WDodd]

There will be plenty of light to get away with f/4. The 70-200 f/4L would be a great choice in a lens due to the price aspect. Plus IS really wouldn't help you out that much.

I did some wakeboarding stuff with a 75-300 f/3.5-5.6 and most of the stuff I did was 80-100mm. I was also using a Rebel XT and it worked fine. The higher FPS would be a help but its still about timing the shot.

 

[Local_Skater]

I guess it depends where you're shooting from mainly too as to what your best lens choice will be. Do you plan on a chase boat or just shoot from the pull boat?

 

[Shibby!]

I guess it depends where you're shooting from mainly too as to what your best lens choice will be. Do you plan on a chase boat or just shoot from the pull boat?

I was waiting for somebody to ask this question. Very important.

TO be in the pull boat, a 70-200 is good, to be on the shore somewhere else, you will need a long lens!

You cannot get the DOF on a F4 as you woudl on a 2.8. You won't need the speed of the 2.8 on 95% of the days, but the DOF is something you might consider. If you can't get the L lens (canon), try Sigma or some other third party. Image quality might not be the best, but it'll save you money and depending on quality, might be just fine for your use.

As for body's, I own an XTi and a 40D. The XTi works great in well lit situation, and can be had cheap used. The downside? Low light conditions, and speed if you use continuous. I shoot sports and never use continuous so it's not a problem. The 40D's technology allows for the picture to be pushed a lot more in PP then the Xti, but some of my best work was captured with the Xti. If you are looking to save money, and plan on shooting well lite days, I'd suggest the XTi.

I'm not as familiar with Nikon, but my buddy has a D80, and D200. Both great cameras as well. D80 is about the same cost as the Xti, and D200's are dropping in price FAST! Another solid body. Nikon's body's feel great, but I love my Canon. I love Canon lenses.

 

[Jeff Canes]

Been shooting wake mostly at cable parks and from the shore for a few years now and still do not get consistently nice shots every time out

I have both the Canon 70-200 F2.8 IS and 70-200 F4 as a travel/backup lens, with good light you should not see any real different in quality between them, the main different is when using an extender, the 2.8 works well with the1.4X and is OK with the 2X, the F4 is very poor with 2X, have not really tried it out with the 1.4X

The 70-200 is fine if you are shooting from the boat or at about 100ft off the shore

Don’t know much about Nikon, everything I read and hear about the newer D300 and D3 is that they are better that anything Canon makes.