Express Action Sports

I love taking pictures and my brother has the nikon D40. I’ve taken lots of pictures and I really would like a Canon instead of a Nikon, I know the T1i has HD video taking option, but what is the big difference between the XS and XSi? Aswell I would like the cheaper one but I want one that can take good close up’s and I love taking action shots, like sports (hockey, skiing) What would you recommend? Pro’s and Con’s.

Real simple: Except for slight speed difference;
The XS is a base model with a 10.1MP CMOS sensor (better for low-light than Nikon D40/D40x/D60/D3000 – which all have a CCD)
The XSi adds live view ( but focus is much slower in LV mode) and 2.2MP more.
The T1i adds HD video but won’t AF in video mode, so you must focus before recording & hope your subject doesn’t change distance or manually focus. It also ups the resolution to 15.1MP.

The lens matters more than the camera (all three should work for you). I’d recommend getting it at a camera store as they will help if you have any problems (try getting photo help @ Walmart).

I’m fifteen years old, and i’d like to buy my first dslr. I’m a very fast learner, and eventually i’d like a career in photography. I’d love to be a concert photographer or an Action Sports photographer. Anywho, i have been looking at the Nikon D3000, and it seems really nice. I especially like the guide mode, because i really don’t know much about photography, and it looks like a very simple camera to use. I also like the Nikon D5000, especially because it has the swivel lcd screen, and since this is my first dslr, i only want to use it to take pictures of myself/friends/family, and occasionally when i go on vacation. I haven’t really looked at the Canon cameras, but if you know a good beginner one please recommend it. I have been reading that the 35mm lens for Nikon is a very good lens if you want fast/sharp images. Would this lens be appropriate for a beginner dslr, and the things i’d be shooting?

You might want to start with something a little easier to use, and a little less expensive, especially if you only want to take pictures of friend and special occasions!

To begin with, try a point and shoot because they are specifically designed for amateurs (I don’t mean that insultingly >.<) but if your heart is set on an SLR, Nikon, Fuji and Canon are the best makes, with Nikon and Canon being the leading brands.

The Nikon D-40, D-60, and D-90 series are superb, being the cheapest of this range and with a little bit of play, quite easy to use. I do not know much about Fuji, but the Canon D1000 also have very good reviews although slightly more expensive.

A good lens to start off with would be a general multipurpose lens ranging from 18mm-55mm, this gives a good range of macro zoom to a decent long-distance. Perfect for starting out and this usually will come with the camera. Lenses are really expensive, for a good lens you can expect to pay between £250 up to £5000, depending on the lens!

As for the career, it would be a good idea for you to look up some good college courses, and start taking lots and lots of pictures of things that interest you: flowers, people, events, buildings, to begin to build up a portfolio of work you could show to potential interviews. A career as a photographer is pretty difficult, you can’t just buy a camera and start taking pictures, you need to learn composition, lighting effects, what makes a good photograph, ect. Once you have a good understanding, then you could start branching out into different subjects that interest you.

Just remember that you can get perfectly good photographs on a simple point-and-shoot (I’ve done that plenty of times) it’s the photographer that makes the photograph, not the camera.

I hope this has helped you, and if you any advice look me up.

Good Luck
Alex

I’m looking for a digital camera that takes awesome action shots for sports. I would also like to use it as an everyday camera. Was thinking about the canon rebel XTI anyone have any input on this. I would really like some HELP! An image stablizer would be nice, and one that will take photos in a gym without it being too dark!

You will not find any sensor based image stabilizing on Nikon or Canon DSLR’s … they do that on lenses, specifically designed for the length of the lens. The professionals that use Nikon and Canon cameras demand more performance from their cameras, so you will not see any "universal" fixes on their cameras (no one size fits all design).

That said, good photo taking techniques, fast lenses, IS or VR lenses and judicious control of ISO settings makes the success of shooting indoors higher than using a camera as an expensive point and shoot.

Next time you are watching a pro shoot an indoor sporting event, note their style of shooting and the equipment that is being used.

I am looking for a good sequencing camera with the capability of an attachable fisheye lense for Action Sports photography.

Any dSLR that has a fast fps and is able to cache a big amount of photos.

Both Nikon and Canon have good cameras that have fast fps speeds. Both Nikon and Canon have fisheye lenses that will fit on their dSLRs.

You may want to also take a look at the Casio EX-F1 http://exilim.casio.com/browse_cameras/exilim_pro/EX-F1/ if high speed sequences are your game. It can’t swap out lenses but does to 60 fps.