Express Action Sports

I want to be a wildlife photographer so i need a camera that can focus fast and take pictures fast. E.g an owl flying down to perch on a tree branch.I also need a lens that will give me highly detained photos.

For wildlife photography you will want a camera with lots of autofocus points and a high burst rate. For wildlife and sports I use the Canon 7D (18mp, 8fps, 19 af points). If you like Nikon, the D7000 is a great choice (16mp, 6fps, 39 af points). For lenses, you will ideally want L series lenses with image stabilization and a fast focusing motor (USM for Canon). I’m not familiar with Nikon lenses, but the same basic rules apply. If you’re on a budget, get the best quality lens you can afford that has image stabilization and USM. USM = Ultra Sonic Motor.

Usually I recommend better lenses before a better camera body, but in this case the body is just as important for getting that perfect shot.

I hope this helps. Good Luck.

I have the Canon Rebel T1i, and I’m looking to take better pictures of outdoor sports as well as indoor events. I currently have the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/1.4-5.6 IS, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, as well as a Canon EF 50mm f/1-1.8. Would a Speedlight be beneficial? Or more cost efficient?

It sounds like you have the lenses that should do the job. There are of course better faster lenses but they cost a ton of money. What I think you need to do is learn how to use your camera better. A good class in photography and some practice will improve your pictures.

The 55-250mm should do a fine job with outdoor sports during the day. You will have trouble with it indoors or at night because of the small aperture. The 50mm F1.8 should do a good job with indoor sports if you are reasonably close.

A flash is not recommended though. It would be completely useless with outdoor sports as the action would be too far away for the the flash to be effective. Indoors it would work if you were within about 30ft. but do you really want to be sending a bright flash in the athletes eyes over and over again. I think they might have a problem with that.

If you really want to upgrade lenses be prepared to lay out some serious cash. The 70-200mm F2.8 IS lens is nearly $2,000. A 50mm F1.2 is also nearly $2,000 and a 24-70mm F2.8 or 18-55mm F2.8 are over $1,000.

i know that the $300 is not a lot for an hd video camera and that it won’t be the greatest video quality ever, but i’m just a college kid so my funds are limited to say the least. i record tennis matches with my brother, and we usually play at night, as well as basketball games (during the day). any thoughts?

no consumer HD camera can record sports action except as a blur. that is because of the super high compression. MPEG4, AVCHD and similar codecs record only one actual frame and then throw out the next 7, giving it a GOF factor of 8. on playback the missing frames have to be guessed at by interpolation, which gives blurry jumpy results.

the solution is to use the system most widely used by Action Sports videographers, which is miniDV. while not HD it can be shot in the widescreen mode so the picture will fill an HDTV screen. And you can get one for under $300, look at the Canon ZR960.

I have been doing photography for awhile now, and just recently started a course, I dont want a professional camera, just a decent one. Could you tell me what camera you think is a great basic?

Hey Emma, you might find this post I made yesterday useful.
Of course it all depends on how much you are willing to spend on a camera, but here are a good few to get started on. These are all entry level to intermediate level SLR cameras.

You’ll have to convert the names and prices to US though if you’re there! the 450D is called the XSi in the US i think. Don’t get the XS (1000D, uugggh, terrible)

Post below:….

Also don’t listen to people saying Canon/Nikon are better, they’re all promoting their own equipment. They’ll deny it but it’s always true. Both systems are excellent with both having their advantages or disadvantages.
I shoot one system for my own personal work and one system with my 9-5 work. I’m not saying which one’s which 🙂

Personally I would go for one of these four options:

Nikon D80 – £399.00
Nikon D90 – £569.98
Canon 40D – £549.99
Canon 450D – £379.99

The D90 and 40D are the two superior cameras. However you may prefer to get a D80/450D and invest the remaining money on some accessories such as a flash gun or a lens or two.

If you are going to continue with photography, it’s good to start your lens collection now as they will last you a lot longer than your camera body which you will probably be looking at replacing/upgrading every 2/3 years. Save up and invest in good glass! BE warned though a good lens can cost a LOT 🙂

Here are links for all four, have a browse through and make your opinions THEN go try them out and hold them in a shop to see how they feel in your hand and which one you seem to have more of a connection to. That’s my advice 🙂

LINKS:

NIKON D80 – http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imagin…
NIKON D90 – http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imagin…
CANON 450D – http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_…
CANON 40D – http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_…

There’s a nice table half way down the page showcasing the differences between the two Nikons on the D90 DPreview website here:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond90…

The 40D is the largest of all of these cameras (similar size to the Nikon D300, but obviously not as good)
Here’s the Canon 50D (practically the same size as the Canon D40) side by side with the Nikon D90 to illustrate this.
http://a.img-dpreview.com/reviews/NikonD…

Personally I’m not going to tell you which one I would choose as it’s my own preference and my own style of shooting, which may be completely different from yours!

……Edit: Ok I’ll tell you. I shoot a lot of sports so I’d personally get the Canon 40D for its 6.5fps, mag alloy body and larger size but then remember that because that’s my style and fast action is what I shoot!, You’ll probably be completely different 🙂

In a nutshell all those cameras will serve you well throughout your entire course! Have fun trying them out in the shop!!.. and don’t buy a Canon 1000D or Nikon D40/D40x (shudder).

Hope I’ve helped 🙂

Rick

I am looking for a camera to shoot HD photos and videos of horses (mainly jumping). How is the SX40 with sports/action?

I can’t speak to the video side but being a partially controllable camera, if you can set your shutter to at least 1/500 and can adjust your ISO for arena light (usually terrible) then you might do alright.

I’m getting into sports photography at the semi-professional level and was wondering if anyone has used the Sigma 300mm f/2.8 lens. The price difference is over $1000 and I’ve heard at times that the Sigma lenses are much better than they were in the past. Anyone’s thoughts or comments?

I actually use that Sigma lens and can tell you that it is great, I shoot with a Nikon but it’s the same lens as it would be for Canon. Obviously if money is no object always go with the same manufacturer of your camera for your lenses but personally I would say this lens is well worth it especially if you need to watch your expenses. I shoot a lot of sports action and have no complaints about the Sigma lens at all.

I want a very nice camera money is not an issue, i want one good for sports, photography and video caming and taking lively photos that will last me forever what kind of camera do i need? 🙂 thank you.

There is NO such camera

The fact that a digital camera is always evolving, means that every 5 to 6 years, you will be upgrading the body.
Shooting sports has much more to do with your skills as a photographer and having the right lens

Sample:

http://s862.photobucket.com/albums/ab182/fotomanaz/Answers%20album/?action=view&current=i_AIA3008copy.jpg

And finally, here is what you need to know before you start thinking about shooting amazing video using a dSLR with a video feature.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/camcorders/cam-cam.shtml

Once you understand the limitations of ANY camera, you will not become frustrated with whatever camera you buy and you can start saving your pennies for the camera and lenses that will suit your needs.

At present the two most used entry level dSLR cameras are the Nikon D3200 and Canon T3i/600D, both cost under $1,000

I have a Canon Rebel T3. I take a lot of sports pictures mostly basketball and volleyball so indoor sports. I have a 18-55mm lens and a 75-300mm lens.. I usually use the 75-300 and I get really good pictures! but I was wondering if there are better lens’ for sports that wont cost more then around 200 dollars or so. thanks so much! or any tips on getting better indoor sports pictures would be great too!

There’s really no good lens you can buy for $200. Unfortunately, the price is everything when it comes to lens. For fast action, you need a lens with a large aperture. Unfortunately, the larger the aperture, the more expensive, exponentially. Check out the pros with those bazooka style lens, that what it takes to freeze the action from far away. But those will cost you tens of thousands of dollars.

What you can do is try to get closer to the action, that way you don’t have to zoom as much. Also, try to pan with the action. With enough practice, you can actually get a nice focus shot of a moving object. So like when a basketball player jumps up diagonally, pan your camera in the same direction. You can get some cool effects with the player being in focus and the background blurred.

Hope this helps,
-Wei
www.artofwei.com

I’m considering getting a SLR, possibly a canon? I want one that I can get good shot from a distance and take action shots(for sports, etc.) without a blur.

This is how I do it; that’s as affordable as I can make it….

– Canon 500D.
– 75-300mm IS lens

In my eyes; this is as cheap and light as it is possible.
Advantage
– cheap
– light
– long reach
disadvantage
– plastic mount. not as durable
– slow lens i think it is a 6.3 at 300mm
– not protected from the elements

For sports photography, having long reach is just a small piece of a bigger puzzle.
– getting as close as you can to the player or the person. They stand on teh sideline for a reason
– fast lens (some use 300mm f/2.8 <– very expensive)
– if you are taking picture in harsh weather conditions. Dirt bikes; snow… You need weather protection… Canon 7d + 70-200mm f/2.8

edit; the rest of it is knowing the gear you are using….
fast shutter speed to freeze the action
high iso to get the faster speed
getting the proper exposure… etc

i take a lot of sport shots,during the day i have the camera set on the sport mode and i get fantastic photos,but when the light goes,and try taking shots at night at a sportsfield under lights,and still on sport mode,the pics are dark,but mainly they are very blurry,and not worth keeping.I have tried to take the same sought of photos on the Aperture mode,but the pics are too dark.Its all been very frustrating.Can someone help me please?

As mentioned, a P&S does not have the controls necessary to freeze action in low light, nor does it have a large enough sensor to produce nearly noiseless images at high ISO settings.

Here is what you could expect if you had the right tool for the job, mainly a dSLR with long, fast lens

http://s862.photobucket.com/albums/ab182/fotomanaz/Answers%20album/?action=view&current=i_AIA3008copy.jpg

That shot was made using a 300 mm lens with aperture of f/2.8 and a shutter speed of 1/500th second.

If you look on your camera, you will notice that none of those settings are possible on your SX20