Express Action Sports

I personally have had cameras that take lousy pictures, so thats what I was trying to get at by saying "professional" I understand the photographer is what makes the picture.
I have taken a few semesters of photography now, but nothing with digital, so hence the question.

Depends on what you intend to shoot, and your budget. I’m a Canon guy (but admire Nikon as well), so I’ll answer in "Canoneese", and under the assumption you’re not budgeting "top of the line", which are for a reason: Bear in mind though, the "quality" of your photos will probably be more dependent on your lens than your camera.

—— For general subjects:

On a budget, I’d recommend the EOS Rebel T1i EF-S. It’s got a generous 15 megapix, good low noise characteristics and is not too expensive. It also shoots Full-HD video. It basically has all the pro features of its bigger brothers.

On less of a budget, the EOS 5D Mark II is a —superb— "Advanced Amateur"/Pro camera! Its full-frame CCD gives image quality and low-noise characteristics only rivaled by cameras in the $5,000+ range (at half the price)! It’s a 21 Megapixel beauty, also shoots Full HD video, and has durable, pro-like construction. In the "within reason" price range, this is my top recommendation. Beware though: this camera will only work with regular film-type lenses (due to the full-size sensor). Lenses meant for your average DSLR will vignette tremendously. This in my opinion, is a good thing. If you feel like shooting film (or upgrade to a full-tilt boogie pro DSLR later), your lenses will work for that too (and obviously on any smaller sensor DSLR). The 5D Mark II also comes with a built in PC cord jack, meaning you can plug it into studio strobes without adaptors.

—— For Sports/Action photography, Journalism or Reportage:

Consider the EOS 7D. It sits in the middle price range between the last two. It’s 18 Megapix, also Full HD vid. What sets it apart is it can shoot 8 frames/second at full resolution! The two mentioned previously cap out at about 3.5.

Remember, as I mentioned, picture "quality" (i.e. sharpness, chromatic aberration etc.) will depend more on the lenses you buy. Canon’s site features buyer reviews and ratings on those (that’s how confident they are). What sets bodies apart is build, frame rate, resolution; and metering and focusing points (for the most part).

If you can, go with the EOS 5 Mark II. For image quality, it kicks every "regular" DSLR’s butt very badly! Most especially in low-light situations.

Hope that helps.

P.S.
If you’re talking about a compact camera that can produce pro-like results, try the Canon Powershot G10. You won’t have the flexibility of a DSLR, but it’s compact, and has a hotshoe allowing you to hook up Canon’s excellent 580 EZ flash or even a remote and up to 3 flashes, as a DSLR does. You will be limited to the built-in lens, but it’s a convenient "carry around" camera.

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

I am new to the advanced photography world, and I just purchased Canon Rebel XT because it seems to be a great entry level camera with good features. I am mostly interested in taking photos of dogs at dog park and events, etc. I want to be able to take clear photos of them running around. What are the lenses that would fit my criteria? I would like something on the cheaper side that does the job. Thanks a lot!

I’ll give you some criteria used in choosing a lens, and then suggest a few that I would use for this purpose.

1. Zoom or prime
Zoom lenses are lenses that cover multiple focal lengths. Prime lenses cover a single focal length. Zooms should NOT be confused with telephotos (lenses for shooting far away things), as telephotos can be either zoom or prime. Zooms give you greater flexibility, but primes offer superior image quality at a given price point. Primes are also available in larger apertures (see below).

2. Focal length
Remember that your DSLR is a "crop" sensor DSLR. This means that your sensor is significantly smaller than 35mm film, and only uses the center of the image circle created by a standard lens. The simplified result of this "crop effect" is that you need to multiply the focal length on the lens by 1.6 to get the effective length on your camera. (No, the lens doesn’t magically change, but the crop will make you move YOUR position, which will change the perspective rendered by the lens.)

The classic ranges for 35mm film are (give or take)
14-24mm = Ultra Wide Angle
24mm-35mm = Wide angle
40mm-70mm = Normal Perspective
70mm-135mm = Short Telephoto/Portrait
135mm-299mm = Telephoto
300mm + = Supertelephoto.

So take the lens’s focal length and multiply by 1.6 to figure out how the lens will work on YOUR camera.

Note that EF-S lenses are lenses designed for your reduced image circle. This doesn’t mean that you gain any optical benefits (quite the opposite in most cases), but some of these reduced-circle lenses represent great values, or at the wide end (EF-S 10-22) offer perspectives not available in full-frame lenses.

3. Maximum Aperture
When you see a number like f/2.8 or f/4-5.6 on the side of a lens, it tells you the maximum aperture that the lens is capable of achieving. Larger apertures give you a few capabilities. They allow you to shoot in lower light without flash (more light coming in = faster shutter speed). This is VITAL for sports photography, or any situation where the subject is apt to be moving. Larger apertures also allow you to shoot shallow depth-of-field shots, where the background and foreground are blurred to isolate the subject. A larger aperture lens can be stopped down for more depth-of-field or slower shutter, but a "slower" lens cannot be opened up. Larger apertures also offer faster auto-focus (with a few exceptions), as lenses slower than f/2.8 disable some of the AF sensors on your camera.

4. IS
Some Canon lenses offer IS. IS is a gyroscopic device that lives in the back of the lens and tries to correct for lens movement. This is extremely useful when you are shooting hand-held, but still can be useful on a tripod or monopod (although some older lenses require that you disable IS on a tripod). IS is great for shooting STATIC subjects in low light, as it will allow you to use a slower shutter speed than you would otherwise be able to. Some IS lenses offer "pan mode" which will stabilize the lens vertically, but allow you to pan the lens horizontally (think racecars with the background blurring as they move). IS is almost useless for most sports, as the key issue is not camera movement, but getting a shutter fast enough to stop the subject’s motion.

5. Little red rings
The Canon "L" series of lenses is the "L"uxury lineup of optics, and they all have a little red ring around the front. In reality, this designation has more to do with being designed for professionals than for use as a luxury item. The L series lenses are *typically* of higher optical quality AND build quality than their consumer grade cousins. For zooms in particular, there are VERY few offering really strong quality in the consumer lineup (EF-S 10-22, EF-S 17-50IS, 70-300IS being the most notable exceptions).

6. Third party lenses
Tamron, Sigma, Tokina…. people take sides on the "are third party lenses ok" debate as vehement as their stances on major political issues. In my experience, some third party lenses offer an excellent value for the money. That said, ALL lenses have a certain variation in quality between copies of identical lenses. Test 3 copies of a Canon 50mm 1.4 in the store, and you will likely see a difference in performance. This tends to be even more pronounced in 3rd party lenses! So I recommend that you only consider purchasing a 3rd party lens from one of the three manufacturers I listed, and only if you can test it in store, or if the store has a fair return policy.

There ARE other concerns when buying a lens, but this should be more than enough to get you started.

That said… for your stated purpose:
You need a focal length where you can shoot at a bit of a distance… so telephoto is where its at here. If it were me, I’d be looking at the EF85mm f/1.8 or EF100mm f/2 primes for a value option with this purpose. If you feel you need more reach, the EF200 f.2.8L is superb and value priced at about $500. If you decide that you need a zoom, the least expensive telezooms I recommend are the EF70-200 f/4L or the 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS. The non-IS 70-300 is not very well built and offers a different (and much inferior) optical design from its IS brother.

I recently bought a telephoto lens for my digital DSLR to take better pictures of action shots in sports. I am using a 75-300 mm lens. The problem is that in order to freeze the motion, I need a fast shutter speed, resulting in dark pictures. Can anyone recommend a shutter speed that freezes motion but still gets enough light to have brighter pictures or just another tip to help with my picture-taking? Please help me.

You may want to try raising the ISO settings before adjusting the shutter speed. Definately get the ISO as high as you can before a noticable grain appears. Often, the ISO is set very low for a ‘cleaner’ picture, but this means lower sensitivity to light. So try raising it slowly.

You may want to spend an entire sports event taking test pictures, tweaking serttings between shots, then back at home review your images using a image browser that shows all the EXIF data stored in the photo, which reveals your ISO and shutter speeds. Adobe Lightroom, ACDSee, even Microsoft has put out a free add in for Windows to expose this extra EXIF info in the photo.

You will want to preview the test images large, to notice subtle differences, the preview screen on the camera is not enough to see blur most the time if your speed is a hair too low..

I would be glad to tell you a magic setting, but im not sure it exists, more that you know a general range of shutter speed and iso speed that works, and constantly adjust according to the specific area.

Here is a newer, free microsoft photo viewer that may be of use http://www.microsoft.com/prophoto/downloads/tools.aspx

I’ve tried setting to Action/Sport, but the pics still come out blurry.

You can’t. The Samsung Epic 4G is a phone with a $10 camera thrown in for fun.

The built-in camera is pretty decent for what it is (reviews: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/16/epic-4g-review/ , http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2367811,00.asp ) but it doesn’t compare to a $200 point & shoot camera, never mind a dSLR. That’s what you’d preferably use for action/ sports, or any other kind of photography where performance matters.

Not to be a wise-ass, but there’s a reason that pro sports photographers use $5000 cameras ( http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/655574-REG/Nikon_25466_D3S_Digital_SLR_Camera.html ) with $9000 lenses ( http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/520639-USA/Nikon_2171_AF_S_Nikkor_400mm_f_2_8G.html ).

I already have a canon 7D for action/sports photography; however, I am torn on choosing a new camera…the new 6D or the 5D Mark II.

Option 2: save for another year and get the latest and greatest

Which one would you chose and why?

I specialize in portraits, long exposures, and light painting!

Thank you!

Going from a 7D to a 6D or 5DMkII (or MkIII) will give you practically nothing. The difference in performance between the 3 cameras is so minimal that it’s not even worth talking about.

If you were talking about upgrading from a Rebel XSi or a Rebel XTi then i’d consider it but not from a 7D.

This was shot with a Rebel T1i

This was shot with a Rebel XSi

Skill trumps camera.
Lenses trump camera.
Light trumps camera.

Spend you money on classes, better lenses, lighing gear … anything but a new camera … unless you want to ADD a second camera to your kit (so as to have a backup/secondary camera).

I can say what I would do in your position because I don;t know if you are shooting for fun or for profit. I don;t know what lenses you have. I don;t know what lighting gear you have.

EDIT @Tim
"I disagree with Eric about the difference and train the 7D and the 5Dmk2.
I own both cameras, any difference in image quality is huge, especially at higher ISO’s."

But is the difference significant enough for a enthusiast to consider selling a 7D to get a 5DMkII? I own a XSi, a T1i and a 5DMkII and I agree, the 5DMkII’s performance at high ISO is amazing. I shoot at 3200 without hesitation and I don;t feel complete dread when I have to bump that up to 6400 but look at the types of photography the OP is interested in. Portraits, long exposures and light painting … none of those are done at high ISO so the OP would gain next to nothing by "upgrading".

I’m getting engaged in extreme sports photography, i want to know a good camera in the 600-700$ price range, i already own a gopro, so thats out of the question. I already plan on picking a couple more up. I just need something with clear footage and relative zoom so i can get that perfect shot!

Thanks

You can use a good entry level dSLR like the Nikon D3200 or Canon T3/1100D, but what you need is a lens like the 18-200 mm so you can get tight shots at different parts of the track or good wide shots on nearby corners.

That means that your budget is rather small for what you need for shooting any motor sports, which includes extreme sports.

I have a colleague who shoots X-Games and he uses an inexpensive Nikon D40 with a 70-200 mm f/2.8 lens and flash. With the D40, he can shoot at high shutter speeds, higher than the standard 1/200th or 1/250th second restriction of CMOS sensored cameras.

Cost wise this is the break down. A good used Nikon D40, about $350. A AF-S Nikkor 70-200 mm f/2.8, about $2,400 and the SB 800 flash, about $400

If you are planning on shooting video, then you can probably use consumer grade video camera like those made by Canon, Panasonic, JVC or Sony

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 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.

For under $400 what is a good action camera for taking pictures at my sons baseball and football games?

You have a problem … P&S cameras under $400 or even more suffer from shutter lag … in sports and action photography, that means missed shots

You will have to increase you budget to $550. That will get you a DSLR with 18-55 mm lens (over 80% of your shots of the family, friends and travels) and a 55-200 mm which you will use for all your sports and action photography.

The $150 will be well worth it, since the cameras sensor is over 15x the size of most P&S cameras and eventually you will be able to add more lenses to your system.

The Canon SX-10 has about the least shutter lag of the P&S cameras, 0.079. The flash shutter lag takes a little longer, at 0.78 seconds. At just under 0.08 seconds, it is close the the longest shutter lag found on DSLR’s At $399 US with a 20x zoom, it could be a good choice, but in the end, what you buy has much more to do with your goals as a photographer.