Camera recommendations please

I've got the Canon Digital Rebel and think it's a fantastic camera, I'd upgrade to the Rebel Xti in a heartbeat if I could afford to right now. You'll definitiely want to get a zoom lens, I've got the Canon 70-300 w/ image stabilization and it does real good. I see that Tamron offers an 18-200 lens that fits the Canon, and Canon has a 28 - 200, you may be happier with something like that so you won't have to change lenses all the time.

I do all of my camera work in 'RAW' mode, which gives the very best image quality but requires processing on the computer when you get home. These cameras also have a very easy to use full-auto mode which I'm sure you'll be very happy with.

We have a canon xt and love it. The learning curve for me is pretty steep - as I'm a point and shoot person.

A zoom lens is a must. I would recommend a monopod too. (Like a tripod only with one leg) and two large cards.

The feature I like is the sports setting - it allows bursts while focusing on the subject. I think you get 14, unlike other digitals, which gives you 4-6.


the xt works like a film camera, so low ligthing may be an issue. I know you can change the settings to accomodate that, but like I said the learning curve....

I have a Cannon Powershot and looove it from a " just-a-mom/not a professional" perspective. Did get asked to do the Varsity baseball team/individual pics last year, so the quality must have been good enough for more than just lil' ol' me.
The best feature IMO is the steady hand feature ( very few blurred pics ) and what I like to refer to as the " super sonic auto zoom ". I can sit at the top of the bleachers and with the push of a button focus in on the center fielder's facial freckles! Gotta love that! It also has a fast speed which can capture the dirt/dust in the air as someone is sliding into a base,..again,..looove those action shots!
I bought the largest memory card they make which of course was an addditional cost, but well worth it! I've also been told it takes short movies,..but haven't quite mastered that one yet!

Hope this helps!

hokieone - I have the Canon 10D (they don't make it anymore...similar to the 30D now). I love it!

The monopod advice was VERY good advice. Also, if you can stand to do it, buy the very best zoom lens you can. I would recommend either the 70-200mm/F2.8 (around $1500) or the 100-400/F4.5 (around $1200 online). I own the 100-400. It has been one of the very best things I've ever bought.

Be ready to take photos of your son's teammates as well and email to other parents. I love doing this and the families love receiving them.

Hokie, go to this site www.kenrockwell.com and read as much as you can.

Ken is really good and has a lot of detailed reviews of Nikon and Canon hardware and accessories. There is also a lot of good info on "how to take good pictures".

I personally have Nikon gear and I use it for our 3 teams. You probably can't go wrong with Nikon or Canon. Just read and decide what to buy based on what you intend to use the camera/lense for. If you're doing sports, I would suggest getting a zoom that reaches out to at least 200mm, but one that reaches 300mm would be ideal for baseball games. I have Nikon's 18-200mm lense and there are times I can't get in there tight enough for the shot I want. So I'm looking for a 300mm lense to resolve that issue.

Best of luck.
Jon

Hokie,

You have gotten some good responses and advice so far. I have the original Cannon Rebel digital camera. The camera is pretty good for sports photography especially when you consider the price. A couple things you might want to consider...

How many pictures per second do you want to be able to shoot in a burst? My Canon is the older version and it only shoots about 2-3 per second. This isn’t a terrible frame speed however if you are wanting to take a series of sequential shots of your son pitching, making a tag or batting you may not catch everything. This may have changed for the newer Rebels however for a little more money you can upgrade to something like the Canon 30D which justbaseball mentions that gets I believe around 5-8 pictures per second in a burst. In most any baseball situation I would think this would be more than enough. For a novice photographer (which I am) I have found that shooting in burst can make up for missed timing and help get a great shot. That’s the beauty of digital photography; you can take a lot of shots and delete the ones you don’t like.

Second thing to consider is how big a telephoto lens you will need. I have a 70mm-200mm which works great to take pictures of my sons. (They are primarily pitchers and infielders) however when I take shots of the outfielders it still looks like a long-range shot. So if your guy is an outfielder or cather (taking straight on shots from the outfield) you may want to look at a longer zoom. You may also want to look at the "f" rating (i.e. 2.5 or 4.5) of the lens. This makes a big difference if you are hoping to shoot any sports indoors. I will not even try to explain this however it is something you might want to ask your camera retail guy about.

Like I said you have gotten good advice however if I had to do it over again I would have gone with a camera that had a faster frames per second and larger telephoto lens. Now that I think of it, maybe it's time to talk to my wife about letting me upgrade. Anyone want to buy a good used camera!

Good luck and enjoy!

i have been wanting to buy the rebel. i have some friends that have them and they seem ve ry easy. the thing i remember is all canon lenses fit it. so if you had an cannon already the lense would fit. at least that's what i'm told. but it is well thought of around here.

Remember if you buy a camera or video equipment, you have to ask yourself what purposes you intend for it's use. For example, if you buy a video camera and want to use it with various softward such as the RVP program, then you can't use a video camera that has the DVD feature. Programs/software that you intend to use will state their requirements.

Hokieone:

I'd be careful taking the advice of 20dad...I mean what else could he say, but sing the praises of the Canon Rebel.

He resides in New Hampshire and their motto is Buy Canon or die!

Just got the Panasonic Lumix for hubby for Christmas. Has great zoom for infield and outfield and wasn't as expensive as the Rebel.

I have a Nikon D70 and have been very happy with it. The key factor in your purchase of the camera body is how good/fast is the autofocus system and then buying a good lens. i.e. the Nikon D50 has the same autofocus motor/system of the d-70, however the more expensive d-200 ($1,500???) has the professional autofocus motor/system. The D-50/70 and 200 however all shoot 2-3 fps max. I think the similiar low end Cannon camera's have the same FPS. If you have the money and inclination a higher fps is nicer.

For Sports photograghy at a baseball field you'd like to at least get out to 300mm. (300 mm "converts" to 400mm on most Nikon and Canon's due to the use of a small sensor).


The lens purchase is probebely more important then the body purchase. A good lens will outlast the camera body. You can find plently of cheap used Nikon and Canon lens on e-bay. i.e. I bought a 10 year old metal and glass Nikon lens 80-300 on e-bay for $135 in perfect condition that is compatitable with my D-70. It was $700 brand new and the current $300 verision is made of plastic.. Make sure the lens is not an autofocus slug before you buy - many websites provide evaluation of Nikon and Canon lens performance.

Typically the Nikon and Canon 80-200 2.8 lens along with a 2x extender are the staple of sports photographers. This lens will cost anywhere from 800 (no stabilization)-1500 (stabilization) I would buy this particular lens new - not off of e-bay.

Not all Nikon and Canon lens are backward and forward compatible. I am told that Nikon is the most compatible but that Canon has a better selection of newer lens with built in stabilization and high speed autofocus motors. -- You should make sure any lens you buy will work on your paritcular camera body before you buy it.

Warning - you won't make instantly great pictures until you get familiar with your gear!!!


THe Ken Rockwell site previusly mentioned has a lot of good info.

Hokieone,
Can’t add much to what has already been said. I also have the Canon RebelXT digital. It was pretty much a toss up between the Canon and the Nikon when I made my purchase. It came down to features vs. dollars and both were great but I felt as if I would be able to get more affordable accessories for the Canon. I have been a hobby photographer for many years (way before digital)and in the past Nikon was perceived to be a better product. I can’t say that is the case today because both have great reputations and the technology has drastically changed. Zoom? Fist off ignore “digital zoom” when trying to evaluate a camera. Optical zoom is the camera’s (lens) ability to magnify and object and maintain clarity. Digital zoom magnifies the image and looses quality in doing so. I started with a 300mm and quickly went to a 400mm and think 400mm is the minimum for baseball. I think most digital SLRs can be used as a “point and shoot” or you can get creative and modify shutter speeds, apertures, focus and such. I also purchased a larger strobe (flash) because the built in flash units are very limited especially for outdoor at night. You will probably want to purchase an additional battery and have at least two memory cards. I have two 1G cards and haven’t run out of memory but I do carry my laptop around so I have the availability to “dump” the pictures to CDs. I might add that my wife and I both have compact Nikon “Coolpix” and think they are great for just taking pictures.
Fungo

Thanks all for the very helpful info. I must confess the lens thing is kind of confusing; when I look at different lenses for zoom purposes, apparently there's a lot of different nomenclature used, none of which do I understand. I can give you a 30 minute discourse on the Rule Against Perpetuities, but couldn't carry 3 seconds on lens specs.

I'm going with the Rebel XTi, and will likely get a Canon lens to make sure it's compatible. Is there an easy way to make sure I'm getting either a 300MM or 400MM?

I appreciate the tolerance of amateurish questions.

See this link:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/1-6x.htm

You want a zoom that will reach 300mm (i.e. 80-300, which translates into 486 mm for the Xti as it does not have a full size sensor. Don't buy a fixed length 400 or 300 mm lens as its not very versital.

Alternatively you can buy an 80-200 zoom high speed lens along with a 2x extender. When the 2x is attached the lens becomes 160-400 but loses 2 f stops. i.e. a f 2.8 80-200 becomes a f 4.8 160-400.

Good luck.

When I mentioned the 300mm or the 400mm I'm speaking of "zoom" lenses with 300 or 400 being the max focal length. I agree that zoom is the way to go. I have not used a 2x (doubler) in years but as College Parent states it does reduce the lens’s ability to gather light. You do get more magnification but in doing so you are “slowing down” the lens. If you notice the professional photographers at sporting events they commonly use huge lenses. Surprisingly these are not 1000mm lenses but commonly a 400 mm lens with a very large aperture. Like f2.8. Something like this:
This huge lens allows them to shoot at a much faster shutter speed stopping the action in low light and having less blur and distortion than a hobby photographer like myself. I have a cheap lens here on my desk (paperweight) that is a 75-300 zoom and the aperture is f1.4 at 75mm ---- but is reduced to f5.6 at 300 mm. You might say these lenses are literally different as night and day.
Fungo

HokieOne - Good choice of a camera, not what I use but a great camera. . Here is a great site to learn about the canon lens. http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1029

I have found that there aren't great place to buy lenses near your place. I am buying all mine via
B&H or Adorama online.

Since you want to get shots of both Matt and Parker I would go for the 300mm. It makes a world of difference. Also run out and get the following books, they will make all the difference in the world in learning. Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson and The Digital Photographers Book by Scott Kelby.

Once your set up, give me a shot and we can link up and do a day of shooting.

Love to your gorgeous wife, say hi to the guys!

Kelly

Great to hear from you and look forward to seeing you at some games. I'm picking up the new camera tomorrow and will have two weeks to practice, read, watch a dvd on sports photography, etc. If I get half as good as you are with a camera, I'll be thrilled! Opening day in 13 days. By best to your hubby and boys!


H-1

p.s. If the wife ever has to choose between the new dog and me, I'm toasted.

Hokie - there is so much good advice here that I am hesitant to respond. A final thought I would add.

As painful as the initial outlay will feel, spend the $ on quality lenses. In general that means either Nikon or Canon lenses (I shoot Nikon). I love my 18-200 VR, but it doesn't get close enough to infield action unless you're parked on and shooting only at 1B. I would really like to get a 200-400 (ridiculous money for Nikon), and would settle for 80-400. I disagree with many who think 300mm is enough. I really think 400 is the smallest maximum focal length I would accept.

Finally, I have read surprisingly good reviews about the Sigma 50-500. (nikonians web site, among others) It is a monster, but I have seen excellent & sharp photos from this lens. Will cost less than Nikon & Canon and give you ALL the range you need at the ballfield. You will definitely need a monopod for this lens.

Re: long lens, the problem with any "non-high speed" long lens (anything past 200mm)is that the f stop is so high at the long lengths you have to shoot at a 1/750 or slower which will make it tough to get decent photos at a sporting event. My 80-300 is f 5.6 at 300mm (450mm equivelent on my D70) The 300mm setting basically useless when the light begins to fail and is definatly not fast enough for games under the lights no matter how high I dial up the ISO or how good a tripod I use.

The only way to combat this is to buy a high speed len$ (f2.8) or to move around in the stadium.

I can personally attest to the professional quality of justbaseball's photographs. And he is so very kind and generous with the emailed photos. Hokieone, perhaps with your new-found extra piggy bank you should schedule a trip out to Sunken Diamond (with your wife, not the dog though, sorry and then you go on to Hawaii from here) and he can give you some photography lessons . Bring Stu and Harry C. while you're at it. Missing you all!

(Sorry, I have NOTHING to offer on the subject of photography, I got left behind on that in about the 1990's.)