Sports Camera

Not exactly a camera, but my son's girlfriend bought reduced price IPAD 2 when the new IPAD came out. She takes it to his games and takes still pictures and videos his ABs. No downloading from camera to computer, and instant review after the game. Maybe not as crisp picture quality but she can share at bats with family and friends instantly when she has wireless connectivity at his home field.

I have heard newer IPAD has a better camera lens.

Just an option to consider.

What is your price range (roughly)?

Any of the lower cost Canon or Nikon DSLR's are the way to go. The lens is the most important item. Get at least a 55-250mm or 70-300mm. The lower the f- stop(1.8,2.8) the better. That is where the expense is but it takes the best pictures. Any form of image stabilization is good. A cheap tripod also helps.

quote:

Originally posted by Backstop-17:
Not exactly a camera, but my son's girlfriend bought reduced price IPAD 2 when the new IPAD came out. She takes it to his games and takes still pictures and videos his ABs. No downloading from camera to computer, and instant review after the game. Maybe not as crisp picture quality but she can share at bats with family and friends instantly when she has wireless connectivity at his home field.

Um...he better marry her.

I've had a Canon Rebel (or whatever they are calling it these days) and now own a Canon 50D and have had pretty good results with both. Biggest thing I noticed in the upgrade was the ability to take 10 to 15 shots per second vs. 4 to 6 with the rebel. This really comes in handy when trying to capture the release point of the ball or contact off the bat.

As sportsdad&fan mentioned the lens is key in sports photography. While shooting HS baseball/football I have been able to get away with a fairly inexpensive f5.6 Sigma 70-300 lens because you can get close to the field and most of the games are during the daylight hours so you don't really need a lower f-stop (2.6).

When you are shooting in college or minor league stadiums you are farther away from the action so a higher quality lens with greater range is preferred. My next lens will be the f5.6 Canon 100-400 lens, as much as I would love to get a f2.6 100-400 lens I can't justify (to my wife) purchasing a lens that cost the same a small car.

There are some very knowledgeable photographers that take part in the HSBBW, I'm sure you will get some great advice...they sure helped me.

Coach Dave,

I bought this camera in January 2012.

Canon PowerShot SX40 HS 12.1MP Digital Camera with 35x Optical Zoom

If you’re looking for a capable sports camera for less than $500, I recommend that you check it out.

Pros: cost, large zoom (800mm equiv), HD and high speed movie mode (great for slow-mo pitching and hitting), fast "shutter", excellent image stabilization, burst mode (about 8 frames in 1 second).
Cons: picture quality, only 8 frames of continuous shooting

The picture quality is good, but from what I’ve seen you will have to spend at least $1,500 for a DSLR and zoom to get the super-sharp images that a high-end camera can deliver. For my purposes, this camera is well worth the $400 I paid for it.

Nikon and Panasonic make similar cameras, but the stabilization on the Canon sold me, especially when zoomed.

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Um...he better marry her.[/QUOTE]

To add to the good advice given here about lenses (i.e. image stabilization & lower the f-stop the better), the feature in a camera body you'll value most in shooting baseball is rapid auto focus and fast continuous servo (ability to shoot continuously, as long as you keep your finger on the button). As one who owns Nikon lenses, I'd go with the Nikon 5100 camera body; bought online at a substantial discount from a reputable retailer.

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Um...he better marry her.[/QUOTE]


Lol!!! I agree as well!

Pick up a used Nikon DSLR. You can get a D80 for $500 in excellent shape. For baseball, almost any brand name (Nikon, Tamron, Sigma) lens with at least 300mm of zoom will work great for day games. If you're shooting mainly batters and infield, 300mm is plenty. If your son is playing center field, you may want to look at something 400mm to 500mm. Learn to shoot manual, as the auto settings aren't fast enough to stop the action (ball, bat, etc) without some blurring. The nice thing with digital is you can practice all day...you've got no film costs

I would recomend a Nikon or Cannon DSLR, not a wannabe DSLR, unless you are mostly looking for convience. Most importantly, the DSLRs have much better autofocus and exposure systems then the wanna be's. Additionally, your lens choices for a DSLR will always be better then a cheaper camera. There are some good camera and lens recomendations at http://www.kenrockwell.com/tec...ommended-cameras.htm

Currently, I have a Nikon d5100 and 70-300 AF-S VR IF-ED. This lens is very fast and sharp. The D5100 is loaded with features. I have had a couple of telezooms and you can't go wrong with a newer Nikon or Cannon brand telezoom. The high ISO performance of the new DSLR is pretty good compared to older camera's and powershots allowing you to dial up the shutter speed in marginal light without ruining the picture.

Thanks for all the replys. Looks like i can get set up for about 1k.