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Cameras

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by KevinmH9, Nov 22, 2007.

  1. shotglass

    shotglass Guest

    Q: What do you call 15 jaded sportswriters at the bottom of the ocean?
    A: A good start.

    ;)

    Camera-wise, I'd recommend an even wider range for a zoom lens if you're going to be shooting a lot of outdoor sports. I had a 90-400, and you can really zero in on the middle of the football field with that.

    Whatever you do, don't allow yourself to try to shoot sports with a 35mm lens. I know that sounds obvious, but a lot of beginning photogs think they can do it. It will simply be the difference in whether you shoot professional sports photos or small-time sports photos.
     
  2. At the risk of getting jumped on by all the Canon guys on this board, I can also suggest trying out the Nikon D40 and D40x (which is a bit more expensive). You can find the D40 at bhphoto.com for about $480, and it's a very good camera for that price.

    Also, you're going to want a lens that can go to at least 200mm. Getting a good piece of glass can run you more than the camera itself, but if you go with Nikon the 55-200mm it'll run you about $170.

    If you're after crisp, clean shots, though, keep one thing in mind before dropping any money: The lens you use can affect the shots you get more than the camera body in certain respects. When it comes to sports, the faster glass you use (meaning the lower f-stop it can go, with 2.8 generally being the fastest for zoom lenses), the better chance you have of stopping the action and getting a crisp, clean shot. Cheap glass will be inherently very slow (the lens I mentioned only goes down to f4.5, which is about as slow as you're going to find). This is the case no matter what brand you go with. If you're trying to shoot games at night or in dimly lit gyms, then you may have a hard time getting a fast enough shutter speed to stop the action, and your subjects could come out blurred. You can adjust with the camera by cranking up your ISO (which allows for a faster exposure), but with these consumer-level cameras that will produce digital noise and you may not get a quality print anyway.

    Point is, don't go out and drop $500 on a new camera body expecting that it will provide the quantum leap to the clean, crisp shots you're looking for. You also have to consider the lens you'll be using, and the circumstances you'll be shooting under. If you're expecting to shoot soccer outside under bright sunlight, then any of these cameras and lenses mentioned should be fine. If you're expecting to use it indoors shooting basketball, then the low-end lens may not be capable of producing significantly better images than the camera you've already got.

    If you decide to buy a camera or lens, check out eBay. There are a lot of older-model digital SLS's (meaning, two to five-years old) that are still excellent cameras. I use a Nikon D1x for my amateur stuff and absolutely love it. Sure, I'd like some of the features off the newer cameras (such as less digital noise), but in the end, my older camera yields pleasing results.

    I'm a big believer in staying a step behind the technology curve in areas like this, because it can save you a lot of money in the long run.
     
  3. Gomer

    Gomer Active Member

    You can't go wrong with either Nikon or Canon. So long as you're getting anything new from those two companies and understand that you need a digital SLR, you'll be fine. As Fletch pointed out, slightly older stuff may be better on the pocketbook.

    As mentioned already, you need a long lens (at least 200 mm) for sports and a wide lens (less than 30 mm) for features/mug shots/other everyday stuff. If you're shooting indoors you'll need to ante up for a much more expensive lens, probably with a maximum F-stop of 2.8 or 3.5 and preferably one that doesn't change as you zoom in or out.

    I'd also recommend a dedicated flash, as the pop-up ones won't give you the same punch. Oh, and get a decent camera bag to put it all in (duh).

    Total recommended expense is between $1,300 and $2,500, depending on whether you need to shoot indoors.

    Most importantly, you need to educate yourself about what you do need and why. There's plenty of free information online so start Googling and figure out what all of the specs mean. Once you can understand all the information on a page like http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos40d/ you'll have nothing to worry about.
     
  4. Tom Petty

    Tom Petty Guest

    quality sarcasm, shottie. pure quality.

    to stay in the spirit:
    Q: what's the difference between a pair of snake skin boots and a jaded sportswriters?
    A; the boots.
     
  5. OTD

    OTD Well-Known Member

    I've had a D40x about 6 months and like it. I know I haven't used it even close to its capabilities, but it's all there if I need it.
     
  6. Oggiedoggie

    Oggiedoggie Well-Known Member

    Believe it or not, it can be done. But you have to be skilled and your percentages will be lower.
     
  7. shotglass

    shotglass Guest

    That's a fact, Oggie. Good point. Thing is, and I'm especially thinking football, you have to hang in there longer until the action gets close. And, like you said, there are considerably fewer plays on which you have the chance of getting a good shot.
     
  8. audreyld

    audreyld Guest

    I don't shoot zooms, so I'm not much help there, but I shoot with one of three lenses... a 35, an 85 or a 200. The 200 was my workhorse as a sports shooter (with a 1/4 converter on a Canon20D). Now that I shoot almost exclusively documentary, I almost never use anything but my 35.

    That said, no one looks at a beautiful house and thinks about what a nice hammer the builder must have had. Learn to shoot better.
     
  9. Songbird

    Songbird Well-Known Member

    Indeed, UT.

    Some of my best shots 7-8 years ago were with a beat-up piece o' crap Ricoh, and I had to keep the flash on by a mile of duct tape. But I learned how to use that sucker and took great shots.
     
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