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DSLR/photo question

krustydude

krustydude

Monkey
Mar 16, 2004
198
0
Richland, WA
I'm looking at getting a DSLR for all kinds of pics, but I really want one that will take good action shots for downhill pics. I've done some reading and looked at quite a few cameras so I do some idea of what I want. I was wondering what the monkeys that are into photography are using. I'm looking towards Cory and Five and anyone else who has something useful to say about it. I do have a budget, but I'd like to see what you guys suggest and use. Thanks.
 
H8R

H8R

Cranky Pants
Nov 10, 2004
13,959
35
D

DHRracer

Monkey
Sep 29, 2004
371
0
I,am not a photographer but,A couple of other things I think would be important for action shots.How fast it reacts to your finger on the shutter,how and how fasts it focuses and how well it will deal with a high level of contrasts in light in the frame.
 
Five

Five

Turbo Monkey
Mar 8, 2003
1,506
0
West Seattle, WA
Like Bibs, I also use Nikon. Specifically a D70 and D100. All lenses (18-70 f3.5/4.5, 10.5 f2.8 fish eye, 80-200 f2.8, 60 f/2.8 macro) and flashes (2 SB-600) are Nikon. I can't give an opinion on Canon as I've never used them before but everyone that I know that uses them seem to be happy. I've used Nikon for over 20 years and have been happy with it and have never had a reason to change. The best bet will be to go into a camera store and check the camera's out side by side. There's nothing like having it in your hands to see how it feels. The cheapest way to get into it is to buy a kit as Bibs has suggested. If you're going the Nikon route go with something you can grow into - like the D80. It may be confusing at the beginning but once you start shooting you'll like the manual adjustments it will give you. 3fps is about average for the $1000 price range. The bodies I'm using can be considered "old" in today's standard, but all the lenses I'm using are really good lenses. Having good lenses are more important than having the latest body. Oh and get some good memory cards too, especially if you plan on shooting RAW in the future. Other things to consider is a wireless remote so you can have your flash be off camera. Also, you might need to upgrade your computer - software to process the images as well as more hard drive space.
 
muddy beast

muddy beast

Turbo Monkey
Nov 26, 2005
1,815
0
bibs said:
Id get a D80 and a sb800 flash. Use the kit lens for a bit and the Nikon flash can be used wirelessly. This will be the biggest benefit to shooting action. Then save up and buy some real glass. Having a good flash on or off camera is huge.
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Agreed...my pictures started turning out way better after I got a 430EX flash...even with a f/2.8 or f/1.8 lens.
 
G

gunslingger

Monkey
Feb 20, 2004
154
0
Vancouver, WA
lets be honest the camera is not going to take the picture....i was with a friend on vacation who use to take formula one pics for a living and the pictures he took with a $120 digital water proof camera that were amazing. I have a d70 Nikon and it is sweet and it does help but if you know the camera's sweet spot and what adjustments to make any camera can take a good picture.

I wish I still had the pic but the guy took a picture of a 15 foot or so rubber boat used to take people to shore that was going 20+ miles and hour jumping waves and it was clear and amazing on that cheap little camera.

So my point is do not expect everything to come out perfect with a 1k or even a 5k camera. Take a class or read a book on the theory of photography and how all the adjustments work together. That will help more than your budget.
 
H8R

H8R

Cranky Pants
Nov 10, 2004
13,959
35
gunslingger said:
So my point is do not expect everything to come out perfect with a 1k or even a 5k camera. Take a class or read a book on the theory of photography and how all the adjustments work together. That will help more than your budget.
Click to expand...

Word.

Look at flicker and search for tags "Nikon" and "D40". Some amazing pics there.



However, for sports shooting a high FPS never hurts. The Canons are king in this arena. (until Nikon steps up)
 
dwaugh

dwaugh

Turbo Monkey
May 23, 2002
1,816
0
Bellingham, Washington ~ U.S.A.
I haven't tried it before, since I only have the D50, but I would suggest the D80 also. I'm not sure that what you need is lots of frames per second; you really just need to know the perfect time to take the right shot on the first try. Also, as I think I heard today, with the superfast frames per second, it shoots at a lower quality (6 MP as opposed to 12). I'm not quite sure what cameras that applies to, as many were being talked about in the conversation. However, you won't be getting anything that fast within 1000 dollars.

Whatever you get in the end, you should be happy with it.
 
tadrscin

tadrscin

Chimp
Nov 16, 2004
47
0
One of the voices inside your head.
I have a Rebel XT and you can definitely get great shots with it. check out this link and you may be surprised at how many are shooting with a Rebel XT/XTi. http://photography-on-the.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=30 As for the fps, 3 is plenty fast enough to start with and I'd actually recommend using single shot mode to start with to work on your timing. I recently read an article about how SI setup for the Final Four and they mentioned that they're stobes can only fire once every 3 seconds. They really have to make that one shot count! The downside to the Rebels is that they focus slower than say a 20 or 30D and aren't as durable. They can't take much of a beating which may be a consideration if you have to move around a lot while shooting. With your budget, the XT/XTi is probably your only choice in the Canon line. Since there's not really a big difference between the 2, I'd recommend the XT and put the difference into better glass.
 
H8R

H8R

Cranky Pants
Nov 10, 2004
13,959
35
dwaugh said:
I haven't tried it before, since I only have the D50, but I would suggest the D80 also.
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I would suggest pushing you budget to above $1k if you want a sports capable body and lens. You will want an off camera flash as well. The Nikon D80 or the Canon 30D will allow you plenty of room to grow.
 
narlus

narlus

Eastcoast Softcore
Staff member
Nov 7, 2001
24,658
63
behind the viewfinder
Having good lenses are more important than having the latest body.
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good glass is always a good bet, and lasts far longer. but the body certainly has a large impact on performance as well (focus speed and accuracy, image quality via how well the sensor does its job, noise handling, even to how the ergonomics allow you to capture what you want w/ a minimum of fuss, etc).

that said, i would look into getting a used body w/ not too many shutter actuations (a used 20D or even 30D could be gotten for a very good price i bet, esp w/ rumors of the 40D being announced in a few weeks).

if you want a used body, cheap prime (50 f/1.8), kit lens, and flash gun, you are looking at about yr budget of 1K, maybe a bit more.

though i'm a canon user w/ no nikon experience, i wish that canon would incorporate the 'commander' mode which allows you to fire remote flashes wirelessly, w/o having to buy pocketwizards or the canon remote trigger. strobism is an area i'm very green.
 
H8R

H8R

Cranky Pants
Nov 10, 2004
13,959
35
narlus said:
though i'm a canon user w/ no nikon experience, i wish that canon would incorporate the 'commander' mode which allows you to fire remote flashes wirelessly, w/o having to buy pocketwizards or the canon remote trigger. strobism is an area i'm very green.
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I found out later that the D40 doesn't have this internally (grr) - it can work if you are running the SB-800 though. It's infrared so the Nikon flashes need to be line-of-site to work correctly. PW and ebay triggers will work around corners, etc with just about any flash out there.

I'm looking for Vivitars and older Nikons on Craigs List, but we may go with a cheap AC strobe kit to get started. Most of what we'll be doing is indoors.
 
H8R

H8R

Cranky Pants
Nov 10, 2004
13,959
35
BTW - rumors are going around that Nikon will announce at least one new top-level DSLR this month, most likely the D3 and some other upper level unit. "Canon won't know what hit them" is what they are saying. It would have to be very fast and full frame if they stand a chance.
 
narlus

narlus

Eastcoast Softcore
Staff member
Nov 7, 2001
24,658
63
behind the viewfinder
H8R said:
BTW - rumors are going around that Nikon will announce at least one new top-level DSLR this month, most likely the D3 and some other upper level unit. "Canon won't know what hit them" is what they are saying. It would have to be very fast and full frame if they stand a chance.
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competition is good, but on the other hand, when you have sunk in 5-10K in lenses and flashes (not to say i have, but at this point i'm getting close to 5K), getting a user to switch systems better have a real compelling reason.

i doubt that Nikon will go full-frame, but i could be wrong. if/when the AF issues on the mkIII get ironed out (and from what i've read, it's still a murky area), that's a high hurdle for Nikon to top in a flagship camera. and the 5D is unlike anything they've got. i am hoping for a 5D mkII so i could score a used one for 1.8K or less.
 
H8R

H8R

Cranky Pants
Nov 10, 2004
13,959
35
narlus said:
i doubt that Nikon will go full-frame, but i could be wrong. if/when the AF issues on the mkIII get ironed out (and from what i've read, it's still a murky area), that's a high hurdle for Nikon to top in a flagship camera. and the 5D is unlike anything they've got.
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Rumors are going nuts about the D3:

http://www.fotoapparatuur.nl/Foto/34610/NIKON_D3FF_prototype

22 megapixels
no noise
full frame chip
HDvideo and cellphone(triband)
MP-4 recorder/player
built in shockproof Harddisk 250 Gb
build in waist level electronic
built in flash meter
WiFi till 1000 mtr
Click to expand...
 
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