Sports Photography

The Hitman

Can anyone point me in the right direction?  We are looking for a new camera which will primarily be used for taking photographs of our sons rugby matches and then sharing online.

We are currently using a Canon SX510 but we are looking to upgrade.  We have a budget of around £500.

Any help appreciated.

snerkler

Slightly over budget, but you should be able to pick up a top condition used Nikon D7100 and AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF ED VR for £550, would be a great sports setup.

CanNik

I too used to have the D7100 before moving to Pro gear, some samples with the STILL HAVE and wouldn't be without Nikkor 28-300

You will NOT need longer that 300mm,

If this post has multiple images blame the site not me

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

cosmicma

i wouldn't be too bothered about the body whichever make you decide to invest in, the lens or lenses you choose will be far more important
for example these was taken by my daughter with a canon 20d which in todays climate is an old camera body with limited technology compared to todays offerings
the lens however was a 70 - 200 F2.8 L which in my opinion is more important than the body it's attached to

                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                                               

these are by no means profession results but don't get too caught up in the technology a good lens on an older inferior body will produce better images than a bad lens on even the best of bodies on offer

snerkler

Very true. Although this only refers to the final image, newer bodies and better bodies will tend to have better and more sophisticated AF systems meaning that hit rate and ease of tracking should be better.

cosmicma

absolutely i agree and a lot depends on the end use of the images
if they are just for posting on social media / web sites there won't be a great deal of difference in the final posted image but if they are being printed at fairly large sizes ( a4 or above ) the difference will become more obvious

i was taking photos of the same rugby match with a canon 1dx and a 30mm F4 L and at web sizes there wasn't a great deal in it considering the difference in technology
of course when you looked at the images close up the difference was obvious but like i say it all depends on the destination of the final image

example

                                                                                                                                               

considering the difference in body technology there not that far apart

CanNik

People tend to think you need the latest and best forgetting we DID do sports photography with film once and NO AF in the 50,60 and 70s (not mine)

Personally I find rugby, football, cricket THE MOST boring thing to photograph

Mine............................  Not the 60s

                                                                                                                                                               



NOT mine 60s etc




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

snerkler

Some do yes, however a large proportion also realise that you don't need the latest and greatest to get the shot. The latest and greatest can make getting the shot easier, and can give you a lot more keepers though. Also, in the world of every increasing high definition and 'need' for sharpness the latest tech certainly helps with this too. For example trying to shoot sports at f1.4, or your dearest toddler running around at f1.4 and getting pin sharp images is far easier with modern cameras.

It all depends on the needs and wants of the individual. I'm personally not a huge fan of the 'clinical' sharpness we get these days, and prefer the look from medium format film for example. However, I don't fancy shooting sports with this setup I'm glad we've got AF systems that allow me to get get images without having to prefocus, or use huge DOF etc.

CanNik

I don't disagree with you,  I am saying, like sheep, people have sleepwalked into believing the crap they are sold by manufacturers.  I bought my D4s and D810 that I use for sports, yep D810, not the 4s, five years ago I think and believe me I have no intention of changing it any time soon and some of the better shots I have taken are with a Canon EOS10D and Nikon D7000