EOS 20D?

Hello, I am very new at this other than my A95 that I am pleased with, I have been reading this forum for some time and find it very informative so I hope for some advise. I want to purchase a camera that can shoot some outdoor as well as indoor sporting, maybe some basketball with soccer. Some of the indoor I don't think you can use a flash. Would the EOS20D be a good choice? Are there some lenses that are better suited for this? And could this be done in $1500-$2000 area? Or do I need more money Thanks for any help!
Johny

I think you will need to spend a bit more...

I would recommend the Canon 70-200mm f2.8L IS USM for what you looking at shooting. You will need a fast lens for your indoor stuff. The IS will allow you 1-3 extra stops, and the high ISO abillity of the 20D is just the icing on the cake.

Or maybe the Sigma 70-200mm 2.8, but it does not offer IS, which would help in low light indoor work.

It's all about the glass.

Mike

Hey. The 20D is one of the best in low light. You would want to purchase a lens that would suit your needs with a larger aperature .. i would go for a 2.8 or bigger (lower number). If you cant use a flash you would be able to keep your budget in that range. If you wanted a higher quality lens it could run you alot higher

Hi John:

If you search the forums, you will find a lot of relevant information. The short answer is, that most will find the 20D a perfectly adequate camera for what you want to do.

As far as lenses are concerned, ideally you want a tele lens or tele zoom with a large aperture and perhaps image stabilization (IS). The Canon 70-200L f2.8 IS is universally considered to be a superb lens, but it alone is $1600. So, you'll have to make some compromises.

The latest generation of Canon dSLRs has remarkebly low noise at high ISO, so you can confidently shoot at ISO 800 or ISO 1600 and still get very good images. This will help in low light situations, such as indoor sport venues.

Try the lens forum as well as this forum. Also, here are several lens review sites:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/
http://www.photographyreview.com/
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/

Hope this helps.

-Wolfgang

john torkar said:

Hello, I am very new at this other than my A95 that I am pleased
with, I have been reading this forum for some time and find it very
informative so I hope for some advise. I want to purchase a camera
that can shoot some outdoor as well as indoor sporting, maybe some
basketball with soccer. Some of the indoor I don't think you can
use a flash. Would the EOS20D be a good choice? Are there some
lenses that are better suited for this? And could this be done in
$1500-$2000 area? Or do I need more money Thanks for any help!
Johny

Click to expand...

--
Wolfgang Bluhm
http://www.pbase.com/wbluhm
http://www.wbluhm.com/galleries

While the 20D is an excellent camera, you might be able to save some money and get a Rebel XT instead and use the savings to buy a good lens like those mentioned in the other replies. Keep doing your homework and look at comparisons between the 20D and the Rebel XT and decide if the extra horsepower of the 20D is worth the extra money.

Some people (like me) want the extra features but if you're just taking "casual" photographs with no intent to turn pro or even semi-pro, then the XT might be a better choice.

You should be able to get an XT and a good L lens like the 70-200L 2.8 non-IS for around the $2000-2500 price point. Also, decide if you want/need the IS on that lens. It adds a good deal of weight and cost, and some people find that just having wider aperature capability is enough to shoot in low light situations.

try the Canon 85mm 1.8. Yes, Canon 20D is great in lowlight.
--
Juli
http://www.pbase.com/julivalley/galleries
Canon 2oD, Canon Gee3, and Canon S7o.

I keep trying to find an artist's eye in the B & H catalog

the 20d is impressive and all but what u want to do requires good glass infront of it too so it would be alot more expensive than you want to spend

--
http://www.raegoul.org

I was under the impression that IS doesn't really help with low light sports because the motion is what needs to be stabilized, not the lens. Higher shutter speeds are a necessity. f2.8 has been just barely enough for me when I shoot iso800/1600 at my son's basketball games.

localnet said:

I think you will need to spend a bit more...

I would recommend the Canon 70-200mm f2.8L IS USM for what you
looking at shooting. You will need a fast lens for your indoor
stuff. The IS will allow you 1-3 extra stops, and the high ISO
abillity of the 20D is just the icing on the cake.

Or maybe the Sigma 70-200mm 2.8, but it does not offer IS, which
would help in low light indoor work.

It's all about the glass.

Mike

Click to expand...

a fast prime would be the answer... the 70-200 2.8 is kinda last resort for local arena shooting, or if u have to have zoom and cant live without it. too bad every local arena/field didnt have lighting like the pro leagues!

--
http://www.raegoul.org