Camera for sports photography?

teresedp · Mar 8, 2003

I would like to get a digital camera to take figure skating pictures-there are light, shutter, and movement issues

!

I need something with good real zoom (not digital)--the SLR lens I use now can zoom up to 400 mm.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

John Burns · Mar 8, 2003

I would suggest that you check out the DSLR offerings of the company that made your current lenses.

teresedp said:
I would like to get a digital camera to take figure skating
pictures-there are light, shutter, and movement issues !

I need something with good real zoom (not digital)--the SLR lens I
use now can zoom up to 400 mm.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

--
John

Steve Cavigliano · Mar 8, 2003

John Burns said:
teresedp said:

I would like to get a digital camera to take figure skating
pictures-there are light, shutter, and movement issues !

I need something with good real zoom (not digital)--the SLR lens I
use now can zoom up to 400 mm.

Any suggestions?

Click to expand...

If you want the best possible images, then follow John's advice. If you are willing to compromise on the lag and speed, and willing to do some post processing, a few of the $1000 DC's might work.

Steve
--
http://www.pbase.com/slo2k

'If one really wishes to be master of an art, technical knowledge of it is not enough. One has to transcend technique so that the art becomes an 'artless art' growing out of the Unconscious.'

eggpeg · Mar 9, 2003

I have been using the Canon Pro90IS (only 2.7MPX by memory) successfully for figure skating photos (roller though, not ice - there is less light for me and it is therefore harder to get decent shutter speeds).

Been looking and reading a LOT lately to find an upgrade and have finally settled on the Minolta Dimage 7Hi due to its large 64MB buffer, 5fps mode, and general quick handling. It is only 7x zoom (28 to 200ish mm) which is a drop from my 10x canon, but the 5Mpx should make up for that.

Another cheaper camera that I looked VERY closely at (due to fast handling) was the fuji 602z. Only 6x zoom though (not sure about 35mm equivalent).

Good luck! It's a great sport

Bry

teresedp said:
I would like to get a digital camera to take figure skating
pictures-there are light, shutter, and movement issues !

I need something with good real zoom (not digital)--the SLR lens I
use now can zoom up to 400 mm.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

slipe · Mar 9, 2003

The D7Hi also has a continuous focus mode that would be good for action. It uses more battery than fixing the focus when the button hits the normal focus and exposure lock, but extra AA batteries are cheap.

If you don’t want to shoot raw or tiff the D7i is very reasonable now and has all of the same features. The best quality jpg files are around 3Mb and are excellent quality. The camera cycles instantly with jpg. http://www.infinitycameras.com/viewitem.php?IndexID=2212

eggpeg · Mar 9, 2003

Sorry, thanks slipe I should have mentioned the 7i. It's also retailing for a LOT less then the 7Hi at the moment, and is also a lot easier to get your hands on.

Continuous focus is ok, but I think that regular focus works just fine (it worked fine with my Canon anyway and the focus would have been a LOT slower then what the Minolta should put out

Bry

slipe said:
The D7Hi also has a continuous focus mode that would be good for
action. It uses more battery than fixing the focus when the button
hits the normal focus and exposure lock, but extra AA batteries are
cheap.

If you don’t want to shoot raw or tiff the D7i is very reasonable
now and has all of the same features. The best quality jpg files
are around 3Mb and are excellent quality. The camera cycles
instantly with jpg.
http://www.infinitycameras.com/viewitem.php?IndexID=2212

jeff kay · Mar 9, 2003

I currently use a manual focus Canon T90 film camera with a 100-500mm zoom. I've been looking at digitals for over a year now, and I have yet found a camera I like. Some, like the Sony 717, have a good autofocus, but poor zoom. Others like the Nikon, have the 5mp I want, but it's poor in low light situations (from what I've read on here).

I keep hoping for a f2.8 10x 5mp camera, but I don't think it's going to happen. I'm currently looking at a Canon 7E film camera.

teresedp said:
I would like to get a digital camera to take figure skating
pictures-there are light, shutter, and movement issues !

I need something with good real zoom (not digital)--the SLR lens I
use now can zoom up to 400 mm.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Gerard M Foley · Mar 9, 2003

eggpeg said:
I have been using the Canon Pro90IS (only 2.7MPX by memory)
successfully for figure skating photos (roller though, not ice -
there is less light for me and it is therefore harder to get decent
shutter speeds).

I had both the Canon Pro9oIS and the Olympus C2100UZi. I felt the image quality was quite comparable on the two, but the Olympus C2100UZi was much faster and lighter.

eggpeg said:
Been looking and reading a LOT lately to find an upgrade and have
finally settled on the Minolta Dimage 7Hi due to its large 64MB
buffer, 5fps mode, and general quick handling. It is only 7x zoom
(28 to 200ish mm) which is a drop from my 10x canon, but the 5Mpx
should make up for that.

Another cheaper camera that I looked VERY closely at (due to fast
handling) was the fuji 602z. Only 6x zoom though (not sure about
35mm equivalent).

It's a pity that the the Olympus C2100UZi has been discontinued. I keep wondering how much the image stabilization in the Pro90IS and the C2100UZi are helpful, but I haven't been curious enough to turn it off in the Olympus C2100UZi which I have kept. (I sold the Pro90)

Gerry
http://home/columbus.rr.com/gfoley

Craig Gillette · Mar 9, 2003

eggpeg said:
Another cheaper camera that I looked VERY closely at (due to fast
handling) was the fuji 602z. Only 6x zoom though (not sure about
35mm equivalent).

The S602 35mm equivalent is 35mm to 210mm. Going to 400mm takes you out of the realm of most of the prosumers, except the Nikon at 380?? The new Olympus 750 also gets to 380mm equivalent but I don't know that anybody has had an opportunity to evaluate it all that well yet.

eggpeg · Mar 9, 2003

Gerry said:
eggpeg said:

I have been using the Canon Pro90IS (only 2.7MPX by memory)
successfully for figure skating photos (roller though, not ice -
there is less light for me and it is therefore harder to get decent
shutter speeds).

Click to expand...

I had both the Canon Pro9oIS and the Olympus C2100UZi. I felt the
image quality was quite comparable on the two, but the Olympus
C2100UZi was much faster and lighter.

I had a quick look in the store at one of the Olympus 10X optical zoom cameras (not sure on model) but didn't like the quality of the pics

It wasnt as clear (can't really describe) as the pictures from my canon, but that was possibly a personal thing.

Member said:
Member said:

Been looking and reading a LOT lately to find an upgrade and have
finally settled on the Minolta Dimage 7Hi due to its large 64MB
buffer, 5fps mode, and general quick handling. It is only 7x zoom
(28 to 200ish mm) which is a drop from my 10x canon, but the 5Mpx
should make up for that.

Another cheaper camera that I looked VERY closely at (due to fast
handling) was the fuji 602z. Only 6x zoom though (not sure about
35mm equivalent).

Click to expand...

It's a pity that the the Olympus C2100UZi has been discontinued. I
keep wondering how much the image stabilization in the Pro90IS and
the C2100UZi are helpful, but I haven't been curious enough to turn
it off in the Olympus C2100UZi which I have kept. (I sold the
Pro90)

Lack of IS on the Minolta is going to bug me for a long while I bet. It was unbelievable some of the hand-held results I got from it on my Canon!!
Bry

Member said:
Gerry
http://home/columbus.rr.com/gfoley

eggpeg · Mar 9, 2003

Craig Gillette said:
eggpeg said:

Another cheaper camera that I looked VERY closely at (due to fast
handling) was the fuji 602z. Only 6x zoom though (not sure about
35mm equivalent).

The S602 35mm equivalent is 35mm to 210mm. Going to 400mm takes you out of the realm of most of the prosumers, except the Nikon at 380?? The new Olympus 750 also gets to 380mm equivalent but I don't know that anybody has had an opportunity to evaluate it all that well yet.

Click to expand...

Thanks for those specs Craig!

The Nikon has a largish zoom, but its also a very slow lens (high aperture) I think it goes up to the 4's or 5's on wide telephoto?

Minolta 7i/Hi is 3.5 on max zoom. The Sony is the best in this capability, but the small zoom range was a problem to me, as were the memory sticks (got enough CF). Also heard that the ISO speeds it offers are not quite accurate - if they were compared to other cameras, it would put it more back at a 2.8-3.5 aperture.
Bry

eggpeg · Mar 9, 2003

What sports are you shooting Jeff, figure skating?

I've seen outstanding results with the Sony in this regard, and have taken acceptable photos with my Canon pro90IS. Am looking forward to the same and hopefully better results with the 7Hi!
Bry

jeff kay said:
I currently use a manual focus Canon T90 film camera with a
100-500mm zoom. I've been looking at digitals for over a year now,
and I have yet found a camera I like. Some, like the Sony 717,
have a good autofocus, but poor zoom. Others like the Nikon, have
the 5mp I want, but it's poor in low light situations (from what
I've read on here).

I keep hoping for a f2.8 10x 5mp camera, but I don't think it's
going to happen. I'm currently looking at a Canon 7E film camera.

Mike Orie · Mar 10, 2003

Those were probably the OLY c700 and c730 zoom cams. Great zoom, but not cameras known for their image quality; they have reportedly been quite noisy.

eggpeg · Mar 10, 2003

Agent said:
Those were probably the OLY c700 and c730 zoom cams. Great zoom,
but not cameras known for their image quality; they have reportedly
been quite noisy.

Probably, I didn't take much notice of the image quality. They were probably old-ish models, we aren't quite as technically advanced here in Oz.
Bry

jeff kay · Mar 10, 2003

I currently shoot wildlife and car racing, but I have shot football and ice hockey.

I can't see getting shots (from the stands, maybe sidelines it would be better) without having a 10x optical zoom, 5mp and a fast lens.

eggpeg said:
What sports are you shooting Jeff, figure skating?

I've seen outstanding results with the Sony in this regard, and
have taken acceptable photos with my Canon pro90IS. Am looking
forward to the same and hopefully better results with the 7Hi!
Bry

DSLRreview.com · Mar 10, 2003

I wana say a Nikon F5 but im afraid sum one will hunt me down.....

eggpeg · Mar 10, 2003

I think the sony shots were taken from the sidelines.

I've taken very acceptable results with my Canon from all over the place.
Haven't had a chance to try the minolta out yet (should arrive friday).

It is still possible however to get shots without 10x optical zoom, or without 5mpx, or without a fast lens (2.8-3.5 being 'slow).
You just have to adapt!
Bry

jeff kay said:
I currently shoot wildlife and car racing, but I have shot football
and ice hockey.

I can't see getting shots (from the stands, maybe sidelines it
would be better) without having a 10x optical zoom, 5mp and a fast
lens.

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Camera for sports photography?

teresedp

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