I want to take pictures at football games. What to get?

[EvlUndrWareNome]

Well I want to start taking pictures at football games. I have always loved taking pics and have been pretty good at finding shots when I have a camera. My mom started the addiction with a 2.1 MP HP digital camera :) I have no idea what kind of camera Ill need. Im assuming some type of SLR. I guess Ive always loved taking pictures, but never really got into the technical details. I do know how to do basics like ISO and exposure tho.

Many thanks! Football is about 4 weeks away at FSU and I am dieing to take lots of pics at my first college football game @ home! :D

Thanks :)

Ryan

ps: please reply. you get to spend money through other people! :yepp:

[Magnj]

I'm the only pentax fanboy here and since I odn't know all that much about cannon and nikon besides the fact that their good glass is EXPENSIVE, so here's my suggestion. K100D is basically the entry level body for Pentax, offers shake reduction which is good when you taking long shots. Has lots of options, great camera. Depending on your level of skill and wallet, there is the K10D. More expensive, a little harder to get used to but more options, bigger sensor. Then the lens...depending on how close you get you may need a LONG lens. I know at Rutgers I wouldn't get close enough to take shots w/o at least 400mm. I would suggest the Sigma "bigma" 50-500 and maybe even a teleconverter like 1.4x or even 2x.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/438217-REG/Pentax_19016_K100D_Digital_Camera_Camera.html or K10D (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/459620-REG/Pentax_19091_K10D_SLR_Digital_Camera.html)
Sigma 50-500mm (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/380690-USA/Sigma_736109_50_500mm_f_4_0_6_3_EX_DG.html)
Sigma 1.4x teleconverter (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/426785-USA/Sigma_824109_1_4x_DG_EX_APO.html)

And of course a few SD cards, batteries, monopod, rain gear

If thats too high a budget...which for me it would be, you could try a K100D+Pentax 50-200mm+Sigma 1.4x teleconverter and get a as close as you can...

[Yoxxy]

Nikon D80 or D300.

[EvlUndrWareNome]

well dang. 2k+ is ruining my hopes of pictures :(

oh well, it was a good idea while it lasted.

[Magnj]

you can do it cheaper, but your not gonna get front cover of the sports page type shots...
Again it depends on how close you can get and how good of shots your looking for.
If its for a college you go to try and work for the paper and shoot the games...?

[3oh6]

being a sports shooter myself, i can say that quality sports photos cost $$$ for gear, plain and simple. the $$$ is for the lenses if your looking for high quality shots. wide aperature lenses F/2.8~F/4 and long reach (300mm) = money. for sports photos, you want the subject in focus and the background out of focus giving nice bokeh, this isolates the subject. if your on the sidelines then a 200mm lens is sufficient but a 300mm is much better.

with that said, you can still do it on a reasonable budget. it really all depends on what you would consider to be a reasonable budget for your needs i guess. when i first started out, i managed to beg/borrow/steal a Cannon 300mm F/4 from a local newspaper photog for a song ($500 cdn). it was a bit beat up on the exterior but mint optics. i mated that with a 20D and had a pretty formidable field sports setup. it can easily be done on a lower end model body as well, like a Rebel XT or the like. here are a couple shots from my old 300mm F/4 - 20D combo that cost me about $1600 CDN total (both items bought used) and that was a long time ago so a similar setup could be had for a bit less now i would assume:

http://www.3oh6.com/forum_posted/1005_potn/m_f_0412.jpg

http://3oh6.com/forum_posted/1005_potn/_MG_1730.jpg

http://3oh6.com/forum_posted/1005_potn/m_f_0150.jpg

http://3oh6.com/forum_posted/1005_potn/m_f_0161.jpg

of course, if your not going to be on the sidelines then your not going to be able to get anywhere near photos like above. like Magnj said though, it all depends on what you are trying to achieve. if your just looking for some memories of the game from the stands, then just grab a decent P&S and have at it.

if you are looking to get into shooting sports for the paper or the like, then start hunting for a 300mm F/4, either Canon or Nikon and buy the entry level SLR for which ever brand lens you find for the best price. Nikon D40s are going for $650 nowadays with new models coming out...there are a lot of deals out there if you know what your looking for. HTH

[Vapor]

I'm the only pentax fanboy here and since I odn't know all that much about cannon and nikon besides the fact that their good glass is EXPENSIVE, so here's my suggestion. K100D is basically the entry level body for Pentax, offers shake reduction which is good when you taking long shots. Has lots of options, great camera. Depending on your level of skill and wallet, there is the K10D. More expensive, a little harder to get used to but more options, bigger sensor. Then the lens...depending on how close you get you may need a LONG lens. I know at Rutgers I wouldn't get close enough to take shots w/o at least 400mm. I would suggest the Sigma "bigma" 50-500 and maybe even a teleconverter like 1.4x or even 2x.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/438217-REG/Pentax_19016_K100D_Digital_Camera_Camera.html or K10D (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/459620-REG/Pentax_19091_K10D_SLR_Digital_Camera.html)
Sigma 50-500mm (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/380690-USA/Sigma_736109_50_500mm_f_4_0_6_3_EX_DG.html)
Sigma 1.4x teleconverter (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/426785-USA/Sigma_824109_1_4x_DG_EX_APO.html)

And of course a few SD cards, batteries, monopod, rain gear

If thats too high a budget...which for me it would be, you could try a K100D+Pentax 50-200mm+Sigma 1.4x teleconverter and get a as close as you can...I'm also a Pentax fanboy :D I just don't speak up much in XS Photog.

Anyway, I agree with what you've put there for both high and lower budget options, but it still ain't cheap at all.

LOTS of SD cards, IMO....great sports shots are easy(er) these days: just use the continuous shooting mode as the action commences and most of the time you'll get a good/great shot....it also increases your chances of getting a gem from 0 to kinda-likely. :p:

I also do RAW shooting, so that's another reason why I need lotsa SD cards and why Pentax's jpeg misprogramming (it's only big flaw) doesn't bother me at all.

[Magnj]

Yep, really optimal setup w/Pentax would be K10D because the fps is much higher.

[EvlUndrWareNome]

you can do it cheaper, but your not gonna get front cover of the sports page type shots...
Again it depends on how close you can get and how good of shots your looking for.
If its for a college you go to try and work for the paper and shoot the games...?

I would just like to take some decent pictures to keep. I dont need front page newspaper kinda gear.

[Magnj]

so maybe get a pro-sumer camera like soulburners power shot?

[EvlUndrWareNome]

so maybe get a pro-sumer camera like soulburners power shot?

which powershot model would you prefer?

[ex2cib]

my old roommate took a lot of good ones with his EOS 30d. he had that as well as one of the L series lenses

this is probably one of my favorite pics out of all the ones i have of the games

http://www.bama.ua.edu/~reed010/mouthpiece.jpg

[Magnj]

I'm not sure on the power shot...I think the IS3 is good...but ask someone else.

ex2cib - See for "l" glass I wouldn't consider that worth it.

[ex2cib]

wasn't saying it was, just saying what he used for the picture. considering he was sitting about 80 yards off and 30-40 rows up, it wasn't a bad shot

[Anemone]

Even if it's a ballpark, give us some idea of what you pictured spending.

Or visit the following for some ideas. Remember in sports photography, you'll probably want IS (image stabilization) and something that does a good job at focusing. To my mind that means you probably want either Canon or Nikon as they both understand fast focusing like few others do.

But, still give a ballpark of what we are supposed to suggest $$ wise and we'll go from there.

sites to consider:
http://www.dpreview.com/
http://www.steves-digicams.com
http://www.robgalbraith.com/index.html

[Grinch]

I would get 1 of these 3 bodies....

1. http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=12929

2. http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=15653

3. http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=14256

and get some good glass...perhaps something like the 100-400 lens..

http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/541161030.htm

here are some pics I have taken with my 30D and using the 100-400 lens:
http://www.pbase.com/grinchy247/canon_100-400

[Anemone]

You could probably make do with a 70-300 lens with IS given that the cost of the 100-400 is likely to make him cringe :)

[Grinch]

You could probably make do with a 70-300 lens with IS given that the cost of the 100-400 is likely to make him cringe :)

true...:up:

[3oh6]

You could probably make do with a 70-300 lens with IS given that the cost of the 100-400 is likely to make him cringe :)
i have to jump in and advise against wasting money on IS if your goal is to shoot sporting events. i think there is a mis conception about what IS does.

IS doesn't stabilize what you are shooting, it stabilizes the lens elements. this is mainly for situations when you are hand holding and don't have enough light to get a high enough shutter speed to remove any camera shake. IS helps remove camera shake by offsetting your movements by leveling the lens elements. or if you just have shaky hands and shooting a mid-range shutter speed, IS helps eliminate camera shake.

when shooting athletics, the subjects are moving fast, to stop them from showing up blurry you need to have fast shutter speeds, it has nothing to do with camera shake...1/400+ shutter speeds are preferable and at shutter speeds like that, it is almost impossible to have camera shake without really really trying. for small kids sports and stuff you can get away with a good bit slower shutter speeds because they aren't moving as fast.

to the OP, from what you have said since my first post, i would also recommend one of the higher up point & shoots from Cannon that Magnj recommended. i have to admit i am not really familiar with the Cannon P&S line up but a quick look at their web site reveals that the G5, G9, S5 IS all look like real nice cameras that will be excellent P&S cameras but can also be used to adjust settings manually if you get more into things. HTH

[Grinch]

Image stabilization helps to steady the image projected back into the camera by the use of a "floating" optical element—often connected to a fast spinning gyroscope—which helps to compensate for high frequency vibration (hand shake for example) at these long focal lengths. Canon EF SLR lenses with image stabilization have a IS suffix after their name, Nikon uses the VR "Vibration Reduction" suffix on their image stabilised Nikkor lenses.

Typically, image stabilization can help you take handheld shots almost two stops slower than with image stabilization off. For example if you would require a shutterspeed of 1/500s to shoot a particular scene, you should be able to shoot at only 1/125s (4 times slower) with image stabilization. This is very useful when shooting moving subjects in low light conditions by panning and/or when using long focal lengths.

Important footnote: The above "optical" image stabilization is different from the "digital" image stabilization found in some digital video cameras. "Digital" image stabilization only makes sense for digital video as it pixel shifts the image frames to create a more stable video image.


here's a good read:

http://shutterbug.com/equipmentreviews/lenses/0800sb_canon/

[Anemone]

I advise IS for a couple of reasons:


You often shoot more than what you started planning to shoot after you do it a while.
When you leap around an athletic field trying to get that "perfect shot" your hands are usually far from steady and this helps to keep that once in a lifetime shot from being blurry.
It's cheap and it helps when the lights begin to go down which often happens as the games get into the Fall.

Horizontal IS will help even when you are panning on a moving target. It's not vital, but once you have it, you really never want to do without it.

[Gitch]

Nice shots 3oh6. What settings do you use on your camera when shooting sports? Ie. Modes, I guess.

I am new to it all, but I bought good stuff to start with. I have been shooting for a few months and love it.

I got a Rebel Xt, a F4 24-105 L series IS lens, and an F4 70 - 200mm L series lens. Bought the lenses at a camera store going out of business sale. I wanted IS on both but they were already out of the 200mm IS lens. got a great by on it all so I went with this setup.

Now I just gotta learn how to fully use it all. :)

[EvlUndrWareNome]

give me a min to go through all of this! thanks for all the advice. !

[EvlUndrWareNome]

update:


I am looking at the G9 from Cannon and might have a used EOS 30D for $350 in mint condition. I am getting pics sent to me today of the camera and a full description.

The PowerShot S5 IS with a teleconverter looks promising as well. I just wish I could actually try out some of these models aside from one with a cord attached to it in a store :( As I said in my first post, I do know alot of the basic settings to adjust camera settings, such as ISO, etc.. I got into it abit, just never upgraded! :p

[Magnj]

go to a store like Wolf, Beach etc. They will let you hold one.

[MasterCraft]

a 30d for $350?

:shocked: :shocked: :shocked:

[Grinch]

maybe a D30..

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canond30/

30D goes for about 3-4 times that..

[MasterCraft]

maybe a D30..

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canond30/

30D goes for about 3-4 times that..

Thats what I was thinking...

I just paid $750 for an XTI, so $350 for a 30D would have been a real kick to the teeth.

[EvlUndrWareNome]

rebel xt is on the way with stock lens and all stuff that came in the box. Comes with the stock lens, a new tripod, photo cards, and camera bag.

woot :D

$369 shipped.

I love people whos wifes make em sell stuff!

[sorry guys]

-Nome

[MasterCraft]

rebel xt is on the way with stock lens and all stuff that came in the box. Comes with the stock lens, a new tripod, photo cards, and camera bag.

woot :D

$369 shipped.

I love people whos wifes make em sell stuff!

[sorry guys]

-Nome

ahh the 6.1 version? no wonder. I hope you got it in black, I had one just like it. ^^

[EvlUndrWareNome]

ahh the 6.1 version? no wonder. I hope you got it in black, I had one just like it. ^^

its the 8. good deal considering cheapest one i found was 350$ new for a body. i got lots of extras :)

[EvlUndrWareNome]

update: got the camera and won a bid for the Canon EF 75-300,, AF / MF model for only 115$ :)

[Magnj]

pics or it didn't happen

[EvlUndrWareNome]

pics or it didn't happen

when everything comes in, youll have them :D Ill have to work on taking pics of my camera with my camera tho haha