Camera and lens choice

[Knight203]

O.k., I know another one of these threads but bear with me

Ive been looking at the Canon 60d. It has all the features I want and its in the price bracket I'm looking in. So if you guys know of a better camera with the same features for around the same price please let me know.

Alright here is the real question. I plan on taking lots of photos of skateboarding and BMX'ing with my camera, what are some good lenses for this type of shooting? And I'm hoping it wont cost more than around 300$. It would be nice if it had IS but a good bit of the shooting will be done on a tri-pod so IS isn't totally needed but would be awesome.

Thanks for the help

[Solus Corvus]

I am going to make some assumptions so correct me if I am wrong. I presume you want to freeze the fast motion of the skateboarding and BMX'ing, or at least be able to? And that you will be able to get relatively close to your subjects and not be stuck in the stands far away?

For that situation I would recommend a lens with a large aperture (a small f number). The large aperture allows more light to be collected by the sensor for a given period of time (ie. a certain shutter speed). A smaller aperture can be compensated for by increasing ISO, but that adds noise to the image.

A few glances at lenses in your price range and I thought these looked most promising:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...e_EF_35mm.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...act_Macro.html

Both are fixed lenses, not zoom lenses. So to frame the picture you have to move your position. For example to get a close up shot you have to get close or to get a wide shot you have to move back, instead of just turning the zoom ring on the lens. They are also both relatively "fast" lenses (large aperture), with the 35mm being fastest. Both of these lenses work on the full frame sensor cameras should you want to upgrade later, but on the 60D will have a 1.6 crop factor - so the 35mm will be like a 56mm lens on a full frame sensor camera and the 50mm like an 80mm.

Without any more information I would recommend the the 35mm lens. It has a larger aperture so you can use faster shutter speeds in bright situations and it would be better in low light situations like night or dimly lit parties. You will have to get closer to your subjects for a given framing than the 50mm, if you consider that a downside (I don't). The 50mm is a macro so you can take shots of small stuff easier and the longer focal length can help framing if you can't get close to your subjects (boring, lol), but it is slower.

Personally I would break your price limit and go for this lens:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...Autofocus.html

It is even faster than those others and it has better image quality and more pleasing out of focus rendering.

[.Logic]

Brilliant advice above, I would also HIGHLY recommend the 50mm f1.4... It's a little out of your price range, but if you can stretch the extra it will be well worth your while. It really is a bang for buck lense.

[Solus Corvus]

Also, if you can get REALLY close (like them jumping over you in a BMX or whatever) for your shots you might want to consider even wider angle lenses. Wide angle lenses exaggerate the proportions of your subjects and give a more dynamic feeling for your pictures. Longer focal length lenses make it easier to just stand back and shoot, but result in a "flatter" feeling image and, IMO, a lazier photographer. Wider angle lenses force you to really get up close and personal with the action.

Unfortunately the good Canon wide angle lenses are way out of the price range you mentioned.


Edit: Though if you don't mind the noise from high ISO your options expand considerably because you can use smaller aperture lenses. And I don't know how set you are on Canon specifically.

[itznfb]

You're going to need a telephoto zoom. Ideally a 70-200mm f/2.8. Don't worry about IS you don't need it. IS only helps with camera shake, not subject movement.

If I was you and looking in that prince range I'd be looking at a cheaper used body and something like a 70-200 f/4 non-IS.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S

[Knight203]

Thanks for all your input! I am not set on the 60D at all, just so far it seems to have the features I require in the price bracket I'm looking in. I have held the 60D and a few others (D40,D90,T2i) and the I do lean toward the Canons a bit, but not enough for me not to consider a Nikon. I am probably going to break my 300$ limit and go for the 50mm f1.4. I was wondering itzfb, why the telephoto? I want one and think its going to be a great bit of glass to have in my bag but do you have a specific reason for suggesting it? Again thanks for all the input guys I should be able to buy the camera and lens in about a week!

[itznfb]

With 35mm or 50mm you will literally need to be on top of the action. Those focal lengths give you 0 reach. You want the subject in tight right out of the camera.

[Solus Corvus]

That's basically why our recommendations are so different. We are making different assumptions about where you will be when you are taking the shots. Please elaborate a little about the situations in which you will be shooting and we will be able to give better recommendations.

Itznfb is completely correct that shorter focal length lenses give you less reach (though 50mm on a non full frame sensor isn't too bad). If you are stuck in the stands or behind a fence then you would want a long focal length because a wide lens would just capture the subject as a tiny detail in the middle of a sea of unwanted distraction that needs to be cropped out. And in the situation where you are in the bleachers or behind a fence a zoom helps framing because you often don't have much room to move around.

I suggested wider lenses because I was (incorrectly?) assuming you could get closer. If you can get close then you will want wider lenses to be able to capture your whole subject. And they force you to move up and get into the action. You have to think more about framing and perspective but it also rewards you with more dynamic shots. I suggested fixed lenses because in your price range you can get a much faster lens then any zoom, which will help with very fast action and/or low light conditions. They also make you think about your composition more which tends to improve the quality of your shots.

Here are a few articles that roughly mirror my thoughts, but only if you are free to move around:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/how-...ide-lenses.htm
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/fixe...r-pictures.htm
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/spectator.htm

[Knight203]

Thanks tons guys, all of your help has been very much appreciated. And the whole why a tele was a brain fart on my part. I was (not any more) going to get the kit lens and didn't say it any where on here and just assumed you guys knew :P

But right now I'm looking at getting this set up:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._4460B003.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...Autofocus.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._f_4L_USM.html
plus some uv filters a bag and a 32gb sd card....I kind of threw my budget out the window...

Your thoughts would be very much appreciated! Thanks!

[Solus Corvus]

Those are good lenses. Even the kit lens isn't too bad. But it is hard to really say how good they will be for you without knowing what situations you will be shooting in. About how many feet will you be from the subjects, maximum and minimum? Can you move around the location much?

[Knight203]

Yeah I should be able to get really close to the skaters, within a foot or two. So the 50mm should be pretty awesome.

[Solus Corvus]

I'm lazy so I'm using the focal length calculator here: http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tut...era-lenses.htm

For a subject about 6 feet tall the 50mm should let you get no closer then about 14 feet. For a 3 foot tall subject, say grabbing their board tightly or looking down/up at them, you could get shots from about 7 feet. If you got within 2 feet you could capture an area a little less then a foot (along the longest axis), so a face shot, a hand grabbing the board, etc.

The 70-200mm would let you capture a 6 foot tall subject from 19 to 55 feet away, and a 3 foot tall subject from 10 to 28 feet away.

The above are rough estimates. If that sounds like the working radius you want to have around your subjects for the type of shots you want, those are both good lenses. The 50mm is a very "fast" lens and will help you freeze the action, if desired, or in low light. The 70-200 gives you a good working distance and more versatility. It isn't remotely as fast so you will need to increase the ISO (or leave it auto) to freeze action or in low light.

Personally, I'd go Nikon though.

[Knight203]

Those figures sound great, you just cemented those lenses for me (If I go Canon) I have a good understanding of ISO, aperture and what not, so I doubt I'll leave any thing on auto
What would you suggest in the Nikon range that is $1,000(USD) or less for a body?

[Solus Corvus]

I get the cheapest bodies that I can get away with. If I was buying right now a D3000 would be fine for me and my D60 has been decent. I choose more based on the lenses - bodies come and go but the lenses are a long term investment. I prefer shooting up close and personally I like Nikon's ultra wide angle lenses better - thus my Nikon comment.

Next stop for me, hopefully, is this lens and a cheap used full frame body: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/16-35mm.htm

Edit: Oops, I realize I didn't actually answer your question. In your situation I'd think a D90 or D3100 would be ok but I'd try to stretch the budget a bit and go for the nice D7000.

[itznfb]

For $1000 I'd find a used D300/D300s.

Sent from my Samsung Fascinate

[Knight203]

Well, due to un-foreseen expenses my budget was smashed. I ended up going with a T2i with a kit lens (for now).

[Solus Corvus]

Sorry to hear. The kit lens isn't too bad. It is a bit slow but a good lens to practice with. You will get to see if you like the up close and personal shooting I mentioned or if you prefer standing back. And a T2i will still work fine with the other lenses mentioned, should you decide to get them later (though keep in mind the 1.6 crop factor).

[Knight203]

Yeah the 60d is a crop lens as well. I plan on going full frame down the line some time so the t2i should be a good place to start for me. So far I'm really happy. Even though the kit lens leaves a lot to be desired.