Shopping cameras

[Steve NW WI]

I'm in bad need of a new camera, my little pocket digital is OK for woodcutting pics, etc, but getting pretty beat up, and my older "big" camera, a Kodak digital with a nice big lens and a good zoom, is having startup problems.

The most challenging shooting I do is stock car racing. I've never gotten good night pics, and whatever I buy, this is going to be a must. I freely admit that I'm a no-talent, no-knowledge hack photographer, and 99% of my pics get the "auto" setting. I need to learn more, I know that. I'm open to suggestions on good photo how to books here too.

But back to the mechanical part of it, I'm thinking I need to get into a DSLR. Maybe some of the better semi-pro cameras would work, but I don't have enough knowledge to even know what specs or features are important.

Anyone want to point a maroon in the right direction?

I'd like to stay under 5 bills if I can, but if I need to spend more, I can probably pry the wallet open a little more.

 

[mdavlee]

I have a canon t2i and it works good for what we've done with it. It take 3 shots a second and will do pretty good for night pictures. With the bigger zoom lens I think it was in the $950 range. They are cheaper now as there's a lot of newer models. We've taken probably 35-40k pictures with it in the last 4.5 years.

 

[deepsouth]

Steve

You're asking a lot to do well in Motorsport night photography for under $500.

The latest dslr have excellent specs compared to the past and are cheap.

I think you could be very happy with even a Nikon d3200 at the budget end..... But you then need a fairly long lens, Exactly how long depends on where you're shooting and how close in you are. You may be happy with a 200mm kit lens, or need longer, then you are looking at a few dollars for 300mm zoom lens with a slower variable aperture or a lot of dollars for a pro spec fixed aperture lens.

I'm talking Nikon here as its what I have... Use and shoot.

Tbh hard to advise as I'm not sure what expectations you have?

 

[Steve NW WI]

Steve

You're asking a lot to do well in Motorsport night photography for under $500.

The latest dslr have excellent specs compared to the past and are cheap.

I think you could be very happy with even a Nikon d3200 at the budget end..... But you then need a fairly long lens, Exactly how long depends on where you're shooting and how close in you are. You may be happy with a 200mm kit lens, or need longer, then you are looking at a few dollars for 300mm zoom lens with a slower variable aperture or a lot of dollars for a pro spec fixed aperture lens.

I'm talking Nikon here as its what I have... Use and shoot.

Tbh hard to advise as I'm not sure what expectations you have?

I've got million dollar expectations on a penny budget, but doesn't everyone? Seriously, I'd be happy with pics that you can actually see what's going on, instead of a bunch of colored blurs. Most of my shooting will probably work well with a 200, but another trip to Talladega, AL will for sure make another bigger lens necessary.

I guess the better part of going DSLR is buying a kit now, and blowing more money on extra lenses, etc. later.

Like I admitted in my first post, my lack of knowledge about cameras and photography doesn't make this any easier.

Here's a link to a bunch of pics I took while on vacation a week ago. Most pics didn't even get uploaded as they were too blurry, especially ones under the lights.

https://plus.google.com/photos/102251462303624200073/albums/5917966675630230609

 

[KenJax Tree]

Ask H2H he shoots racing pictures.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Ask H2H he shoots racing pictures.

Good thinking. I invited both him and Sprintcar to chime in.


Might not have mentioned it above, but I'm not afraid to buy better grade used stuff, I just don't know what's good or bad out there, and ebay has bazillions of cameras on there...

 

[Typhke]

I don't know what the prices are over there but I like the Nikon D90 I have. You should be able to find some of them used. It's an older semi-professional model, aluminium body, LCD screen, 2 control discs, etc. It's more based on the pro-models than the D3200 but the specs of the D3200 are better. The thing I miss in the D90 is a great video function, it does film in hd 720p but doesn't have automatic focus while filming.

Good luck with your search!

 

[H 2 H]

Mid range camera I was testing for a few weeks was a Nikon D7100 (about $1,100) works fine but isn't the a pro camera

The old saying glass is were it's at; is so true !

Mid range equipment (set up) will run in the $2000 to $3000 range

Nice glass will run $2500 till your back pocket is dry like the the sierra dessert

Once you get a budget for equipment we could help you more on equipment

When I go to any race I carry two of everything - Bodies (2); lens (4); flash units (2) etc. so I don't have to be changing lens during a race

View attachment 312962

That setup in my hand in this pic is around $7 grand and I have two setups with at all times

I just did a wedding this past weekend and had three camera setups with me and people ask why pictures cost so much LOL

 

[mortenh]

Refer to the reviews

Whatever you buy, first check out any review at Digital Photography Review

You might even have a go at their "Buying Guide".

 

[deepsouth]

My thoughts are that you need 3 things : a modern body as the newer sensors are better than older. Hence D3200 as this is low budget.

2. A solid tripod - you can't handhold a long lens in low light and get great results.
Has to not have movement. There are expensive name brands (like gitzo, have a carbon fibre tripod setup that cost about $1400 us, including RRS ballhead) and also some good Chinese knockoffs now.

3. A good, but not pro long lens. With the low end bodies, they require the lens to have a focus motor, whereas older lenses did not and had the focus motor in the body.

This is where 2nd hand can be good.... And Id suggest finding a good forum and buying there.... No different to saws. But swap scoring for fungus in lenses, front or back focus, and other issues.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Mid range camera I was testing for a few weeks was a Nikon D7100 (about $1,100) works fine but isn't the a pro camera

The old saying glass is were it's at; is so true !

Mid range equipment (set up) will run in the $2000 to $3000 range

Nice glass will run $2500 till your back pocket is dry like the the sierra dessert

Once you get a budget for equipment we could help you more on equipment

When I go to any race I carry two of everything - Bodies (2); lens (4); flash units (2) etc. so I don't have to be changing lens during a race

View attachment 312962

That setup in my hand in this pic is around $7 grand and I have two setups with at all times

I just did a wedding this past weekend and had three camera setups with me and people ask why pictures cost so much LOL

Thanks! It ain't what I wanted to hear, but it's not at all unexpected. If I can pry a grand out of my wallet between now and the next time I take a racing trip, that'd be about max.

Am I gonna find anything in that range remotely capable of good AMATEUR pics? I'm not looking to make the cover of Speedway Illustrated, just have decent pics of races I've been to.

I get the concept of good optics, got several guns that have more money on top of em than in em, but like I've said a couple times, I don't know enough to tell good from junk, other than by price.

I'm really starting to think I need to put a LOT of time into learning more about cameras and photography before I jump out and buy. Suggestions for good learning places appreciated...

 

[deepsouth]

I would say yes You can get some gear that likely will work - and as a shooter you should have learnt breathing control? Also need to keep your camera steady for the time the shutter is open. Hence why I suggest tripod.

Because I chose Nikon on preference of feel and user interface over Canon I can suggest a couple of Nikon focused sites.

Warning: You think Stihl v Husky gets a fight going; canon v nikon is an ongoing civil war ..... Are there Stihl only chainsaw forums and husky only out there? Plenty of one brand camera forums :msp_wink:

New Camera and Photography Articles | Recent Articles Index for byThom sites | Thom Hogan - good analysis, reviews and learning tips primarily of Nikon DSLR gear, but also smallermirrorless cameras as well.

DSLRUsers.com • Index page - an Australian forum, more Nikon focused

Nikonians : The Nikon user community - a huge international Nikon forum, good for sale pages if in the USA.

 

[winland]

Consumer Reports rankings:
1. Nikon D7100 $1500
2. Canon EOS 60D $1050
3. Olympus E-5 $1700
4. Nikon D7000 $1100
5. Canon EOS Rebel T3i $650 (Best Buy)

 

[Photog95]

I too choose Nikon as my preferred tool. Look into getting a used camera. Buy from a hobbiest to get the best kept gear. Pros beet the heck out of their gear cause it is just a tool to be replaced at a moments notice with a newer more robust model. Most hobbiest are gearheads and treat their gear with kid gloves and take exceptional care of it.

When I decided to make the switch to digital I bought a new D200 and havent found the need to upgrade at all since. I still use it today, and it is just as capable of taking exceptional photos as the day I bought it. You can pic one of these up today for around $300 in near mint condition. I paid $1700 new. This saves you tons of money for the very expensive lenses you are going to need for low light photography.

When choosing a camera body dont get caught up in the megapixle wars. I have a D1x that is 5MP and a D200 that is 10MP. both of these will make beautiful prints at 20"X30" more MP is just going to take up more disk space on your computer.

Lenses it where it is at. For low light photography you are going to want what is refered to as "fast" glass. This being a large maximum aperture. My 28-70mm zoom has a constant max aperture of f/2.8 and cost me about $1500. I have a 500mm f/4 that I bought used for $2500. You can get a 70-300mm for $100 but it will suck in low light.

A good tripod can make up for cheaper lenses in low light but not for action shots. It doesnt matter how steady you hold the camera if you need a long shutter speed to compensate for a small aperture. The cars are still moving by and will be blurry.

Here are a couple of examples of older cameras doing just fine. and a couple low light shot.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Thanks. I'm still looking - doing more reading than looking though. Trying to learn more before I pry open the wallet.

By the time I get done learning and thinking, it'll be just about time to suggest gift cards to a camera store for Christmas...

I read quite a bit, anyone recommend good photography books / magazines?

 

[Photog95]

Another thought as well. I am a hobbiest as well but I do use my gear. The picture below was shot in the middle of an ice storm. It was pouring down rain, and about 20 degrees outside. As you can see from the second pic the camera got soaked. I did make sure it was good and dry before putting it away and this is also the beauty of a higher end camera. It can take this abuse a little better. A cheap camera would have never worked again.

 

[mesupra]

After lots of research into entry level DSLR cameras I was turned onto the Canon Powershot sx50, with some research and after speaking directly to several owners with years of experience in photography I purchased the camera and could not be happier. The lenses is very impressive, it would be eqivilent to buying a Canon t3i thn spending another $500 on additional lenses.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

I'm in bad need of a new camera, ......

Anyone want to point a maroon in the right direction?

I'd like to stay under 5 bills if I can, but if I need to spend more, I can probably pry the wallet open a little more.

I'm still under 5 bills / $5000 with a pro camera ... the 5D Mk II

Not sure what Nikon has, but for what you described, sounds like you need the Canon 7D ... and it has two processors built-in. Perfect for sports and action.

What lens you pick ... that's variable. Maybe a 135mm ... maybe something like a 70-200mm.

But you should be able to stay close to $2000 ...

 

[M.D. Vaden]

After lots of research into entry level DSLR cameras I was turned onto the Canon Powershot sx50, with some research and after speaking directly to several owners with years of experience in photography I purchased the camera and could not be happier. The lenses is very impressive, it would be eqivilent to buying a Canon t3i thn spending another $500 on additional lenses.

That is a good line.

I have the SX10 and was planning on the SX50.

My DSLRs are so far beyond those though, that the SX10 has not left my home in over a year.

But the SX50 is a solid tool.

 

[Photog95]

I'm still under 5 bills / $5000 with a pro camera ... the 5D Mk II

..

I think OP was talking $500 not $5,000. This leaves a very limited budget.