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MG Midget and Sprite General - What Camera?

Hi. I want to purchase a DSLR camera for taking motorsport pic's. Bit of a novice so please keep it simple!!
Looking to purchase a package ... any advise from fellow midget and sprite members. This was taken with my Nikon cooppix P2 compact.
Many thanks
Keith

K A Smith

We have a Canon EOS 1000D which came with a std Canon 18-55 lens plus a Tamron 70-300 telephoto lens.

There is a version 2 of the Canon 18-55 lens as it appears that the first version has a fault that so far Canon haven't acknowlaged. We had to buy the replacement version 2 which goes a little against the grain, I believe canon should have offered a replacement FOC.

After all that said, we love the camera and Anita has taken some superb motorsport shots with it.

Shop around before you buy, we've found some excellent deals on Amazon...!

Mark.
M T Boldry

Keith,

If you prefer Nikon, they have a new D-5100 which can deliver 4-fps (frames per second) and is said to have superior video. On a budget the new Pentax would also be well suited for motorsport at 6-fps. Reviews below.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond5100/

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

While I currenly still use Canon point and shoot, I am considering the Nikon. Fathers day here in the USA maybe I'll see an upgrade?

Regards,

Larry C.
Larry C '69 Midget

Not really answering the question here but... if you have no real interest in photography/learning about photography perhaps one of the more sophisticated 'point and shoot' cameras might be better/easier to carry/simpler/cheaper? One of the ones with a big lens and big zoom (8x - 10x optical).

As a for instance, my dad spent a fortune on a DSLR but he has no idea how to use it and therefore gets worse photos than he would with a good compact!

But then again, if you are looking at DSLRs and seeking advice on them you are probably a bit more knowledgable than my pops! ha ha.

Just a thought.

Cheers,
Malcolm

P.S. I find this place does a lot of good reviews on camera equipment http://www.trustedreviews.com/cameras/
M Le Chevalier

Malcolm, In our experience, the 'point and shoot' digital cameras do not react fast enough to capture a moving image easily, the DSLR will do.

Mark.
M T Boldry

Hi Keith , I recently took the plunge into the world of DSLR's.

I have only ever used point and shoots before, but borrowed my Brother in Law's DSLR (Sony Alpha 100)for a cruise holiday and loved it.

I purchased a Sony Alpha 350 with a 18-70 lens second hand from Ebay at a good price (the seller was upgrading).

I have left it in auto mode for the majority of photos and even they are miles better than my old camera. I'm slowly learning the ropes but (on this model at least) there are preset modes to help out the novice (night, sport, portrait etc)..

Hope this helps
Mark
Mark Whitmore

Mark,

I have been looking to buy the same at the moments its a toss up between yours and Nikon , any reason why you chose the Canon one ?
The lenses problem is a bit worrying but i guess if i bought new now i would get version 2
Cheers
Andy
Andy Chaffey

Keith,

Firstly, is it purely for motorsport? I say this because there are already thousands of people (normally calling themselves professionals) out there with entry level DSLR's photographing motorsport.

The body itself is only ever going to be as good as the lens that's hanging off the front of it. Hence you see quite a few people with middle of the road bodies and the huge grey canon lenses attached when at events.

The majority of lenses that are worthwhile using at motorsport events are going to be upwards of £1k.

I am a Nikon man, and as such progressed from my Nikon F801S to a D80 which then got replaced by my current D3S. Unfortunately despite a huge expenditure on the body, I am still using lenses which are over 20 years old and are in dire need of a clean or upgrade.

Motorsport photography is one of the easiest to begin with, but if you find you enjoy taking the snaps, then I think yoou will find you progress onto other things very very quickly and learn that standing in the rain getting £5k of equipment ruined is no longer a fun past time. You also will realise you dont get to see much of an event if you're stuck behind the lens, and in turn, enjoy events less than you normally would.

I would highly recommend one of the Nikon entry DSLR's, as they are a camera built and produced by a camera company and not some photocopier company thats turned their hand to cameras ( canon :P )

Get yourself 3 lenses.
50mm F1.4
18-35mm (17-35mm if cheaper)
and a 70-200mm

Try and keep them all with a very low F-number and remember to keep the shutter speed as slow as you possibly can when photographing cars on the move - this will give the sense of speed and movement which normally will not be captured by a point and shoot or anyone using "sports" mode.

I hope some of this was useful, and please let me know what you eventually plum for.

Pete


Below you will see a very very shallow depth of field, take at 1/125th @ F5.6 in little to no light situation using ISO5000.
Had it not been for the D3's low light capability I would simply never have got the shots I did



PeterJMoore

I would also say at this point, refrain from buying or using photoshop. You will become reliant on the ability to "fix" a photo as oppossed to getting it right in the camera. With that in mind, I dont use photoshop at all anymore, but prefer Adobe Lightroom - with Lightroom you can only really do the same amount of editing that you could do in a real darkroom, and as such, it is one of the closest ways to retain the ability to take proper photographs. Do not get dragged into the over-editing craze.
PeterJMoore

Hi Keith,

Pretty much all the DSLR's on the market now will do the job for you, they are so much versatile than any compact, however well speced it is.


Use a Pentax K110D Super as it can still use all my old 35mm Pentax lenses, albeit not in autofocus mode.
The kit lens it came with is ok, but saving up for a Pentax 70-210 autofocus lens for motorsport pics.

Have a good look on line at the reviews or look in one of the many camera mags, as the frequently do back to back tests of DSLRs in the same price bracket.


Regards Steve.
SR Smith 1

I have to say that I have been using the Photocopy brand DSLR for a few years. Before that I have had Canons with my first SLR being a Canon FX manufactured in 1969 and still in use to this day.
To be fair either of the entry level DSLR from Canon or Nikon are wonderful cameras. You may want to go to the store and see how they feel in your hand. It has to be comfortable. I would recommend both the lens that comes with it generally 18-70 and then a 70 - 200 zoom. You will want to get photos on the sidelines and in the pits.
As stated you can spend a great deal on lenses and bodies but to get started this will be fine. Also as stated you can photoshop images to fix and enhance them but it's a lot easier to take a good shot from the start.
I would also recommend a short course in photography will be a great assistance.
Allan
RNZAF Photographer
Canon 5D
Canon Rebel XT
Canon A1
Canon FX
Canon 24-105
Canon 70-200 f4 IS
50 1.8

73 MG 1275 RD5
Allan Jacks

We chose the Canon after much deliberating and reading 'Which' reports. I think the final descission was made in the shop where we chose the Canon for it's feel, balance and lightness. Remember you have to be able to hold it steady now and again and that is not easy with something heavy.

I guess Canon, Nikon, and Olympus will all give good results and if you are looking at more professional images, then you'll get what you pay for.... I know you can spend 10' of 1000's of Pounds if you are not careful..

Good luck and lets see some results on here... :-)

Mark.
M T Boldry

I purchased a Cannon SX20 a couple of years ago and I really like it. Not a true SLR, but the viewer image is the same as what it seen through the lens. The main advantage that Cannon cameras have over the others for use photographing autos is the flip out viewer that can rotate to almost any position. That allows you to shoot almost straight down on a subject yet still see the image in the viewer. I've used it to shoot details of the underside of my car to use in verifying that there are no cracks in the chassis etc. Places where a standard camera would be just a point and guess as to the focus and area being photographed, but with the swivel viewer I can see what I have in the photo. Most of the higher end Cannon cameras also have the same viewer function if you really want to move up to an interchangable lens DSLR.
I've also used it to shoot video and it works pretty well in that capacity as well. http://shopping.yahoo.com/738335938-canon-powershot-sx20-is-digital-camera/;_ylt=AsfdF6v4TKzE_oAG3wAmL.wbFt0A


B Young

I have a Kodak point and shoot digital camera that I bought to photograph items I had for sale on Ebay and I was very pleasantly surprised with the quality of the images it produced. However, I have a lovely Minolta 7000 AF SLR film camera that I really like and I have a couple of good lenses that go with it. It takes great pictures, but I realise that it's only a matter of time before it becomes obsolete and getting the films developed will get more difficult. I know that DSLRs are really the way to go if only for the fact that you can see right away if the picture is good or not, where as I have to wait until I get the prints back to get the same result, but I'm loath to part with the Minolta as it all still works so well.
Sorry for rambling on, but I'm in a dilema. A good DSLR is a bit outside my budget at the moment and I don't think I'd get much for the Minolta in part exchange.
HELP!

Bernie.
b higginson

Self printing - buy now before everyone works it out! I'm sure that a darkroom could be fitted somewhere ...?
rachmacb

Mark

Your comments on the Canon 18 x 55 kit lense, the only realy improvement was the addition of Image Stabilisation a few years ago.

The optical performance has possibly improved but there are no reports of the problem you allude too!

eddie
Eddie Cairns

Bernie,

We have a similar problem, I also have old Minolta lenses which happen to be a direct fit to the Sony Alpha series camera's. I have been looking at the A390 entry level (body only). Take one of your lenes in to a local camera shop for a demo, you might be pleased on how well they work, and the cost.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydslra390/

Regards,

Larry C. / Minolta 7000 Series
Larry C '69 Midget

Eddie, the version one has the image stabilisation as does the version two that we have replaced it with. When we looked on the www for reasons why the lens had failed, it was very apparant from lots of forums that there IS a problem and we were not just an isolated case....

Mark.
M T Boldry

After dropping two smaller bodied digital cameras and causing damage to both, one died and wouldn't work again; when I bought my current Cannon I also bought a pistol grip type handle that screws to the tripod mount on the bottom of the camera body and also picked up a small handle for my smaller Fuji. I find the additional support makes photography much easier and I feel more in control of the camera and my image is clearer and more steady. Not expensive, between $7 and $15 and well worth it just for insurance against a dropped camera in my opinion.

B Young

Bill,

One hand on the camera, one supporting the lens - dare I ask who or what you use those items above with :P

PeterJMoore

Larry. Thanks for that. I hadn't thought about using the lenses and buying just a body. It gives me something to think about. That's a good review site on the link.

Bernie.
b higginson

Peter, on my camera with it's rather short lens and auto focus if you hold it by the lens it won't zoom and focus correctly. I never had any problems with my old Canon AT1 35mm SLR using the lens as a rest, besides I had to focus and zoom that one manually anyway. The handles are handy for guys like me with large hands and using small bodied cameras such as my Fuji and now this Canon where I can't really use the lens for a grip. After dropping two cameras which cost over $200 each I learned my lesson and wanted a tighter grip and more control for this one.

B Young

Its difficult to advise without knowing your budget - in order of image quality your choices are:-

If the sky's the limit, a professional's outfit would be £10k(+) (hey! you could buy a very nice Midget for that!)


For an adequate DSLR body and a decent telephoto (200mm+) lens you will need to spend about £1k. There's little to choose between any of the major makes in terms of image quality - Go to a good (not one of the big high street chains) camera shop advertising in Amateur Photgrapher and try a few.
At this price point they will all be APS-C size sensors which have a crop factor of 1.5 i.e a 200mm lens will perform like a 300mm.

Telephoto lenses jump up in price as they get longer. One way round this could be to use a new type of camera, micro 4/3, which have a crop factor of 2,meaning that their telepho lenses are smaller, lighter and cheaper. Only consider one with a viewfinder, rear screens will be next to useless trackside.

Finally, a bridge camera with an even smaller sensor and a built in telephoto lens will be usable.

Its the photographer not the camera that makes the picture but in addition to the media professionals, most competitors will have family or friends with a camera at the event so don't expect them to be interested in your work!

With the advent of the internet, the chance of making money from motorsport photography is all but dead, but good luck if you want to do it for your own pleasure.

Hope this helps

David
http://vintageman.zenfolio.com
David Southcott

If you're just wanting a decent camera to have a bit of fun with though - I've just got a canon T3 - it's wonderful. I'm so looking forward to getting to use it and see how it really works at the weekend. Can't afford anything more expensive with horses and cars to feed .........!!!!!! I too had a Minolta film one, but my dad has stolen that now!

There ya go - we've scared off another one ... :)
rachmacb

This thread was discussed between 19/06/2011 and 22/06/2011

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