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Anthony Gargani
{K:4527} 3/18/2005
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oops...sorry I hit 'add comment' instead of 'preview'...anyway...
A basic 'sports' kit as described above would be for example:
1. A Canon 20D with a Canon 70-200 f/2.8L lens
2. A Nikon D70 with a Nikon 80-200 f/2.8 lens
A setup like that will get you off to a great start. It will also be relatively expensive figure around $2000+. There are options-a Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 lens for either mount will only run about $700 vs $1000-$1200 for the Canon or Nikon lens. 20D bodies only run around $1400 currently and a Nikon D70 around $800-$900 body only.
Other cameras to consider that are cheaper would be the Canon Digital Rebel or Digital Rebel XT. The 'old' Digital Rebel is NOT a very capable sports camera but will work and would probably be fine for baseball. The Digital Rebel XT is more refined and closer to the Nikon D70 (in some respects better)and would be my recommendation if you go in that direction.
NOW-having said and typed all of that. If you only want to shoot sports 'casually' you can get by with a Digital SLR body and the 75-300mm zooms made by everyone. I would put these zooms in the 'fair weather' category and only take them out on sunny days-lol-where they will be fine. They shot above was taken with a Digital Rebel (original) and the Canon 55-200 f/4.5-5.6 USM MkII lens. As I said-it is possible to use cheaper gear succesfully.
IF you want to attempt sports shooting with the class of cameras known as 'point and shoots' your success rate will probably not be that great, but you can get usable result by shooting in manual or TV mode. Just dial in a shutter speed of around 1/500 and start experimenting to see how your camera handles it. You will need to work on your reaction and timing but it can be done.
A few final words...
There is a very good sports shooter named Nill Toulme who frequents the Digital Photography Review and Fred Miranda forums. He put together a very concise and well written 'guide' to how he shoots sports. I highly recommend that you check him out. You can probably find his posts by searching the forums of the sites listed above.
Please keep in touch and let me know if this has been helpful. If you can give me anymore additional information like what equipment you have and how far you want to take this I can offer you more direct advise.
Thanks again for your kind words and best of luck to you,
Anthony
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Anthony Gargani
{K:4527} 3/18/2005
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Karen, thanks so much for your kind words, I appreciate it.
Ok, first advice I can give you regarding sports photography is that you go to a real photography help site such as:
Fred Miranda
Sports Shooter
The fastest way for you to find those sites is to google them. If I put links in this reply it will get held up for three to five days (at least). Both of those sites offer fantastic information on sports photography. Fred Miranda's site offers photography help in all areas and best of all it's forums are in real time-no delays, and very active. There are numerous samples shots posted by some of the best photogs I've seen-pros and amateurs. Sports Shooter is a member only community, but you can read all of the posts. You just cannot comment there.
Another very friendly community is Digital Grin (again search via google). Digital Grin is rather different and very mellow and friendly. It's a small community of only about 2200 members. You can get great help there as well. They have a dedicated sports forum where you can post examples and get help on any aspect of photography.
All of the above forums (communities) have several in-house pros that are very willing to assistant new and amateur photographers with advice on everything from white balance to equipment. They are much different than usefilm I have discovered and actually much more helpful (at least for me). Usually if you ask a question it's answered within the hour (unless you post at 1am a lot like me lol).
About sports photography (from my experience...)
I have been pretty much focused on shooting sports photography for the past say six months or so. Prior to that I took the occasional shot but usually was disapointed in the results. The first things I learned were:
Timing is everything-have a basic understanding of the game and how it flows.
Fast shutter speed is essential if you want to freeze action.
Watch your position, and more importantly-the position of the sun.
Get low-lower perspective creates a more natural and engaging shot. You want to be at the same level as the players when you shoot. There are exceptions, but in general this is what the pros are always saying.
Shoot tight-no I mean TIGHT!!! Most amateurs have way too much space around the players they are shooting. Usually because they are using inadequate equipment.
Always try to get-FACE-BALL-ACTION, in the shot. Again,there are exceptions, but in general you want to get those three.
EQUIPMENT MATTERS. IF you are really serious about getting 'good' or 'great' shots of your kids playing baseball you need a camera and a lens that is up to the task. If shooting digital, this means SLR-period. I can almost guarantee you that you will not get the shots you *really* want to get without a camera capable of clean high ISO shooting and no shutter lag. Think of it this way, for sports even a shutter speed of 1/250 is considered slow. You really want to be up around 1/500 (on average) or FASTER.
As for lenses, minimum lens suggested is a 70-200 zoom or a 200mm prime. This focal length\range will work pretty well for youth sports and smaller fields. When you get up to the Jr. High and High School level they get too short in a hurry. In addition, fast aperture lenses are where it's at. F/2.8 (or faster) is where it's at. Two main reasons for fast lenses are-the larger the aperture the faster the shutter speed, and a larger aperture reduces depth of field which isolates your subject and makes for a more impressive picture. You can get away with say an f/4 lens, but it will be somewhat limited on very overcast days and will not isolate players as much as an f/2.8.
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Karen Ferranti
{K:2959} 3/16/2005
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Very Nice sports shots you have in your portfolio. I am just a beginner but would like to get some nice shots of my children playing baseball. I managed to get one last year that I am quite happy with www.usefilm.com/image/593028.html
Any advice you can give me on this would be greatly apreciated
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Larry Hammond
{K:16631} 10/22/2004
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Really like the action stop here and the composition Anthoy!!
Larry
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Kelly Anbach
{K:4375} 12/22/2003
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Nice colors and capture! I just bought the same camera - awesome! How do you like the 55-200mm lens? Merry Christmas!
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Matej Maceas
{K:24381} 10/4/2003
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This is a nice picture, very dynamic and showing well her immersion into the game. The only thing I'm missing here is the ball.
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Ranae Fitzgerald
{K:1093} 10/4/2003
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The concentration on her face is wonderful! Great capture! Ranae
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