Equipment

I was wondering if you guys could clear up my mind with some advice.

Looking for dslr to shoot some sailing / wakeboarding pics as well as

a good cam to enter a new hobby. After studying various tests and

internet sites, I was tending to a 20D canon. Then again I thought a

350D, that came out would do the job just as well if I invested the

saved money into the lens. (75-300IS or so). Then I wondered if the

minolta (even though probably technically the weakest of all) would be

interesting with its anti shake.

Now my question. Is it a problem shooting from a boat (daylite) and

getting sharp shots? Do I really need a stabalizer or does high ISO /

high shutter compensate for the wobbly grounds?

very keen to read a discussion...

getting an exposure short enough to freeze action will more than make up for camera shake. If sailing and wakeboarding pics are your main interests, if funds are limited, take the money from IS and put it into faster glass. If you have more money to invest, get both, but you the IS won't make a difference in your fast action shots. You're overemphasizing the effect IS will have on these types of shots, especially considering you'll have very good light to work in most of the time. IS designs will allow you to use a longer exposure before camera movement becomes an issue. A longer exposure is the exact opposite of what you want for action type shots.

Peter,

 

I would recommend the faster glass also, I spend a lot of time photographing boats and speed is everything. Here in the Pacific NW we get a few where the lighting is less than optimal and the IS lens Do make a big difference,

 

Sean

 

www.pacificfog.net

thank you very much, I really needed that reassurance!!! Reading on the internet has got me in the right direction, but I really wanted to have that user advice to convince me, so I'd say mission acomplished!

I love the pics on the pacific frog...

i think if you want a enter level a 350D could be a good camera (better the 20D that has faster AF,but i dont know if sailing need so fast AF)

 

both has great noise performance!

for lenses a 70 200 f 2.8 could be the best

 

but couse that camera has so great advantage on noise on older camera you can push the iso and also a canon 70 200 F4 USM could be the right lens for you (i suggest this option,is cheap and marvelous optically)

 

the AS is not needed in action photography, so dont wast money on it

 

i dont know how far you will be from action?i think 70 200 could be enough, and with a 8 MP camera you can also crop a little

 

other options?the best could be a sealed body (nikon D1 /D2 series or canon eos 1D series)but here we go really high on price level

 

you can find now a used nikon D1 at very low price ,usd 600-700, has only 2,7MP but for sport is still enough and u can print very good A4 photos

 

i think that for a beginner a 350D with the 70 200 F4 will give you very good quality photos (at same level then with 4-5000 USD canon eos 1DMII)of course with slower AF and less sofiticated body and ergonomics

I have shot wakeboarding from a boat in Tahoe and found that my regular 75-300 was fine for sharp pictures in most cases. The early morning is usually the best time to shoot and light was not a problem. The most important thing was the frame rate so the 20D is definitely a good choice for the fast frame rate.

I'm a Canon shooter, so I'm biassed, but if you're getting into sports/action photography, I'd go with Canon equipment. I shoot major events, including sport, (amongst other things) and as the Canon 'white lens' advertising says, the majority are indeed using Canon gear.

 

Remember that this type of photography gets into your blood. What starts out a a hobby or interest turns the budding photographer into an adrenaline junkie. Canon is well equippped to meet your growth as you become more and more involved in action photography.