Nikon recommedation: action sports photography

[ric_arms]

<p>I am a amatuer photograher who is looking to take actionsports photography. I am looking for a recommendation for a camera. I am interested in D700, however can not aford the new D800. An other recommendations? Do I need a full frame camea?</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>Nikon isn't trying to sell you a D800 for sports. The new D4 is their flagship sports camera. But it's even more expensive. Depending on the types of sports and the venues in which you intend to shoot, you'd do great with a D300S, or with whatever they (shortly, I'm guessing) replace it with.<br /><br />But the killer part is <em>lenses</em>. What sort of sports and shooting circumstances/access do you envision? That dictates the glass.</p>

[Two23]

<p>Buy the lens, and with what's left over find a camera. Matt is correct. If you are thinking of indoor sports like basketball, start with a 70-200mm f2.8 type lens, then see how much money you have to buy a camera to stick on it.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

[dan_brown4]

<p>The D700 would be an excellent choice. Buy with confidence.<br>

Also, do stay with an FX body, it's clear that Nikon's high tier bodies will be FX.</p>

[chriscourt]

<p>I agree that glass is the most important factor, but what focal length you choose really depends on the sport you are going to be shooting. The D700 is an excellent sports camera, but you certainly don't "need" a full frame body to shoot sports. In fact the extra reach provided by of a DX body can be useful in many situations. If you're starting out and on a limited budget (aren't we all?), I'd recommend a fast crop sensor body like the D300s or D7000 (approx $1200), a fast wide zoom, such as the Nikkor 17-55 (approx $1200) and a fast longer zoom, such as the 70-200 VR1 (approx $1500, used). Fast primes offer a shutter speed advantage, but in my experience, zooms are far more practical when shooting sports.</p>

<p>Sure, you can spend less, but expect your results to suffer. What I list above is what I consider or to be a basic, entry level kit to serious photography, however I'm sure others here will disagree or expand on this :-)</p>

<p>Chris</p>

[shineofleo]

<p>70-200 F/2.8 VRII is a must for indoor sports! - if you can afford it. D700 is good, if the budget is tight, DX body should do well, too.</p>

[elliot1]

<p>What is your budget? What type of sports will you be shooting? Will they be indoors, outdoors or both? What will you be doing with images? What size prints will you be making? These are all important questions in determining what camera and lenses will work best for you.</p>

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>Ric, what sort of shooter are you? A machine-gunner or a careful sniper? If you just want to rattle off as many fps as possible, then the D700 isn't for you.<br>

What sports are you interested in? For anything that needs a long lens you'll be better off with DX than full-frame because of the crop factor and increased depth of field.<br>

How do you shoot; handheld or always on a tripod? If handheld then I really see no advantage in going FF.<br>

I have the D700 and love the quality it gives. Would I use it for action sports in preference to the D300s - absolutely not! But then again the very thought of shooting sport is making me yawn.</p>

[johne37179]

<p>I would look at the work of some of the great sports photographers, like Neil Leifer (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/2005/11/21/gallery.leifer/content.1.html).<br>

Figure out what it would take to make that shot. It is the lens that is critical, not the box attached to it.</p>

<p>I covered the Reno Air Races in the early '70s and so did Neil. We had nearly identical equipment -- and stood shoulder to shoulder at times. There is no doubt as to who came away with the best shots!</p>

[rossb]

<p>The D7000 would make a fine camera for an hobbiest. The crop sensor would be great for sports photography. </p>

[michael_bradtke]

<p>As someone who shoots sports for a living I agree that the lens is important but where I diverge from some of you is that I think the body is just as important. Fast accurate autofocus is a must The D700 is very good for this as is the D300 or D300s. Also I big buffer is a nice thing to have so you can keep working without having to wait for the camera. As to full frame or not? Well for me full frame is a waste. I need the field of view that the DX body gives me. I don't shoot wide I shoot long. So having a 120-300 f/2.8 on my D300 or D300s makes it so I can cover everything I need with that one lens. If I use a FX camera then I do not have the reach that I need using that same lens. Nobody makes a 100-400 f/2.8 lens and if they did I could not afford one.<br>

FX is nice but I do not see it as the be all end all.<br>

Dan do you work for Nikon? Your statement sure makes it sound like you have inside knowledg... Or is it just personally that you feel everything has to be FX.</p>

[bms]

<p>As an occasional and "hobby" sports hooter, I have had pretty good results with a D300 and 70-300VR... outdoors. Indoors it probably won't do. It really depends what you are shooting and where.</p>

[John Crowe]

<p>For sports you are better off with a crop body. Currently, the three to consider are the D7000, D300(s), and D2X. I would be patient and wait for the D400.</p>

<p>The "latest and greatest" 70-200/2.8 VR2 carries a ridiculous price for an amateur. A used 80-200/2.8 AF-S at less than half the price is a better option, but depending on what you are shooting even that could be replaced by a prime or two. A 1.4x is likely a requirement for any lens you chose, just to give you the option of more length. My own current setup is an 80-200/2.8, 300/4, and a manual focus 400/2.8. I use a 1.4x at times on all of them.</p>

<p>For indoor stuff a 50/1.8, 85/1.8 or 135/2 may be more appropriate.</p>

<p>I highly recommend buying used lenses to maximize image quality for money spent. I have had great luck with eBay over the past 10 years but keh.com is a great place to start too. I've done well with Adorama as well and have not yet bought from B&H as they tend to be the priciest. </p>

[elliot1]

<p>For sports/action photography, the D3 may be your best choice because of its current low price (low $2000 range in some cases), faster frame rate and slightly faster AF over the D700. The D3's AF is superior to all current DX bodies.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Exactly what types of sports are we talking about? Indoors, outdoors makes a big difference. Determine a budget and work out which lenses you need and then figure out the camera.</p>

[joseph_smith3]

<p>I echo Michael's recommendations. You may need a camera with two card slots--one for JPEG and one for RAW, like the D 300s. Glass is very important. You can always rent before you buy. Check out <a href="http://www.borrowlens.com">www.borrowlens.com</a><br>

Joe Smith </p>

[eric_arnold]

<p>we really need to know the OP's budget...but D7K is not a sports camera. since the OP didnt ask for a recommendation on an overall camera with newest tech. but a sports/action camera, i'm going to say dont get a d7000. it cant achieve the fps of the d300/s, d700, d3/d3s (or d4, obviously), and has worse-performing AF than any of those cameras. the argument about crop sensors giving longer reach which means cost savings on long glass is a good one; FF cameras' biggest advantage for sports is high ISO which may or may not be an issue. also, FX glass can be a lot more expensive than DX lenses. IMO waiting for a d400 isnt a bad idea, but i'd also think about a used d300 for now, which has 90% of the functionality of the d300s, is fast enough for "action/sports" and can be had for a little bit more than an entry-level body. it simply doesnt make sense to go whole-hog on a more expensive body, be it d700 or d7000, unless you already have or are willing to acquire good glass for it. if you dont have a 70-200 or cant get one, pick up an 80-200 and an older 28-70 or even 35-70 first...</p>

[jon_menezes]

<p>For a budget go with the 300s, it is still better than the 7000. </p>

[john_newell2]

<p>I agree with the posts above indicating that indoor/outdoor is the first big cut. If indoors, like basketball, high ISO performance matters a lot, and you should look at the FX bodies.<br>

Outdoors, where high ISO isn't as likely to be a factor (at least for daylight use, as opposed to use after dark), the crop sensor that effectively extends the focal length may be a plus. In my experience, buffer and write speeds are critical, and make the D300/D300S a much better choice than the D7000.</p>