[andy griggs]

Hi Im new here for sorry if i get anything wrong!

I'm looking at getting into sports photography, in paticular snow sports, and I would like to know recomendations on camera. I've been looking at the olympus e300, canon d350, nikon d40(at apush on budget), or the pentax k100d.

I want to keep the cost low cos im new and i know im going to need a whole load of othe gear eventually. any tips or ideas???

oh and whats the general opinion n ebay for dslrs?

cheers everyone!

[Liam O'Neill]

Almost all those big white lenses you see at every major sports event, as used by almost every pro in the field (though not all) are Canon's. If thats where you are headed, I'd go Canon now.
Sure, they also tend to hang £4000 worth of IDs Mark II off their £4000 500mm white lens with another £4000 of camera/lens around their neck as a backup/closer zoom, which is all a long long way out of your budget, but if you go Canon now, you can build up to that later in steps as needed. If you go for something else, you may find later that you need to dump everything and start over with the Canon stuff, which will be expensive.

So you buy the 350D now, but the 70-200 F4 later, get a "more pro" body after that (which eventually becomes the backup), then a few months later get a 70-200 f2.8 IS (which eventually becomes the "other" lens on the backup body) then get the 500mm prime, then later still the latest top-of-the-range 1-series. Steps.

[andy griggs]

nice one, thanks for that liam!

[stepheno]

As Liam says and no doubt the Nikon, Olympus, Pentax people will come in with their twopenneth. However, if you do go down the Canon route then do consider the possibility of the 30D - affordable price and it's got the fastest burst and startup times of them all. If you can't afford a 30D then a used 20D will be just as good.

[JMitchell]

Yes I am a Nikon guy, but I have to say that Canon are probably better for sports in general, if not anything else!

[namllihs]

I think you need to decide what features are important to you for the sports you shoot, make a list of the cameras that offer some or all of these features and then go to your local friendly dealer and handle the said cameras. You will want a camera that is comfortable in the hand and has easy to reach controls. Remember that when you buy a DSLR you are buying into a system. I think you will probably come down to a choice between Nikon and Canon, although I know a few people who shoot motor sport with Konica/Minolta. When you are out shooting for hours on end you want a camera that is comfortable to hold and intuitive to use. Whatever you choose, enjoy what you are doing and share the results with us.
Good Luck.

[Sonsey]

I have a Canon 350D, and while it is an excellent camera it only shoot's at 3 fps (frames per second). During the summer I like to photograph small equestrian events, the problem is that once those horses get moving I find the camera does strugle a bit bit to keep up with the faster action sometimes, causing me to miss shots.

I feel that for sport's photography you should be looking for a camera that shoot's at 5 fps, and if you do decide to go with Canon that currently means the 30D.

One point worth making is that the 30D is heavily rumoured to be repaced by Canon very soon (Feb/Mar) with a newer model, the 40D (or called something simular). If this happens then you'll probably find that the price of a 30D might fall a bit further making it an excellent buy.

[VinnyP]

You might want to consider used especially if you are thinking about e-bay some of the slightly older mid-high range models might be a better bet for sports than lower end new models. A Canon 20D with kit lens should not be far off your budget. 5fps is a big plus for sports. Pros use Canon or Nikon for sports because of the system support not many use the 1DS Mk11 though, it's more likely to be the 1D because frame rate matters.

You may still want to hold off for the 40D since that will push the price of the still excellent 20D down further. Nikon haven't really got a competing prosumer in your budget, the D200 is a step up in performance but also price.
You are right that you will need more gear and, as has been said, sports lenses are expensive but the 20D will see you through a lot of glass before you will need to upgrade it. The lens is a different matter a budget choice for Nikon or Canon is a 70/75-300 zoom for about £130 new £100 2nd hand but they can disappoint and you will probably want to upgrade before long and the next step up is exponential.

[hendie100]

Thats a bit latteral for a Friday !!!!

[Paul PH]

Hello!I would suggest also the 30D,but you should keep in mind that a fast memory card is also needed in order to get the 5 fps.In the future you might upgrade to a 1 D Mark II N with it's 8,5 fps.I believe the price for this camera will be a bit lower,since Canon announced the EOS 1D Mark III,with 10 fps (like a machinegun).Also take a close look at the lens you choose,because the body does not deliver all of the performance.However,enjoy taking your pictures!

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Paul PH

....,since Canon announced the EOS 1D Mark III,with 10 fps (like a machinegun).

He ain't joking Canon EOS-1D Mark III - Video - How fast !!!!!