Canon T1i

b08rsa

Looking for a setup to shoot indoor sports. I do not have alot of coin to spend. I have been looking at the Canon T1i because of the high ISO speed. Need Help. I wsih I could give a set dollar amount, but I am not sure where to start.

ziggy53

The Canon T1i is definitely not designed for action/sports and definitely, definitely not night or indoor sports. Sports and action photography are among the most demanding of photographic endeavors and consistently good results will require a system which is designed for and can deliver consistent and fast AF and exposure, etc.

In the Canon line the least I can recommend is an original 1D. A much, much better camera base would be a 1D MKII. These cameras are designed with an AF system that is both more sensitive and faster than any other in the Canon line. Neither are particularly great at very high ISOs, but they're not horrible either. The point is that if the AF is not sensitive enough or fast enough you will get a lot of soft images. Nothing kills an image worse than if the focus is not accurate.

The second part of the system that needs attention is sports capable lenses. The primary considerations are large aperture, sharp wide open and rapid focus motor technology to couple with the AF sensor and AF processing in the camera. A slow lens on a fast camera, or vice-versa, will not yield optimal results.

Inexpensive competent Canon sports lenses include:

EF 85mm, f1.8 USM
EF 100mm, f2 USM

Rental is a very nice option for any important shoot and that might make the following a viable option too:

EF 135mm, f2L USM

If you should go with a Canon 1D, here is the Sports Illustrated setup information (really):

http://www.siphoto.com/?canon1D.inc

... and if you should go with a 1D MKII/MKIIN here is that setup information, and a downloadable file to automate the setup:

http://www.siphoto.com/?canon1DM2.inc

ThatCanonGuy

Yeah, get a 1D/1D2 or a 20D/30D, the latter two will have not as good AF but they do have 8mp vs the 4mp of the 1D. The 1D2 has 8mp. Don't get a T1i. Spend most of your money on lenses. Sell your Oly stuff if you're switching brands, that'll give you more to spend. Ziggy has some good lens recommendations. If you sell your current gear plus your budget now, I think that's enuf for a 1D/1D2 (get the 1D if you don't mind its 2 big drawbacks: only 4mp, and only 2GB and under CF cards), a 85 1.8/100 f/2, and a 70-200 2.8 (nice. really nice.).
Select from here:

1D ~$400
1D2 ~$600
20D ~$300
30D ~$400

85 1.8 ~$375
100 f/2 ~$450
70-200 2.8 ~$1200

The lens prices are for new, you can save money by buying used or refurb. The camera prices are used.

b08rsa

ThatCanonGuy wrote: »

Yeah, get a 1D/1D2 or a 20D/30D, the latter two will have not as good AF but they do have 8mp vs the 4mp of the 1D. The 1D2 has 8mp. Don't get a T1i. Spend most of your money on lenses. Sell your Oly stuff if you're switching brands, that'll give you more to spend. Ziggy has some good lens recommendations. If you sell your current gear plus your budget now, I think that's enuf for a 1D/1D2 (get the 1D if you don't mind its 2 big drawbacks: only 4mp, and only 2GB and under CF cards), a 85 1.8/100 f/2, and a 70-200 2.8 (nice. really nice.).
Select from here:

1D ~$400
1D2 ~$600
20D ~$300
30D ~$400

85 1.8 ~$375
100 f/2 ~$450
70-200 2.8 ~$1200

The lens prices are for new, you can save money by buying used or refurb. The camera prices are used.

Now I just started a thread on the Oly E-30 body. This would be a good step up in the Oly line IMO.

Brett1000

b08rsa wrote: »

Looking for a setup to shoot indoor sports. I do not have alot of coin to spend. I have been looking at the Canon T1i because of the high ISO speed. Need Help. I wsih I could give a set dollar amount, but I am not sure where to start.

like others have said, if you primarily shoot indoor sports the Canon 1D is the better choice but the T1i (500D) can take good indoor sports pics - like basketball, for example. For photo examples of indoor sports using the T1i (500D) do a search on this Canon forum -
http://photography-on-the.net/forum
and/or look at the T1i (500D) section/thread in the equipment section

ziggy53

Brett1000 wrote: »

like others have said, if you primarily shoot indoor sports the Canon 1D is the better choice but the T1i (500D) can take good indoor sports pics - like basketball, for example. For photo examples of indoor sports using the T1i (500D) do a search on this Canon forum -
http://photography-on-the.net/forum
and/or look at the T1i (500D) section/thread in the equipment section

Certainly it can. Almost any camera really "can" be used for sports/action. It's just that the keeper rate may be significantly lower than a camera like a 1D series camera. You would simply compensate by taking more images.

I shot sports for a year using a Canon XT/350D. I don't recommend it however and, with the current prices for a 1D MKII nowadays, those are my "go to" models. They have pretty much all the "right stuff" for action/sports and, coupled with one of the lenses I mentioned, or even more expensive lenses available, they were used for tons of sports magazine quality images.

oldoval

I'm definately not qualified to give advise..........but here goes. I've got a Pentax K-X on order. It supposedly takes very high quality high ISO images and rates as one of the best high ISO cameras (to a point). I ordered mine as a two lens kit which comes with a bonus 55-300mm lens for $680.

Maybe ziggy or canonguy can chime in as to wheather or not this set-up would work for sports. I don't shoot sports but it seems like on the surface this would work well for someone on a budget.

Brett1000

ziggy53 wrote: »

Certainly it can. Almost any camera really "can" be used for sports/action. It's just that the keeper rate may be significantly lower than a camera like a 1D series camera. You would simply compensate by taking more images.

I shot sports for a year using a Canon XT/350D. I don't recommend it however and, with the current prices for a 1D MKII nowadays, those are my "go to" models. They have pretty much all the "right stuff" for action/sports and, coupled with one of the lenses I mentioned, or even more expensive lenses available, they were used for tons of sports magazine quality images.

No one questions that the 1D series is great for sports shooting!
I'm just saying I've seen some fine indoor basketball pics with the 550D (T2i) and the 85mm 1.8, even using the real cheap 50mm 1.8 lens.
Don't know their "keep rate". The OP can ask them in the 550D/ T2i section at http://photography-on-the.net/forum

ThatCanonGuy

The rebels can be used for any type of photography; and in the right hands, they can be used to take good photos of just about anything. But I think for the price of a 500D/550D, you'll get more keepers by using a similarly priced used xxD body, like the 30D/40D.