Gymnastics for under 2k
Here is the game.
You have 2k to spend on a DSLR and lens. The only thing you care about is getting the best gymnastics shots you can. You do not have floor access, so you can expect 30 yards of range in some cases.
You care more about getting good shots than getting all of the shots. In other words, you may spend more later on another lens, but you don't want to have to replace the range in the lens you get now.
What do you do? What do you do?!
(Thanks! :lust)
You have 2k to spend on a DSLR and lens. The only thing you care about is getting the best gymnastics shots you can. You do not have floor access, so you can expect 30 yards of range in some cases.
You care more about getting good shots than getting all of the shots. In other words, you may spend more later on another lens, but you don't want to have to replace the range in the lens you get now.
What do you do? What do you do?!
(Thanks! :lust)
0
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Now I shoot gymnastics with a Nikon D7000 and a 70-200mm f/2.8. Shooting gymnastics can be pretty rough because of the poor conditions - no flash, low lights, dust in the air, etc. After a bit of practice, however, I've gotten pretty good at it. Since there is no floor access allowed in the youth USAG meets, having a crop sensor and a telephoto lens makes all the difference. You can see some of my shots here: http://www.adamcartwright.com/Sports
Check out these threads in the Sports forum:
http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=130105
http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=187764
Lots of great advise and help there. Good luck.
=Matt=
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Great pictures and links, thanks!
It looks like I can get a practically new D7000 for $950 and pair it with a non-VR 50-150 or 70-200 2.8 within my budget. Do you shoot with or without VR? How critical have you found it to be?
Mathew:
Thanks for the feedback.
The reviews I'm reading suggest that the D7000 compares favorably to the D300s in low light. What would compel you to pursue the D300s over the D7000?
Since the D7000 is much less than the 7D, and the lens prices appear to be comparable, I believe I will be pursuing a used D7000. Based on that, any advice on buying used DSLRs from Craigslist?
The one I mentioned earlier in the thread is available, but since its my first DSLR I am probably a pretty easy mark. What would you do before dropping nearly a thousand dollars with a stranger?
I am told that he bought the 'extended warranty'. Has anyone purchased a used camera covered by the extended warranty? What information do you need to make claims?
Thanks again for the guidance!
Well, meet in person, inspect the camera very closely AND test it out before handing over the cash. Test all the features, and if you can, bring a laptop and look at them on that. I'm sure others on here have more advice.
Lens - Tamron 70-200mm F2.8 for Pentax ($770 new on amazon right now). This lens isn't quite as good as the canon or nikon offerings, but is pretty good and is 1/2 the price of canon or nikon. Plus you get the image stabilization built into the camera body so you get it free for all lenses rather then paying extra for it.
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Unfortunately, there is more to action photography than sheer ISO performance. Personally, I would ABSOLUTELY rather have a Nikon D300s, or a Canon 7D, compared to a Nikon D7000.
Why? The little things, for sure. The functionality and customizability of the controls, mostly. I just can't live without the semi-professional control layout.
For example in the thumb position on the rear of the D7000, there is only a single button, either for focus/exposure locking, or for AF-ON. While on the D300s, I get two buttons AND a switch, so I can do AF-ON, and change my metering mode, and I can lock my exposure, OR I can even customize the button to force-kill my flash in on-the-fly situations.
The D7000 has lots of functionality, for sure, and you could certainly get the job done. If I were a general hobbyist shooting things IN ADDITION to gymnastics, I'd go with the D7000 hands-down. But the OP said "the only thing you care about is getting the best gymnastics photos..." So, anyways, as a working professional (not in gymnastics, in portraits / weddings) ...I simply prefer the added performance that I can coax out of myself as a photographer when I have the semi-pro camera controls at my disposal.
=Matt=
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Of course the best thing to do is to read reviews for yourself. These reviews show all of the controls on the cameras and cover ease of use in addition to performance:
Pentax K5 Review: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxk5/
Nikon D300 Review: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond300/
Nikon D7000 Review: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond7000/
It is honestly hard to see you going to wrong with any of these cameras though as they are all very good.
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Unfortunately, Pentax still doesn't have a full-frame camera body, and if they did finally make one I don't know if it could match / beat the D700. So as a full-time professional, I unfortunately have had to forego a venture in the Pentax direction. But anyways, that's about it. Get out there and handle a few cameras before you decide, and then go for it!
=Matt=
My SmugMug Portfolio • My Astro-Landscape Photo Blog • Dgrin Weddings Forum
Hey, we were all wee fledgling photo-enthusiasts at one point
What does the community think of pairing the D7000 and the Nikon 80-200 f/2.8 af ed for gymnastics in low light?
Since the lens would rely on the internal af motor on the D7000, I'm trying to discern whether the af speed would be good or not. Any thoughts?
From fastest AF to slowest AF:
D2 series
D700
D300/D300s/D200
*D90/D80/D7000
*D70/D50
*(Not too much difference in these tiers.)
The other concern is AF accuracy and AF tracking accuracy. In this regard the newer camera bodies do seem more capable, probably due to more recent AF sensor design and more powerful image processors which direct autofocus operations.
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(It just means more sorting in post-processing.)
You can also rent better equipment for the more important events.
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
However, remember again that often times Gymnastics in particular is a game of pre-focusing and letting the action come to you. Really, if you're expecting to be able to track focus on someone who is flying through the air, head over heels, NO CAMERA will fully satisfy you. That is why most of the experienced pros look for ways to *guarantee* sharp images. Namely, they find things to pre-focus on, and then they just wait and "pounce" on the action as it passes through their plane of focus. This works for most of the events in a Gymnastics event, depending on the angle you get. The uneven bars can be a bit of a challenge, but then again that's why I'm recommending a lens that CAN autofocus with some "snap" when you need it to. Get a Sigma 50-150 2.8 and it will pair very, very well with the D7000.
=Matt=
(Disclaimer: I'm not a full-time gymnastics photographer, but I have made a few dollars here and there over the years, using a D70, D200, and D300 and shooting on my Sigma 50-150 2.8. I haven't had a chance to shoot gymnastics now that I've got a D700 at my disposal, but I do have a friend who owns the D7000 with some kids in gymnastics and I'm hoping to get in a few test runs this season if I am free...)
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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/gallery/featured/GAL1146840/12/15/index.htm
Not exactly gymnastics though:D
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