Best Camera/Lens for <$1000
I am an amateur photographer (with computer engineering background) trying to shoot my son's soccer and baseball sporting events with a Canon PowerShot SX10IS in sports mode. Those who view my photos love them and want more, I seem to catch the emotion and excitement of the game, but I am not happy with the quality of the images. I would like crisper images, and I almost always crop them before displaying on my site and team web sites. I would like to get a better camera for shooting sports in low light (at night under stadium lights), and need a better zoom lens. Any suggestions for camera + appropriate zoom lens for $1,000 or less? Please indicate new or used.
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An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
If you consider used equipment and if you can shoot from the sidelines you might be happy with a used Canon 1D MKIII* (around $1500USD) or possibly a used Canon 7D (around $1300). For a lens I can recommend a used Canon EF 70-200mm, f2.8L USM for around $1600.
In Nikon I can recommend a used D300/D300s ($700-$1000, depending on condition). A used Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR should run around $1300-$1600, depending on condition.
Shooting at smaller fields at night may mean insufficient light for even these cameras and lenses to work very well, but at least you have a fighting chance.
* (For a Canon 1D MKIII I highly recommend specialized post-processing using Photoshop, FlexNR and Neat Image, for best results.)
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=141192
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