Help Files Camera and Photography Forum

For general camera equipment and photography technique questions. Moderated by another view. Also see the Learn section, Camera Reviews, Photography Lessons, and Glossary of Photo Terms.
Results 1 to 8 of 8
  1. #1
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Bunbury, Western Australia
    Posts
    3

    BMX? Best camera for the job?

    Hi,

    My partner rides BMX and i'm interested in getting a camera that will be able to capture good images of the tricks that he does.
    I have read a few forum's and i'm not too sure which one would be the best.
    I am not an experienced photographer, and i use a pretty basic camera now, and would like to upgrade. The one i have takes shots very slowly so i have to time to get the best shot. If i had a camera that took x amount of fps then i could get a succession of shots and hopefully a good one.
    I'm looking at a budget of maybe $800 total for the camera and accessories or equipment.
    Any advice is better than nothing.

    Thanks

  2. #2
    Member blazing fire's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    59

    Re: BMX? Best camera for the job?

    Because he wishes to take sport photos, he should be looking for a camera which is

    1) Light sensitive sensor in order to increase the shutter speed
    2) Quick and accurate auto focus
    3) High iso performance
    4) High FPS
    5) Lens with high aperture

    Am I wrong in saying this?
    I wish to learn all you can teach me about photography! :thumbsup:

  3. #3
    Senior Member brmill26's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Birmingham, Al
    Posts
    1,002

    Re: BMX? Best camera for the job?

    Well blazing, all camera sensors are light sensitive; that's how they make the photo. Maybe you meant to combine that with # 3 to say he may want a camera that has good high ISO performance, because at higher ISO settings you can get a higher shutter speed.


    Fragile, there are basically two ways to go. One, you can get a DSLR which will get you very fast performance, super quality, but moderate FPS - about 3.5 per second. On the other hand, there are P&S cameras that shoot much high FPS, but have slower autofocus and poorer image quality. But some P&S cameras like Casio's EX-F1 can shoot at ridiculously fast speed (photos at 60FPS; video much faster).

    So which way to go? I would recommend a DSLR. Reason being, 99/100 times, the best photos are made by planning a shot, not by lucking into it with a barrage of frames. Plus the higher quality and higher performance of a DSLR will help you make better photos in the long run.

    There are a lot of good options out there. Check out the Canon XS and XTi, the Nikon D40 and D60, and Olympus, Pentax, and Sony all have good options as well.
    Brad

    Canon: Rebel XTi, 70-200 F/4L, 50mm F/1.8 II, Promaster 19-35mm F/3.5-4.5, Peleng 8mm fisheye
    Lighting: Canon 430 EXII, Quantaray PZ-1 DSZ, Sunpak 333D, D-8P triggers
    120 Film: Ricohflex Diacord TLR, Firstflex TLR, Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/2 folder
    35mm Film: Nikon Nikkormat FT2, 35mm F/2.8, 50mm F/1.4, 135mm F/2.8

    My Blog
    http://www.redbubble.com/people/bradleymiller

  4. #4
    Member blazing fire's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    59

    Re: BMX? Best camera for the job?

    Quote Originally Posted by brmill26
    Well blazing, all camera sensors are light sensitive; that's how they make the photo. Maybe you meant to combine that with # 3 to say he may want a camera that has good high ISO performance, because at higher ISO settings you can get a higher shutter speed.
    . Yup, good iso is the correct term.
    (photos at 60FPS; video much faster).
    Are you pulling my leg?
    I wish to learn all you can teach me about photography! :thumbsup:

  5. #5
    Panarus biarmicus Moderator (Sports) SmartWombat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    11,750

    Re: BMX? Best camera for the job?

    No joke, that Casio is a very special camera, useful for golf swings, or other sports performance analysis. But for other work the image quality is so-so I wouldn't recommend it for what you're doing I don't think it's needed.
    PAul

    Scroll down to the Sports Forum and post your sports pictures !

  6. #6
    Senior Member freygr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Portland, OR, USA
    Posts
    2,522

    Re: BMX? Best camera for the job?

    Even with a DSLR there is very small shutter delay. It doesn't mater which camera you end up with you will have to understand the cameras operation and how to get around shutter delays.

    Just remember the SMALLER the image sensor is the poorer the photo quality will be at higher ISOs and may even be limited to 400 or 800 ISO as with the DSLR even on my OLD D70 I can get usable photos at 1600 ISO.

    I my self will say that you will disappointed with any thing but DSLR as far as getting the photos. And inside an ARENA's you will also need FAST lenses F2.8 at a minimum.
    GRF

    Panorama Madness:

    Nikon D800, 50mm F1.4D AF, 16-35mm, 28-200mm & 70-300mm

  7. #7
    Member blazing fire's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    59

    Re: BMX? Best camera for the job?

    Quote Originally Posted by freygr
    I my self will say that you will disappointed with any thing but DSLR as far as getting the photos. And inside an ARENA's you will also need FAST lenses F2.8 at a minimum.
    Just a note, the lesser the F, the bigger the aperture. So try to get a smaller one.

    I have a question, if the aperture is too large, would it cause softness?
    I wish to learn all you can teach me about photography! :thumbsup:

  8. #8
    Panarus biarmicus Moderator (Sports) SmartWombat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    11,750

    Re: BMX? Best camera for the job?

    Softness wide open? Only on a cheap lens
    My 70-200 f/2.8 L IS is sharp wide open, as is my 300 L IS prime.

    But the 100-400 L IS is a little soft wide open and has slight vignetting, it improves a lot at f/8
    But then that's not a lot of use on a cloudy day for sport.
    PAul

    Scroll down to the Sports Forum and post your sports pictures !

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •