hockey pictures

[ekennedy]

I want to buy a camera to take pictures of my boy playing hockey. I am looking at the canon rebel xt 8.0. What do you experts think of this for my needs. Also would I need to upgrade the lens, the lens that comes with it is 18-55mm. I am new to this and just trying to get started for around 800.00 or less. What else would I need. Thanks for any help.

[ACArmstrong]

I would ask what the lighting was like where your son plays - and - do they have a policy against shooting flash?

[ekennedy]

No policy against flash, any advice on the camera I should buy would be great. I am new to this, I can learn I just need to make sure I have the right equipment first. I can sit in the penalty box for most of the games. The lighting is poor. Help.

[Redo]

Search the threads and posts of JETA. She went through the same process for her children's sports.

If you are really wanting to stay under $800 you might look at a point and shoot with the 10X lenses as they run 500ish dollars US new. Sony, Canon, Olympus and I think Nikon have them. They take decent pictures and have a long enough zoom to reach more of the rink.

The down side is that they have noticable shutter lag but at the pee-wee stage that shouldn't be a huge problem. Also their lens isn't the fastest usually f3.5 or slower. Try them out to see if you can live with the limitations.

I would think your 18-55mm or 28-80 effective lens will frustrate you. It doesn't reach very far so unless the action is close you are going to get a whole lot of ice and a bunch of very small hockey players.

You can usually find used camera bodies at reasonable discounts from the new price but not so much the lenses. Which means should you buy a good lens you will probably be able to recoup your investment if you decide to sell in a couple of years.

Good luck, photography is fun.

REdo

[JSPhoto]

Olympus has some decent low light fast lenses on their P&S cameras.The old C2100UZ was great, and the camera I started off with. with a f2.8. You might find a used one. They were $1500 new!

JS

[SmartWombat]

For $800 I'd go for a good fast P&S, like the Panasonic Lumix range.
Wide aperture f2.8 across the whole 12x zoom range, image stabilised, and fast enough shutter release that my wife managed to get an F1 car in the frame instead of empty track.

Otherwise you won't get an IS f2.8 lens for that budget, let alone a DSLR to put it on !

Don't get me wrong, the XT is a good body for what you want.
But you won't have enough money for the lens you will need as well. A Canon 70-200 zoom, either f4 ($570) or f2.8 ($1200) without stabiliser or even more with image stabiliser f2.8 ($1600). Even Sigma can be expensive, f2.8 ($840).

[JBPhoto]

Wombat makes an excellent point. I had a Lumix DMC FZ10, which, at 5 megapixel with a 12X optical zoom was excellent for most everything except fast action shots. I was after the kinds of shots I was paying $20 each for at my kids hockey tournaments, but found no success with the Lumix. Coulda been me, I tried the sports setting and a myriad of manual settings but was never satisfied. I left it in a cab on Block Island (bummer, seriously) and replaced it with a 20D. I really wanted a DSLR all along but could not justify the expense since I already had the Lumix. I bought the 20D last July with an initial expense of about $1900, got the kit with a 17-85 f/4-5.6. Since then I've added a flash and 2 more lenses including a 70-200 f/2.8 IS and various accessories...monopod, filters, card reader, bags, etc. $6K later I have what I need to get the action shots I'm after. I'm happy but it's taken money and lots of trial and error to get there. From a hockey perspective and relevant experience, an XT or better and a 70-200 f/2.8 IS is definately the way to go. The Lumix was great for shots of the kids sitting on the boat, but...if you can swing it, go DSLR, and don't look back.

[PhotoRon286]

I've shot hockey action for years, doing sectional and State Championship tourneys in NY. I have had to compensate for my equipment, having a limited budget. This has been a part time thing for me, now I need to go to full time. I sure wish could have done this digitally ten years ago! For hockey I mainly use a 400 5.6 Sigma lens. I currently use a Nikon N90S, and no matter where I shoot, I use Fuji 1600 film, and use a flash. The only hockey rink I have ever been in that didn't require a flash with this setup was the HSBC arena in Buffalo. If it's not a pro rink, it's a cave, and you need more light than what's on hand.