Need opinions of what I need....

[2Many2Count]

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Hope you guys can help! OK...I came here so you guys can tell me what I need so I won't be purchasing anything that I'm not going to use and so I won't be disappointed after I purchase.

We have a very large family and I take LOTS of digital pics @ our sons' football, basketball & baseball games. Our dig cam has been great and takes beautiful pics, but I've reached the point that I'm ready for some sports type photos w/ action sequences and pics I can really zoom in on, especially at the highschool football games on the sidelines. Also, I've given up on taking pics inside the gym for basketball because it's just too dark and I can't get close enough to help w/ the lighting.

I don't want get roped into some package type set up w/ a bunch of filters or lenses or whatever that we're just not going to ever use. We've been reading about the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT 350D. I seem to get a bit overwhelmed...I don't want a camera that is extremely complicated and that I'll need a degree in to use. I just don't understand any of the terminology in photography to understand what I'm reading so I can know what we need! Sorry to sound completely ignorant, but I figured this was the place to come for help.

Any suggestions, comments, opinions are GREATLY appreciated!

[srobb]

Welcome, 2many, and you indeed have come to the right place. This is one of the best boards out there with lots of nice folks that know what they are doing.

Now I may not be able to help you as much as others. I shoot film, but I have borrowed a Digital Rebel from my boss before. With most of your shots being taken outdoors, you may not have to invest in a real fast lens. There are quite a few on here that do sports shooting that may help more on that. I do know that with most DSLR's you should have a white balance setting which will help you shoot indoors and get pics.

The main thing you want to look at is getting a good telephoto/zoom lens. My big one right now is a 80-200mm, f/4-5.6. It's not a fast lens, but it does well, and the same lens will fit on a Digital Rebel. The best thing is that by doing so, the lens then becomes a 128-320 zoom. You will lose some of your speed, but for sports shooting, you would want to use a fast film anyway.

Hopefully there will be others to help you a little better than I can.

[tink]

Well i'm no big sports photographer either and yet I have done ok, both in and outdoors with what i have. I guess it depends how serious you want to go.

I've got a D70 packaged with the 18-70mm and the 70-300 mm. I find I use the long zoom all the time while shooting sports. I have some great shots with success both indoors and out and am more than happy with the.

[Speed]

It's not rocket science. Really. It may seem overwhelming at first, but you'll get the feel of it quicker than you think.

Start by shooting on Program (auto) mode. As you get comfortable with the camera, you can start experimenting with different modes (apeture, shutter, manual). You'll be surprised how quickly you expand your abilities.

The best part about the Digital Rebel is that it has a 1.6 multiplier factor. That means a 70-300mm lens is essentially a 112-480mm That will let you zoom in on the action! (BTW, Nikon digitals have a 1.5X factor.)

A basic 70-300mm f4-5.6 lens will do fine, though if you have the funds, I would highly recommend a 70-200mm f2.8. It's brighter, sharper, and will focus faster, especially in low light.

I say go fot it. You won't regret it.

[LensCrazy]

.Well first off what are you using now so we don’t suggest the same or comparable cameras.

That said I will tell you the Rebel is a great camera for someone like you. It is the entry level DSLR with the ability to change lenses with all of the EF line. Your only limitations with the rebel is speed and the image sensor size. But the smaller sensor size could actually help when your shooting sports.
You have all of the auto setting that a Point and Shoot will have plus the ability to adjust other setting like shutter, aperture, flash, ect. This giving you the ability to learn(as I am) how to use and adjust for different situations.

If the idea of a DSLR is scary for you then your best option is to look at some of the higher end P/S with a good optical zoom.
Take a look at my gallery and see some of the motorsport shots I have taken, my old P/S would never have performed like this.

[JSPhoto]

Welcome 2Many2Count,

I'd suggest as Speed said to go with the Rebel, but instead of the 70-300 I'd go with the Sigma 70-200 f2.8. It's more expensive at around $650 but it will allow you to shoot in your dark gym at a reasonable cost. The Canon equivilent is around $1000 without IS (Image Stabilization) or $1700 with IS.
The difference is amazing between the 70-300 f4.5 & 70-200 f2.8 and definately worth the expense. You can also get a 50mm f1.8 to use under the basket. Another good choice for better lit gyms is the 28-105 or 28-135 both good for basketball.

JS

[ken1953]

Welcome 2Many, I, like you, used my Kodak for years, but decided to recently move up. I decided to stay with a p/s camera and have given up many features that are available in a dslr, but I still got a camera that will continue to help me grow in my photography. I purchased a Nikon CoolPix 8400. I don't feel I can recommend any particular camera or setup, but just let you know that, as with what happened to me, there is always a strong learning curve when moving up. With that said, most of the newer cameras are fairly simple to use, and with some time and learning, you will be satisfied with just about any dslr you choose. I would not recommend staying with a p/s if you plan on doing a lot of sports/action photography even though most p/s's will give you fairly satisfactory results. They, at this time, do not match the dslr's in quality or functionality. However, listen to everything the PR family tells you and I feel you will be very happy with your final decision.
Ken

[masdog]

Hi, 2many. Welcome to PR.

I have shot sports for about 7 months now, and I've been in digital photography for over 2 years. I started with the original Digital Rebel (300D) and have slowly worked my way up to my current selection of equipment.

I have used the XT for sports, and in some cases, I have found it lacking. It doesn't respond too well, in my experience, when trying to shoot fast-moving sports. I've missed shots because of shutter-lag and slow autofocus.

If you're serious about shooting, then I would recommend that you look into a Canon 20D.