Recommend a digital SLR camera good for everyday use AND sporting events in a gym & outdoors?

Question

Need to move to a SLR camera - looking for something in the mid-range ($500/600) if that is doable. Want to use it for everyday type indoor/outdoor use - as well as fast action sporting events in gyms. The later is where I have had problem getting clear pictures w/ previous digital cameras. Also - need some ease of use. As a busy working mom I don't have time to read a 200 page book on how to use the camera. Basically striving for a good all around camera w/ clear pics from wrestling season this year. Have been considerign teh Nikon D40 but wonder if it will do enough for me.

Answer 1

Take a look into the Canon XT but my next pick would be the Fuji (PIX) S9600 28-300 zoom, though it is not a DSLR it is an awesome advanced digital. Check out all of your options at www.bhphotovideo.com

Answer 2

I will point you towards the Pentax K100D. It is in your price range including the 18-55 kit zoom.

The big advantage to the Pentax over Canon and Nikon is that the shake reduction (VR, IS) is in the camera body rather than the lens. This means that the SR works with any lens you put on the front of the camera.

A second advantage to the Pentax is that it will work with any lens you can mount on it. Even a 1956 screw mount lens will work on the Pentax with an adapter - of course you cannot get auto focus with a manual focus lens, and the exposure is manual only, but the lens will work just fine.

I have the big brother to the K100D, the K10D, and I am using two 1976 lenses on it (in manual focus and exposure), a Pentax SMC-M Macro 100mm f/4 and a .Pentax SMC-M 400mm f/5.6. I also have a Pentax SMC-A 70-210mm f/4 which will auto expose, but is manual focus.

I bought the Pentax 400 mm f/5.6 lens some years ago for Cdn $330, and have recently seen one advertised for US $325 on eBay.

Although Pentax's current lens line is a bit limited, there are so many Pentax lenses available used, that there is no problem getting the lens you want, and usually at a reasonable price.

Answer 3

$500 to $600 isn't "mid-range." That's an entry-level price.

For that price, you're looking at a basic digital SLR body with a basic 18-55mm lens. I would suggest adding a monopod to that to help steady your shots.

If you need more telephoto, then you'll need to add a 55-200mm VR lens, which is another $150. The standard 18-55mm lens is roughly equivalent to the 3x zooms found on standard point and shoots, so if you find you need more "zoom," then you'd need to get the 55-200mm lens.

To help get sharper shots, increase the camera ISO to 800 or 1600 when shooting indoors in poor lighting.

The D40 will work just fine, set the camera to fully automatic, the ISO to 800 or better, with automatic white balancing, and you should do much better than with your previous digital cameras.

Answer 4

With your budget, I don't know of any other camera that will be better than the Nikon D40. I have heard many good things about the D40, however, the lens supplied in DSLR kits will probable not work for what you want to do. I'm not sure how dark those indoor sporting events are going to be--I'm thinking your lens choice is more important than the camera body.

I assume you want those indoor shots without flash, so remember, make sure you don't limit the ability of your DSLR with a bad lens. You want a very large aperture--2.8 would work well. And stick with GOOD brands of lenses.....money counts when buying lenses, if you pay less, you get less. You might end up spending twice as much, or more, for the lens than the camera body.

Hope some of this info helps...Good luck!

Answer 5

Any of the entry level DSLRs will work for what you want. It's the lens that you will need that will get you the photo you want. The kit lens provided with the camera will give you decent photos outdoors but the same lens won't for indoor fast action sporting events, you would need a fast lens for that type of shooting and depending on how far you are from the action , you would need a fast zoom lens. You really should make time to read the cameras manual, it'll help you to take better photos.

Answer 6

WHILE A GOOD SLR GIVES GREAT PICTURES , YOU CAN'T GET ONE WITH A BIG ZOOM FOR ANYWHERE NEAR YOUR PRICE RANGE OF $500 - $600 . MIGHT I SUGGEST A DIGITAL WITH A GOOD BUILT IN HIGH POWER ZOOM . YOU CAN GET A 10 X , 12 X , 15 X 18 X OPTICAL ZOOM ( DON'T WASTE TIME ON DIGITAL ZOOM ) WHAT I BOUGHT IS A SONY DSC - H7 IT HAS A 15 X OPTICAL ZOOM AND 8.1 MEGA PIXELS , IT HAS A BURST RATE OF AROUND 2 - 2 1 / 2 FRAMES A SECOND . OLYMPUS HAS ONE 7.1 MEGA PIXELS ( I THINK IT'S 550 UZ ) THAT HAS A 18 X OPTICAL ZOOM AND A BURST RATE OF 15 -FRAMES A SECOND . THESE ARE MEDIUM SIZE CAMERAS AND EASY TO USE . TO GET ANYWHERE CLOSE IN A DSLR WOULD BE IN THE THOUSANDS AND BE VERY LARGE AND BULKY . AS FAR AS SLR'S GO IN 35 MM I BOUGHT MY FIRST PRO MODEL IN 1970 ( CANON FT - QL W / 55 MM 1.2 LENS ) AND THE ONE I STILL USE IN 1982 ( CANON A - 1 W / 50 MM 1.2 LENS ALSO A 35 - 200 TOKINA ZOOM , WHICH THOSE 2 LENS WERE USED 95 % OF THE TIME AND 3 OTHER LENS THE OTHER 5% ) . IN ALL I'VE SHOT WELL OVER 10,000 PICTURES, ALL BEING MANUAL FOCUS CAMERAS WERE INSTANT USE ( NO LAG TO AUTO-FOCUS ) . ANY NEW CAMERA WORTH BUYING WILL HAVE A LARGE INSTRUCTION BOOK , THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF VARYATIONS OF MODES TO USE . GET USED TO READING , EVEN THE DO IT ALL ITSELF CAMERAS TODAY HAVE TO BE SET FOR MODE , TYPE OF ACTION , LIGHTING , AND SO FORTH . THE MORE YOU READ AND EXPERMINT THE MORE VERSTIAL YOU WILL BECOME . EVEN THE BEST DSLR WILL NEVER HAVE A 10 X - 18 X OPTICAL ZOOM YOU COULD AFFORD . THE BIGGEST DRAWBACK ON AUTO FOCUS IS THEY HAVE A LAG TIME UNLESS YOU PRE FOCUS - NOT ALWAYS POSIBLE WHEN YOUR SON WILL BE ALL OVER THE MAT .

Answer 7

If you don't have time to READ & STUDY the Owner's Manual then how do you expect to learn how to use the camera?

Digital cameras do not posess "magical powers" that allow you to say "Take a great picture" and get a great picture. You must know how to operate the camera to get the results you want. In order to know how to operate the camera you have to READ & STUDY the Owner's Manual.

Would you buy a car with a manual transmission if you didn't know how to drive a car with a manual transmission?

Answer 8

check out the nikon d40x