Beginner Advice on new camera

Mark813

Mark813

Messages
3
Name
Mark
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi Everyone

1st time here so please be patient. Lately I have been jealous of people taking great photo during my sons baseball games or various school events. All my cameras have been basically point and zoom digital cameras. what I am looking for is a camera with lens that I can literally shoot the entire baseball field. I want to be able to sit behind home plate and get a picture of a players face within reason in the outfield. I know buying the newest is always the priciest so I don't mind buying a camera a few years old. Any suggestions on a entree level camera and recommended lens for such a application? I am not looking for anything fancy. I prefer the closest to point and shoot as possible.

Thanks
Mark
 
Welcome to the forums Mark. As too the camera I think your best option as to value for money is the second hand route and maybe spend a bit more on a decent lens. I would choose a crop frame or DX camera from one of the major players, i.e. Canon or Nikon. Go for a camera such as the Nikon D5200 and can be had for around the £300 mark. The lens will be the biggest cost. To achieve what you want you will need at least a 300mm lens and fast, around F4 or F2.8 if funds will allow. To fill the frame with the players face you would need to look at a 400mm lens, which may be prohibitively expensive to you. Sigma do some very nice long lenses, the 120-300 F2.8 at around £1000 second hand or the Sigma 100-300 F4 which can be had around £4-500 second hadn. You will need also a sturdy tripod to mount these on at the game.
 
A lot will depend on budget.

Given your requirements of taking photos of faces in the outfield the cheapest solution would be a superzoom bridge camera, there are plenty of options.

If you want to go the DSLR route then the lenses to do what you want will get very expensive very quickly - think $000's.
 
Bridge is a bad idea as there is a delay in taking the picture...
What you should think of is what make of camera do you want ...Nikon Canon etc because once you opt for say Nikon its very expensive to change as you will have all the accessories to change eg flash etc .So go price up an idea set up for each brand and see where it leads you.
 
I'm not so sure I agree, modern bridge cameras focus pretty quickly, maybe not quick enough to pick up someone running around when focussing from close up but for general use they are fine - I guess is all depends on the OP's expectations/requirements.
 
It really depends on the OPs budget.......no point in making suggestions to spend a £1000 on camera gear until we know a budget and as Ned said
Nawty said:
I guess is all depends on the OP's expectations/requirements.
Click to expand...
 
If you are on a budget I would be tempted to go for a Pentax k30 due to its in body image stabilisation. You can then pick up lower cost tele zoom lenses.
 
Last edited:
1st thanks for all the advice so far. Knowing what was posted so far I will add additional information. I would love to budget $500.00 to $800.00. I am not interested in a flash as most if not all photos will be outside during the day. I would prefer used as I am going to be new to taking these types of photos. I know I can probably get a much more zoom ability if I choose to go with a camera a few years older. I would like the camera to be able to have the ability to switch between different lenses if I were to choose to. I would really appreciate If I could get a model number of a camera and a lens that would work for what I am looking to do. Again about 300-400 feet is about the max I would be shooting at though I would also taking many photos at about 30 feet. I don't know if 1 lens would do both or would they need to be changed. And yes before anyone asks I would be signing up for some photo classes so I can learn how you all make it look easy. Thank Mark
 
With that budget and your expectations I see you have two options (although bear in mind this is a British forum so our view on pricing may be a little out).

1, a superzoom Bridge camera such as a Lumix FZ1000 or Sony RX10

2, an SLR with a 70-300 lens, such as a Nikon D5200 with a Tamron 70-300VC (must be the VC version).

The benefits of option 1 is that it will be easy to use and give you the telephoto (or 'zoom') you will need to get close(ish) ups at 300ft (which in reality is actually a tough ask for cameras).

The benefits of option two is that you will get better autofocus and better picture quality (although you probably won't notice this unless you print really big), you can also change the lenses to adapt to different situations.

In all honesty, given what you've said I would err towards option 1.

Something worth considering to save money is to buy last years model, the technology doesn't really change that much and you can make a good saving (which is why I said a Nikon D5200 rather than the newer D5300).
 
As you have a budget of around $500-800 mark and you expressed that you interested in going down the SLR route, my advice as others have suggested, is to buy second hand, you get more for your $s, to start you need a body, Nikon, Canon, Sony see which of the current crop of new camera you feel happy to handle, think about the controls, the ergonomics of the camera and is it comfortable to hold, then look at the previous models in the used section. Lenses, well tamron 70-300mm VC f4-5.6 lens should meet your needs and budget, then 18-55mm kit lens should get you started. Check out the used sections at bhphotovideo or Adorama, definitely do some research and handling of cameras before you buy and depending on which body (system) you go for extra money could be invested in your lenses.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/SLR-Digital-Cameras/ci/6222/N/4288586280

http://t.adorama.com/l/Used/Canon-Digital/Cameras?sel=ItemCondition_UsedItems
 
I am glad I fund this site. Thank you for all the information you provided. I am defiantly going used. I do not need the newest and best at least for now. I will search for the best prices and post with more questions that I am sure I will have. I am hoping to come across someone looking to upgrade there old camera.​
 
TBH I'd have thought a bridge camera ideal too: canon SX60 would be ideal. http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/digital_cameras/powershot_sx60_hs
I tried the previous version (SX50) and found it remarkably good, with low noise even at iso 800.

If you must have an SLR then I'd suggest a Sony alpha 58 + kit 18-55 lens and a used Minolta 70-300 (should be available for $50-$80). The sony sensor is good at higher ISO and will give a high burst frame rate for sports. It also shows you what the sensor is seeing, which can make for easier handling than a traditional SLR.
 
Stay mainstream Nikon or Canon unless this is the last and only camera which you will ever purchase or you will be trapped in a very small pond with some very poor fish.
 
Pistnbroke said:
Stay mainstream Nikon or Canon unless this is the last and only camera which you will ever purchase or you will be trapped in a very small pond with some very poor fish.
Click to expand...

Why? A ridiculous statement imo. What's wrong with Fuji, Pentax, Sony, Olympus or Samsung? Pentax probably have more lenses available (due to the abilty to use legacy lenses) than any other brand, plus in-body stabilisation saves needing stabilised lenses. The previous suggestion of a K30 seems a very sensible option to me.
 
aliengrove said:
Why? A ridiculous statement imo. What's wrong with Fuji, Pentax, Sony, Olympus or Samsung? Pentax probably have more lenses available (due to the abilty to use legacy lenses) than any other brand, plus in-body stabilisation saves needing stabilised lenses. The previous suggestion of a K30 seems a very sensible option to me.
Click to expand...

Very true, at the end of the day the OP needs to try out a few cameras and see which one he feels comfortable holding and using, that choice could just as easily be a Sony or Pentax as a Nikon or Canon
 
Headshots of players on the field? You'll need more than 400mm I would have thought. The only way to get mega optical range affordably is with a superzoom bridge camera, like a Canon SX60.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top