Sports Photography - Affording Kit

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markiemc13

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Mark
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I was just intrigued to know...How do you afford the kit?
I know this is a very personal subject, But im in the middle of going through it myself.
Also, How long did it take?
Im very impatient :bang:
 
I ahve told this story before..

Many yrs ago armed with a digital camera at an away game down south I spoke to a photogrpaher pitchside.. he had all the gear.. about 20k worth.. laptop couple of bodies lenses set out.. the full monty.. I was in awe.. I was starting out and probably less gear than you have now Mark..

I said to him I could never afford all that gear.. He told me thats what he said once.. he said but if you get the bug.. you will get the equipment one way or another..

I now have kit to be proud of... I did trade ins for second hand gear.. saved to add to it.. made a couple of quid here and there but the biggest point was convincing the missus it would be worth it..

Mark.. you will get there one day.. but you need about 15 to 20 thousand quids worth of kit.. your not going to win the lottery so your going to have to be patient.. It might take you years and more years... But one day you will be relaying your story to someone else who is drooling over your kit..

Pateince... wheeling and dealing...
 
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make sacrifices
drink before you go out, and save your beer money each week.
i totally cut back on spending for 6 months to afford my D3
worth every penny!
 
The biggest breaker for kipax was when he said to the wife that it would mean he would be away all weekend and most evenings taking photos. She added the kit to the basket from warehouse express herself. ;)

I would love to get in to sports, I have had a play at it and some results have been ok with my current kit but I know its limits, I want a longer lens and my wallet says 300 f/4 but I then think I should be going 2.8 with where I want to be in the future then go for the body.
 
Little John said:
The biggest breaker for kipax was when he said to the wife that it would mean he would be away all weekend and most evenings taking photos. She added the kit to the basket from warehouse express herself. ;)
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well 7 kids is enough.. had to start doing summat else :)
 
Little John said:
The biggest breaker for kipax was when he said to the wife that it would mean he would be away all weekend and most evenings taking photos. She added the kit to the basket from warehouse express herself. ;)

I would love to get in to sports, I have had a play at it and some results have been ok with my current kit but I know its limits, I want a longer lens and my wallet says 300 f/4 but I then think I should be going 2.8 with where I want to be in the future then go for the body.
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Haha, I don't think Kipax's kit would fit in a basket in all honesty :bonk:
 
Im looking to jump in to sport photography, i know my first buys are going to be big with a 7D and a f2.8 70-200 after all the advice on here that i have taken in from people like KIPAX.

The way i see it is, I work long hard hours, i dont drink much maybe around 3 -4 pints a week, i dont smoke or take drugs and only go to things that are paid for me already like shows and games.
Im not totally debt free, so an extra £300 per month for me now till chrimbo and hey presto one camera and lens.
I am buying alot of 2nd equipment off this forum too, new camera bag is £90, 2nd hand but just as good £30. New CF card is £149, 2nd hand is £40. This list continues with all the other bits too.

Best things come to those who wait.
 
Easiest way is to keep an eye out for bargains. I was lucky enough to get a 100-400 for £600, picked up a 70-200 f2.8 IS for £1000 with 30 mins use from brand new at Christmas.

Other than that, build up slowly. It does get there in the end.
 
Byker28i said:
Easiest way is to keep an eye out for bargains. I was lucky enough to get a 100-400 for £600, picked up a 70-200 f2.8 IS for £1000 with 30 mins use from brand new at Christmas.

Other than that, build up slowly. It does get there in the end.
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Yup, look out for bargains and trade wisely. Everything I have is second hand and I've traded up from a 70-200/4 non IS to a 70-200/2.8 IS, or from a 300/4 Canon to a 300/2.8 Sigma to a 300/2.8 Canon, and from a 1Dsmk1 to a 1Dmk3 (as of yesterday!) without too much incremental expenditure.

My impression though is that while a decent level of kit is probably more necessary for sports than some other types of photography, the key thing is ability - some of the guys posting above time/frame/anticipate their shots so much better than us mortals and that makes the real difference.
 
ianmarsh said:
Yup, look out for bargains and trade wisely. Everything I have is second hand and I've traded up from a 70-200/4 non IS to a 70-200/2.8 IS, or from a 300/4 Canon to a 300/2.8 Sigma to a 300/2.8 Canon, and from a 1Dsmk1 to a 1Dmk3 (as of yesterday!) without too much incremental expenditure.

My impression though is that while a decent level of kit is probably more necessary for sports than some other types of photography, the key thing is ability - some of the guys posting above time/frame/anticipate their shots so much better than us mortals and that makes the real difference.
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Thanks for the advice,
Have fun with the new camera (y)
 
If you are able/prepared to wait there are plenty of bargains out there. I was looking for a 300f2.8L and picked up one for £1200. Non IS but had just been cleaned and serviced by Canon and in really good (and I mean really good!!!!) condition. Just a shame to take it out and expose it to the perils of football!

A good stepping stone lens is the Sigma 120-300f2.8. Personalliy not a favourite of mine but I'm sure others will sing its praises.
 
I used the sigma 120-300 for a long time... great if you only have one body.. goes well with the 1dmkII
 
Ill also agree, i used a MKII and Ziggy 120-300mm for a couple of years and often miss the flexibility, Ste from KT8 photography uses this lens to great effect, second hand can be had for under £1,000
 
I did second hand/bargains etc all the way up.. I only bought new at the end when spending 5 or 6 thousand on one lens it seemed better to pay extra and go new rather than used and no warranty...
 
markiemc13 said:
Cheers, How much is it?
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about £1700 new, if you think you can get away with an f4 lens the sigma 100-300 is stunning, second hand about £500

if you think 70-200mm might be long enough for now, theres a Ziggy 70-200mm f/2.8 for sale in the canon forums right now for £360, brilliant lens and a great price.
 
Gary Coyle said:
about £1700 new, if you think you can get away with an f4 lens the sigma 100-300 is stunning, second hand about £500

if you think 70-200mm might be long enough for now, theres a Ziggy 70-200mm f/2.8 for sale in the canon forums right now for £360, brilliant lens and a great price.
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I had the sigma 70-200
I want it back, Just im already £450 in debt.
So I couldnt push it...
 
The 120-300 was atrocious wide open, awful quality. I don't pay a four figure sum to get a lens that I can't use to it's limits, I'd have stuck with the 300 f4 if I wanted anything other than a 2.8. It had one outing to Newcastle Falcons v Wasps, and then it was gone!
 
Aperture87 said:
The 120-300 was atrocious wide open, awful quality.
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you're having a lol aren't you??!!?!?!?!?! :eek::eek::eek:

EDIT: should develop that statement with... Was it purely the IQ? I'm having difficulty relating to your experiences, since the two 120-300 I had wide open were great.
 
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Aperture87 said:
No I'm not, it was useless. Maybe I got a defective one, I did read they were decent before I bought it?
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Sorry but I think you may have had a bad one... mine was great throughout the range.. I only replaced mine because i discovered a 300 prime was even better :) But to be fair I had sent mine along wiht camera to sigma uk for full calibration...
 
Aperture87 said:
No I'm not, it was useless. Maybe I got a defective one, I did read they were decent before I bought it?
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Must have been unlucky dude. To be fair my first 120-300 was temperamental, and the second one needed to be sent for calibration but the 'hassle' (if I can call it that because it wasn't really that much of a hassle) was worth it with what I've got now.

EDIT (again): this was for something entirely different but at the bottom of the thread is an unprocessed sample from the 120-300 wide open - you might find this soft, or I'm rubbish at evaluating the sharpness from 100% crops lol

But anyway, to keep this thread relevant the 120-300 is a unique and versatile sports lens for someone wanting to make in roads into that sort of photography especially since the second hand prices are lowww - Although I'd recommend getting one that is less than 3 years old, so that you can still hassle sigma if you experience some sort of problem with it (be it back/front focusing or the focusing just jamming - mine had that problem).

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KIPAX said:
Sorry but I think you may have had a bad one... mine was great throughout the range.. I only replaced mine because i discovered a 300 prime was even better :) But to be fair I had sent mine along wiht camera to sigma uk for full calibration...
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Fair enough, glad to hear my experience isn't the norm for everyone who gets one. I was able to get the 300 not too long afterwards anyway, so all was not lost in the end.;)
 
Aperture87 said:
Fair enough, glad to hear my experience isn't the norm for everyone who gets one. I was able to get the 300 not too long afterwards anyway, so all was not lost in the end.;)
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compared to a canon 300 prime it doesnt stand up well for me... but i cant say it was bad :)
 
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