[core423]

intrested in photography and want to do professional style photos at local fields.
What type of camera do you reccomend?
Best price and quality?
Something moderate for price and quality?

[ryan_m]

core423, on Oct 13 2008, 07:23 PM, said:

intrested in photography and want to do professional style photos at local fields.
What type of camera do you reccomend?
Best price and quality?
Something moderate for price and quality?

there is really no cheap way of getting high quality photos. you should get a dslr it doesnt matter if its canon or nikon, its all personal preference. as for quality, the most important thing about picture quality is the lens, you get what you pay for.

[Playonpics.com]

Tell us your budget and maybe we can help out from there.

[core423]

budget is about between 250-500

[STEED]

Ok, to keep it short, drop the $250 and your in the super low end range. $500-$600 will get you a decent DSLR with a not so decent lens. Unfortunately DSLR is cheaper and yet not as cheap as 35mm. My field kit is roughly just under $2k and that's dirt freakin cheap in the "Pro" realm.

[core423]

then its time to start saving

is there a company you like the most?

[STEED]

Personally I like Nikon, selection is reasonable, great lenses and quality. The biggest thing when buying an DSLR or any highend photography gear is how you like it in your hands. With digital you have to be able to use the camera and its features on the fly, especially in paintball.

[Playonpics.com]

Go CANON! hahah. Um really though. My first setup was a Canon XT n a 70-200mm F/4L
You can get a nice USED setup for really cheap. I wouldn't if i were u for your first setup go used since your so low on funds.
Canon Xt or XTi is about 300 or so used and then the lens above 450$
Your looking around 900$, with memory cards and shipping for a decent setup.

[JackPalombo]

Deff go canon. I went Nikon first and now im making the switch to canon at the moment.

[core423]

is an upgraded lense a neccessity when getting Cannon Xti or can i wait a little?

[Playonpics.com]

Depends, are you just getting the one 18-55? and what are you shooting? like are you doing sports or just random crap? If sports then yes you will need something more... like say the 75-300...

[Mike Deep]

18-55 IS, Sigma 24-60 are good budget standard zooms. 55-250 IS, used 70-210 USM, Sigma 70-300 APO are all good budget telephotos.

Adorama's selling refurb 30D's for $575 right now... Much better deal there than any of the Rebels.

[core423]

will be for sport

Is there a Website you guys prefer to buy from?

[Playonpics.com]

photography-on-the.net for used stuff

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ for new

[Mike Deep]

Also

http://www.adorama.com/

and

http://www.keh.com/

[katspix]

paintballa87, on Oct 8 2008, 04:41 PM, said:

i have a camera and whenever i take pics it seems to be shaky in the pic,like the pic blures
idk what it is cause its a great camera

What type of camera are you shooting with?

RTodd, on Oct 8 2008, 06:21 PM, said:

Can anyone tell me the best way to protect my camera and lens on the paintball field.

There is no perfect way to protect your camera and lens~paint splatters and gets into the smallest of places~
I use body armor to protect the lens~an arm band at the base of the lens where it meets the camera body~I then wrap a bandana around the lens~down far enough that it doesn't interfere with my ability to zoom~

I hope this helps a little~
:)Kat

[theoflow]

For sports you pretty much need to get a DSLR. Regardless of whether you look at the various manufactures, you have to know that when you buy a camera, your really BUYING INTO THE LENS SYSTEM of that company.

DSLR's were created so you can change lenses. And guess what, the lenses cost more than half the cameras out on the market so you have to be careful about what you want. At professional events, those big white Canon lenses you see on the sidelines? They are about 2 grand and up. Nikon is as expensive if not more. There are 3rd party companies that do make lenses for less so you have to look at the lens offerings to see what you really want. Ideally you want something more than 200mm at the very least. You could get some teleconverters to add a bit more zoom, but there is a minor sacrifice in image quality and autofocus capability.

Here are some generalizations about the cameras out there:

Canon & Nikon dominate, be it from marketing hype and advertising dollars but they have been in the game for decades. It isn't all fluff since generally both companies have excellent image quality throughout their product range. The Canon EOS 1D series has been a pinnacle of sports photography for quite a while and is built like a tank. The new Nikon D300, D700, and D3 have been dominating in recent months though. Bad thing is you have to pay for it all, the lowest camera here starts at $2000 just for the body.

Sony, new to the DSLR game they are making great strides but their lens system isn't really in place yet to compete with the big two. HOWEVER, the majority of image sensors found in your point and shoot cameras as well as Nikon DSLR's are made by Sony. Their a350 is pretty awesome for people transitioning from point and shoots to DSLRs.

Olympus. This might apply greatly for paintball since Olympus DSLRs are VERY weather proof. They also make a sensor debris removal system that works.

I think someone asked about how to protect a camera on a field? I've never done it but they make a thick custom rubber skin called camera armor that people like, although I would still drape a thick canvas sheet over the camera. I think taking 2 hours of your time you could make one that works pretty well.

Do yourself a favor and get a lens filter so you don't ruin your new equipment as well.

Hope this helps and I'll try to answer any questions if needed.

BTW....better camera equipment does not make you a better photographer. If you suck with a $300 camera, your going to suck with a $8,000 camera. Paraphrased from Mike.

[Mike Deep]

FWIW Sony has the Konica Minolta pedigree and lens catalog to back it up, so make sure to take that into consideration when looking at Sony.

[theoflow]

I forgot to mention that part about Minolta lenses working on Sony alphas. I don't have any first hand experience with that, but aren't they a little expensive relative to performance? I could be wrong.

[BobLong]

so i have an ok camera at the moment and im just wondering if this any tips or tricks to take better pictures or is it just practice practice practice