entry level dslr with action/sports shots in mind

[GAC]

as the title says basicaly, been looking at getting a dslr to start taking pics at american football games mainly (seeing as theres a good chance my playing days are over) and im getting a tad confused thanks to all the review sites forgeting to actuaky try and take any sort of action shots.

anyways so far iv got my choices down to a nikon 3100 or a canon d600.

anyone got an opinion on the above two or on something else maybe.

budget wise im aiming for 500-600 with a lense to get me started, season doesnt kick off till april so i have time to save up for a 200mm zoom. and who knows what january/feb will bring when shops are crying out for any sale they can get

 

[iamtheoneneo]

in this particular instance the lens should be your number 1 focus really.... any dlsr under the sun can take a fast photo but if ur doing it with crappy glass that lets no light in then your gonna have issues.

 

[D.P.]

in this particular instance the lens should be your number 1 focus really.... any dlsr under the sun can take a fast photo but if ur doing it with crappy glass that lets no light in then your gonna have issues.

In agree.

In general, sports and fats aciton requires a high end DSLRnot an entry level, however, you will get much further investing in some decent fast glass here.

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 or Canon equivalent will net you fast auto focus with an entry levlel DSLR.

 

[GAC]

thanks guys, id figured the fast glass bit but with the amount of cash il have on hand i cant see me picking up a 2.8 200mm anytime soon. even a cheap one is £600.

 

[D.P.]

thanks guys, id figured the fast glass bit but with the amount of cash il have on hand i cant see me picking up a 2.8 200mm anytime soon. even a cheap one is £600.

The Nikon 70-300 f/5.6 VR AF-S is an. Entry level lens but has great sharpness and reasonable autofocus. However, the slow aperture will hold you back outside a sunny day.

 

[GAC]

well looks like il grab the d5100 and the 70-300 in a month or two. just where from now, i know a few on here moan at jessops being a rip off but for the body alone its the best place iv found outside of hk (or god only knows) based shops that seem to be paranoid about telling people if prices include vat or where there actually based :S

so anyone know of anywhere uk or eu based ??

 

[Clarkson]

I'm sure the people here know more than me about technicalities, but the Sony A35 may be worth a look.

£519.95 at Jessops with twin lens kit (standard 18-55mm and 55-200mm as extra), and is good for 5.5fps at full res or 7fps at 8MP.

 

[theheyes]

Have you considered second hand? You can pick up a canon 40D with 9 cross type AF points and 6.5 fps for less than £400 and put your pennies towards a decent telephoto.

 

[GAC]

for the difference in prices id rather pay for a new body. as some of the 2nd hand prices iv seen floating around are rather comical to be honest. especially when you ask them how many shots the shutters taken and they wont say for example.

also got to love the smell of new shiney stuff

 

[ShakenNstirred]

i went for the d5100 too picked it up for £599

 

[neil_g]

I'd have to agree with the 40D suggestion and maybe the sigma 70-200 2.8.

Some canons won't let you get the shutter life without sending off to canon themselves so I think it's more a case of second hand sellers can't tell you rather than wont tell you. Either way I wouldn't worry about it, shutter life is an average and it can fail after 1 actuation or 1,000,000 actuations.

But anyway the above will be more than capable for entry level sports. I'd chose a canon xxD series over xxxD any day of the week personally. We still use an old 20D in our sports kit and it still performs as long as the light level is good.

 

[Biggus]

My son got a mint 30D (<1000 shots) and EF 24-70 f2.8 L USM for just under £900 earlier this year for using in his Uni work. The lens is something special, and he's so glad he spent more for the glass than the body, which can always be changed more easily later, while still gaining in IQ

 

[HHM]

I'm sure the people here know more than me about technicalities, but the Sony A35 may be worth a look

Yeah one of the new "A" models from Sony