Photography Advice

[KXRacer469]

I am very interested in photography, and I'm thinking about pursuing it as a career possibly. My birthday is coming up and I'm asking for a camera. I will be focusing mainly on action sport such as motocross and skateboarding, so alot of movement will be going on and I need a camera that has great and fast images, also would like to find one that captures multiple pictures at one time. If anyone could give me an idea on a good camera to purchase, I would greatly appriciate it. Thanks. :)

 

[IndyMX]

also would like to find one that captures multiple pictures at one time.

Huh?

Do you mean a camera that can do multiple shots with one push of the shutter? A burst mode?

Otherwise, it depends on how much money you want to spend.

I have a very capable Canon 20D. It can handle most situations well, but has a real problem making up for my lack of skill.

I think I have a couple thousand in it..

 

[Chili]

It will all come down to the budget as there are many brands with Digital SLR cameras that would serve you well. As Indy stated I believe you are asking about catching consecutive frames or a burst and not capturing multiple different images at the exact same time. If so you'll want to research the Frames per second and the buffer size of the SLR you are considering.

 

[sigurd]

Hunt through this forum as there are several new and older threads that discuss Digital SLR's, lens choices amongst the various members.

Two in particular stand out in my mind:

http://dirtrider.net/forums3/showthread.php?t=153283

This has some wonderful photos and discussions of lenses. Here's one quote from the thread which references another non DRN forum. Follow the links.

I'll second the vote for the Sigma 24-70 f2.8 over the kit lens. On Chili & Squid's recommendation I bought this lens and have been really pleased with the results on my Nikon D200....

Long time Nikon Pro shooter Thom Hogan has some great info on the D40 and the lenses you are considering on his website.

http://www.bythom.com/d40review.htm
http://www.bythom.com/1855lens.htm
http://www.bythom.com/55200lens.htm

Another which addresses a few of your questions:
http://dirtrider.net/forums3/showthread.php?t=152838

and some comparative shopping:
http://dirtrider.net/forums3/showthread.php?t=151905

These are just a couple of interesting threads which discuss equipment. There are more, and plenty of wonderful photos to boot.

I believe at the B & H website you can compare the features of the most common Digital SLR's.

Some suggested buying used. I do not recall the specifics of that recommendation. I'm not a photog, but, these are some good sources of information from people who shoot images like you are hoping to shoot. It will not be cheap by any means, even at an entry level. It may not be a gift you can ask for, but rather something you have to save your nickels for.

I'd also recommend you look into some of the outside photography forums. A couple of the members here dual post and could steer you in the right direction. Good luck. Sig

 

[KXRacer469]

Yes, burst was the word I was looking for. I'm mostly looking for a good body camera at a decent price but also a good lense at a decent price as well. I'm not as worried about the zoom capabilities of the camera as the picture quality itself. Thanks for the advice and the links, they helped alot!

 

[IndyMX]

Most of the camera's in the low thousands would be good.. But, the body in that range isn't quite as important as the glass..

If you go big on the body, and cheap on glass, you'll not have good pictures. So, figure out what kind of money you have to spend on a camera, and get the best glass you can get and still be able to get a decent body for it.

 

[KXRacer469]

well for the glass i found a Autofocus Nikkor 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 IF-ED AF-S and i like that alot, but i need a fast body and one with good quality

 

[IndyMX]

You won't be happy with the quality of that lens..

Look at something in the f2.8 range for a good lens. And something with a constant aperture over the whole zoom range.

 

[Chili]

I can't speak on Nikon glass as I know nothing about the different letter designations. While a constant aperature 2.8 lens is always nice there is plenty of good glass out there that isn't the high end stuff. If your shooting outdoors on sunny days a lens like that Nikkor should be fine as long as the AF is fast enough. In Canon glass I would be looking for USM lenses and in Sigma HSM as this means the lens has it's own focusing motor. I know several people on a budget or just starting out that are shooting MX with a Canon 28-135 f3.5-5.6 lens and have been able to produce excellent work.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Nikon SLR Camera and Lens Compatibility and naming conventions.

http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/nikon_articles/other/compatibility.html

 

[photojojo]

Spend all the money you can on glass. You can get a better film body than DSLR body for the same money. Saying that I will not go back to shooting 35mm film anytime soon.